davidconnell.net

Via Reuters More Americans believe world is warming:

Unlike many other issues that divide Republicans and Democratic voters, such as healthcare or how to deal with the deficit and debt, a majority of Americans from both major parties agree on global warming, the poll found. Some 72 percent of Republicans believe global warming is happening and 92 percent of Democrats do, it found.

Global warming could be an important issue in next year’s election, because some 15 percent of voters see it as their primary concern, said Krosnick, who is also a university fellow at the Resources for the Future think tank.

If President Barack Obama, a Democrat, can define himself as the environmental candidate, he could have a large advantage over a Republican, Krosnick said. If however, a Republican softens his or her stance on climate and Obama, who has failed to pass a climate bill in his first term, moves more to the center, it may not be a factor in the election.

Clearly there is a silent majority problem on climate change — every poll I’ve ever seen says the vast majority of Americans believe it is happening and believe it is man-made. The struggle seems to be with communications and getting the message out there that we can combat climate change and adapt to the effects we are experiencing right now.

By being defensive about climate science and dwelling on defending that science, we’re playing  into the hands of the noisy 17 percent of Americans who have rejected reality, reason and the majority of the population. The more we talk about the science of climate change, the more the denialists can play smoke and mirrors with the science.

If we move beyond “why it’s happening” and start talking about the actions needed to address it we’d be framing the conversation in a way Americans can support — because it will be one framed in action not in fear. And, by the way, we would have a much more fruitful debate — the debate over cap-and-trade versus a carbon tax, for instance is a worthy debate to have.

Photo: Climate Change action in Boise, Idaho, by Flickr user The World Wants a Real Deal. Used under a Creative Commons License.

I find myself writing yet another Friday lost and found on Saturday morning, so let’s get right down to it:

As the Republican nomination race heats up and looks increasingly like a run-off between crazy Michelle Bachman, crazy Rick Perry and not-so crazy-but-still-pretty-scary Mitt Romney, Bachman has pledged to bring back $2.00 per gallon gas. Of course, economists — you know, people who have actually studied how the economy works — note that two dollar gas would only be achievable in a complete economic collapse. At least we’ll be able to fuel up our SUVs as we drive into the zombie apocalypse.
(Via CNNMoney)

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If you live in the DC metro area (or have access to The Washington Post) check out the Viola Drath, Albrecht Gero Murth murder case. Here’s the basic synopsis: Wealthy 91-year-old socialite is found murdered in her tony Georgetown townhouse. Weirdo husband, fond of German military uniforms and eye patches is accused. It’s a tragic and surreal case that could only happen in Washington.
(Via The Washington Post)

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Inter Milan is in final  negotiations with obscure Russian club Anzhi Makhachkal over a transfer deal that would make Samuel Eto’o the highest paid soccer player in the World. Which is crazy, because Eto’o isn’t really all that any more.

Even crazier? Anzhi Makhachkal is located in a politically unstable region of Russia and its players actually live in Moscow and fly to Makhachkal to play their matches (and presumably quickly fly home again). So basically, every match is an away match. Also, as The Wall Street Journal notes, “The only time Anzhi made mainstream headlines last year was when Roberto Carlos was racially abused at an away game in Samara.” I’m sure Eto’o will fit in just fine there…
(Via Sports Illustrated and The Wall Street Journal)

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You know what’s really crazy? Trying to do Google Street View in the Amazon. But Google is doing it. The web giant is working with the Sustainable Amazon Foundation to pull off Street View Amazon and is working with indigenous people in the region to film the area. The Street View team is actually not using many streets to record the project, but is instead traveling by boat and bike.
(Via Treehugger)

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500 Startups held their most recent Demo Day, unveiling 30 unique ideas trying to make it on the big bad Internet frontier. TechCrunch highlights a handful of them in video interviews. My personal favorite here: StoryTree, which looks like a great way to tell a story and record family histories.
(Via TechCrunch)

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Finally, today: There is one Republican candidate out there who is not crazy. His name is Jon Huntsman and, unfortunately, his chances of winning the nomination are basically zero. And/but, his daughters are hot.
(Via Twitter, the world’s finest news source.)

Newsweek crop via Ebony Mom Politics

… and other reasons Republicans need to support the green economy and a transition away from fossil fuels.

Lost amidst the debt crisis, the Brookings Institute is out with a new report that tries to quantify the size of the “clean economy,” which they define as the sector of the economy producing goods and services with an environmental benefit. This definition cuts a pretty wide swath that includes five main categories:

• renewable energy
• energy and resource efficiency
• greenhouse gas reduction
• environmental management and recycling
• agriculture and natural resource conservation
• regulation and compliance

While that is certainly a broader definition than we normally think of — in that it includes things other than making windmills and solar panels — it’s a more accurate portrayal of the depth and breadth of the green economy.

The study finds a sector that is vibrant, growing and providing better jobs to lower- and middle-income workers in areas that have been hit hardest by the economic crisis. Here are some top-level findings:

• The clean economy employs 2.7 million workers, more than the fossil fuels industry, but smaller than IT-producing sectors.
• The clean economy creates manufacturing jobs, with roughly 26 percent of all clean economy jobs coming from manufacturing, compared to only 9 percent of the broader economy.
• The clean economy creates exports. On a per job basis, the clean economy exports roughly twice the value of a typical US job — $20,000 compared to $10,000.
• The clean economy provides better opportunities to low and-and middle-skilled workers. Median wags in the clean economy are 13 percent higher than median wages across the rest of the economy.
• The South has the largest number of clean economy jobs. Seven of the 21 states with at least 50,000 clean jobs are in the South.

In short, the clean economy creates the type of jobs Republicans say they want for our country and the type of manufacturing, export-based economy they say is the bed-rock of American society. It also creates jobs in the states that consistently and reliably vote Republican. So why is the party reluctant to support the sector? Why are they openly hostile to the one thing that will spur growth in this sector — enforceable limits on greenhouse gas emission?

Photo: Solar Panels, by Flickr user spanginator. Used under a Creative Commons license.