green cities
stuff I wrote elsewhere
Archive of entries posted by jfleck
Orszag on the “Safety Valve”
CBO’s Peter Orszag on the economics of putting a safety valve in a cap-and-trade bill: One option for allowing firms flexibility in determining when to reduce emissions while also achieving compliance with a cumulative emissions target would be through setting both a ceiling—typically referred to as a safety valve—and a floor on the allowance prices …
plan out your propaganda
David Appell (who got me hooked on climate blogging in the first place) has some wise words regarding the latest bit of back-and-forth on climate change and hurricanes: Clearly more study is needed. Give the scientists time to do their jobs before you plan out your propaganda.
Competing Frames
Judy Pasternak on the battle for mindshare surrounding uranium mining around the Grand Canyon: In recent months, the uranium rush has spawned a clash as epic as the canyon’s 18-mile chasm, with both sides claiming to be working for the good of the planet. Environmental organizations have appealed to federal courts and Congress to halt …
Headline of the day
“Missing Clovis man found dead” This refers to a recent unfortunate incident, and not the solution to a paleo-Indian mystery
We Loves Our Natural Gas
Preliminary 2007 US greenhouse emission numbers are out:
I love readers
This morning at work, I threw out an idle question on the newspaper web site about how rising gas prices are affecting people. The response was rich and thoughtful.
Robert Rauschenberg, 1925-2008
Coming of age when I did, and having had the art of that age be like the water in which I, the fish, swam, I felt like I had to say something meaningful about the death of the fabulously influential Robert Rauschenberg, who died last week. So here’s the story. When I was growing up, …
most people like ketchup
Saw Gary Hustwit’s marvelous film “Helvetica” this weekend. Helvetica is the universal typeface, that which it seems cannot be improved upon, both loathed for its pedestrian ubiquity and revered for its comfortable functionality. Reminded me very much of some of the issues raised by Malcolm Gladwell’s New Yorker piece a few years back on ketchup. …
Elasticity Translated
Ajay Shah explains what’s hidden behind the economic term “elasticity” – people with empty bellies: GDP growth yields fewer poor people who respond to higher wheat prices by purchasing less meat or wheat, i.e. we have less of a shock absorber. That generates a reduced elasticity of demand of wheat. So prices have to rise …