Exxon has announced an agreement with Russia to develop oil fields in the Arctic Ocean in return for giving the Russian Government part ownership of Exxon's oil fields in the U.S. See http://nyti.ms/nzi653 Which raises the question: Who's in charge of U.S. foreign (and energy) policy? http://amplify.com/u/a1c8d5

Germany gets 17% of its energy from renewable sources and has been a net exporter of electricity. Now it is shutting down all of its nuclear plants. How can a large industrial country do such things? 1. It's leader is a physicist. 2. It's consumers use half as much energy as Americans. We can have a green energy future. But only if we start understanding and respecting science, and stop wasting energy. http://amplify.com/u/a1c65n

Demand response is a program that allows the utility to dial down your energy consumption during periods of peak demand. You get paid for participating, the utility protects the grid from failing, and we need fewer peaking plants. Ask your utility how to participate. http://bit.ly/nHGFhw http://amplify.com/u/a1c2jo

The surprising new force cleaning up the plastic industry http://dld.bz/anhQ2 http://amplify.com/u/a1c04m

Are there any leaders in the US who will speak out about climate change? Not likely to be President Obama. He believes the "clean coal" fallacy, approves Arctic Ocean oil drilling, has not mentioned climate change for almost two years, and now endorses a pipeline from tar sands in Canada through environmentally sensitive areas in the US. And he's the pro-environment candidate running for President? http://amplify.com/u/a1byak

Turns out that little earthquake in Virginia last week forced nuclear power plants off line because they list external power. One plant had to rely on just 4 diesel generators when it lost power. See http://onforb.es/q9m52c Is that a big enough margin of safety? http://amplify.com/u/a1bvb0

Jon Huntsman speaks out on climate change: But can he win the Republican nomination? http://bit.ly/q4nAQ3 http://amplify.com/u/a1bqqg

We talk so often about sustainability, green, renewable, etc. What about happiness? If we think about it, doesn't living a sustainable life also make us happier? http://bit.ly/mV6EAG http://amplify.com/u/a1bpc5

GE has developed a new method of enriching uranium using lasers http://t.co/zY7hb65 Some argue they should be prohibited from commercializing the technology because once it's out, unfriendly states like Iran could acquire the technology. Can we really stop scientific discovery and progress by not letting our own scientists develop technologies? http://amplify.com/u/a1bn0g

Scientists have just completed a new floe chart of Antarctica from satellite images that shows how much water will flood into the oceans as the ice melts http://t.co/gofEDQR Did Rick Perry study this scientific research before concluding that climate change predictions are the result of a conspiracy among scientists? http://amplify.com/u/a1blz8

Milton Friedman would not approve of all these candidates who are anti-environmental protection. He taught that the cost of pollution must be included in the price of the fuel. Without including that cost in the price (i.e., externalizing that cost), the price would not accurately reflect the true cost of the product, and the price signals would lead to irrational investments. The free market cannot operate properly when the price signals are wrong. Where is a free market Republican to turn nowadays? http://amplify.com/u/a1bgp3

Shell Admits Huge #Oil Spill In North Sea http://www.businessinsider.com/north-sea-oil-spill-2011-8?utm_source=twbutton&utm_medium=social&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=europe http://amplify.com/u/a1ba3i

We need to stop arguing theories and philosophies, and start debating the numbers. Anyone who looks at a world population of 10 billion people trying to live an American lifestyle has to realize that such wasteful consumption is neither possible nor sustainable. http://amplify.com/u/a1b0r4

Ontario has attracted $7 billion in private capital to build the world's largest cluster of wind and solar power generation, create 1,440 new manufacturing jobs, and provide 2,500 MWs of electric power with ZERO ongoing fuel costs for decades to come. Maybe the US should spend a little time learning from our neighbors up north? http://www.howleygreenenergy.com/2/post/2011/08/ontario-attracts-private-capital-to-create-manufacturing-jobs-and-clean-renewable-energy.html http://amplify.com/u/a1a9t2

The NY Times reports that Japanese near Fukushima have purchased their own radiation detectors and discovered that the government isn't telling them the truth about radiation levels. http://t.co/mX Whether this is the result of incompetence, lack of manpower, or worse really doesn't matter. The nuclear industry should be in there providing accurate information at its own expense. If people cannot get trustworthy information, then the industry will not survive. http://amplify.com/u/a1a3xo