Many people don’t like using gasoline, but feel that they are unable to live their lives without it. Is it possible to wean oneself off gasoline? Most people can’t stop using gasoline overnight. A realistic goal for most everybody is…
In my last post, I discussed a new initiative from Canada to mandate the inclusion of warning labels on gas pumps. Today, I interview the guiding force behind the campaign, Robert Shirkey, Executive Director of Toronto-based Our Horizon. The text below is a…
Our Horizon, a Toronto-based environmental group led by Rob Shirkey, is campaigning throughout Canada and the U.S. to enact laws requiring warning labels on gas pumps which inform consumers about the environmental consequences of using gasoline. The campaign is gaining traction. Berkeley and…
Last week I reviewed "Beyond Gridlock," a major new article by Michael Vandenbergh and Jonathan Gilligan concerning voluntary carbon reduction strategies. This week, I interview Michael Vandenbergh about the ideas behind the paper. MNM: Why have consumer-oriented carbon reduction strategies been given…
Vanderbilt Professors Michael Vandenbergh and Jonathan Gilligan’s new article “Beyond Gridlock” (advance version available here, publication in the Columbia Environmental Law Journal in Summer 2015) finds enormous potential for carbon emissions reductions from voluntary private actions by businesses and households…
What policies can bridge the divide between the public’s concern about the climate crisis and their unwilling-ness to pay additional taxes on energy? Recent New York Times polling found that 83% of Americans (including 61% of Republicans) believe that global…
Oil companies’ share prices tumbling. Fracking and oil exploration projects cancelled. Environmentalist dreams? No, these are today’s headlines caused by falling oil prices. But what about the demand side? Will low gas prices cause consumers to use more gas and emit…
No one has yet captured an image of the CO2 spewing from car tailpipes. As discussed in my last post, such video images could revolutionize how we think about the copious carbon pollution (20 lbs. of CO2/gallon) we emit when we drive. To better understand…
If CO2 came out of the tailpipe dark and smelly, strict controls on emitting it would probably have been in effect long ago. Instead, CO2 is invisible and odorless. We exhale it with every breath. Most of us are unaware that our…
The gas station is the oil companies’ tentacle into the cars and pocketbooks of consumers. Located at prominent street corners in nearly every neighborhood in the developed world, gas stations proudly carry the flag of Shell, Chevron, BP, and other…