This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

We're sorry that many of you had trouble getting to our pages in recent weeks. Over the long weekend, we switched to a new service that is more reliable and offers more features.

While the pages should be much faster now, there is one remaining inconvenience: If you have registered to post comments, you will need to re-register. We think everything is working smoothly (thank you, Porter!), but if you notice any other problems, please let us know.

We're glad to have the page-loading troubles behind us, and thanks for your patience.

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

As 2007 draws to a close, we also approach the end of our blog's first year. Well, okay, it started in February, but it's close. We've tried to bring you a blend of the science and policy of climate change, and be a resource for you in explaining these issues to others. How've we been doing? We want your feedback!

We also need your help in another quarter. The end of the year means fundraising for non-profits like ours. We rely on you to fund the important work we do.

Please donate now, and here's wishing for a cool, green New Year for us all!

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

With Thanksgiving approaching, we got to thinking about what we're grateful for, and we wanted to tell you how very grateful we are to you - our online readers, activists and donors. Your support means everything. We even made a video about it!

We're all heading out for Thanksgiving now so we won't be posting again this week. See you again on Monday. Have a great holiday!

This post is by Sheryl Canter, an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

The current issue of U.S. News and World Report has a special report on America's Best Leaders. Among the sixteen individuals chosen was our own Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense. From the article:

"The signature achievement of Krupp's philosophy came out of amendments to the Clean Air Act in the George H. W. Bush administration. While other groups pushed for rigid restrictions on sulfur dioxide, an agent of acid rain, Krupp argued for a unique cap-and-trade system that would permit utilities to swap pollution credits to help bring down their emissions as an aggregate. Utilities that found ways to reduce emissions could sell their credits, at a hefty price, to dirtier plants. Utilities favored the idea, which meant that among the green community, "Fred was taking some serious risks," recalls William Reilly, Bush's EPA chief. Reilly made the deal in return for Environmental Defense's support of the legislation. "That helped us in Congress and in the eyes of the public," Reilly says. The plan achieved reductions at one-tenth the estimated cost.
…
Fittingly, Krupp's work has framed the global warming debate. He played a key role in enlisting corporate support for government action. And because of the success of the acid-rain program, a cap-and-trade scheme for greenhouse gases is the basis for proposals in Congress to combat warming."

The author of today's post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

Annie Petsonk, International Counsel for Environmental Defense, keeps an eye on happenings around the world. It was from her that I found out that the European Union's Commissioner for Environment, Stavros Dimas, has dedicated today as International Blog Action Day on the environment.

Commissioner Dimas asks everyone with a blog to post a climate-related message today, and he held an online chat on his blog from 8 am to 11 am U.S. Eastern Time. I took a quick look, and people were weighing in from all over the world. I couldn't read the comments in Greek, but the English ones made some interesting points, and the Commissioner was active in responding.

The author of today's post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

The cover story in the current issue of Newsweek is about the bizarre persistence of the global warming deniers, in the face of overwhelming evidence that global warming exists ("Global Warming Is A Hoax - Or so claim well-funded naysayers who still reject the overwhelming evidence of climate change").

Who is funding the doubt machine, and how should science-based organizations respond?

Read more »

The author of today's post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

I attended the YearlyKos Convention in Chicago last week, and what an amazing event it was! I expected to learn ways to blog more effectively, and to meet some of my fellow bloggers. All that happened. The sessions were great, and I met many people I'd previously known only by their writing.

But I didn't know when I signed up that I'd also get to interact with the Democratic presidential candidates.

Read more »

Tomorrow's Live Earth concert is expected to be quite the happening. Do you think it will help the fight against climate change? Are you planning to go? If you do go, post your experiences here!

It's going to be a quiet couple of days Climate411. We're out of the office today and tomorrow at an off-site staff retreat, so I won't be able to post as often as usual. There's an easy way to find out if we've posted without having to come check every day.

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Thanks for visiting, and have a great week!

The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 14-18, and Bike-to-Work Day on May 18. Biking is the ultimate in clean transportation, emitting no greenhouse gases whatsoever. Plus it keeps you fit and it's fun.

Still not sure? Check out our stories from people who bike to work daily. If you decide to join in, tell us your experiences!