When an environmental organization tells you the age of coal is over, it’s fair to dismiss that as mere wishful thinking.

But when an international economic magazine says the same thing, people sit up and pay attention.

While the cradle-to-grave impacts of coal are well documented, the fact remains that coal still provides 45 percent of the nation’s power. But coal's dominance is decreasing as new sources of power come online and energy efficiency improves.

Hurricane Floyd approaching Florida in 2011. (Hal Pierce / NOAA)

A vibrant climate change denial industry keeps telling Americans not to worry about global warming because the science is in dispute.

The insurance industry begs to differ.

A new report finds that climate-related disasters made 2011 an especially tough year for the sector that helps us rebuild after natural disasters.

Coal-fired power and its consequences were the most-read topics in 2011

Fans of unEarthed know Earthjustice has been sharing (and sometimes breaking) news on our blog this year. Which stories posted in 2011 generated the most reads?

Here is our Top Ten Countdown for the year:

Amy Poszywak at SNL Financial reports that lobbying among the largest U.S. power companies topped $11 million in the third quarter of 2011 (the latest figures available) and that expenses have been high all year.

Not surprisingly, the biggest companies attempting to sway congress and the administration include some of the biggest polluters in the nation.

How’s the weather? 
 
Weird, and getting stranger every day.
 
Last week in Kampala, Uganda the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued new preliminary findings entitled Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation.  (Full report available in February 2012.)
 
Among the findings:

Today, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor declared war on regulations that he and his Tea Party backers do not like. Of the ten proposed rollbacks, seven are environmental. Regulations declared “harmful” by Cantor include rules to reduce pollution from power plants, industrial boilers, cement plants, coal ash, ozone, particulate matter and greenhouse gases.

Delaying or cancelling these new pollution standards will seriously impact public health and shorten the lives of thousands, if not millions, of Americans due to pollution related illness.

Luckily, the American people soundly reject Cantor’s attacks on the Environmental Protection Agency. In February, a poll found that 77 percent of Americans (including 61 percent of Republicans) support the notion that "Congress should let the EPA do its job."

Did you hear about the secret attacks being planned on public health and the environment of the United States?

Probably not. The news from Washington these days is focused on the fight over raising the debt ceiling.

Meanwhile, the 2012 House Interior/EPA Appropriations (H.R.2584) bill is being considered, and it is larded with riders that will increase pollution, destroy protected wilderness, and harm the health of American families.

It’s frankly difficult to explain how bad some of these proposals are. They are so outrageous they seem almost surreal. But here are just a few that should give every American heartburn:

A smoggy day in Los Angeles.

When Lisa Jackson took the reins as administration of the Environmental Protection Agency, she issued a memo to staff stating that:

"Science must be the compass guiding our environmental protection decisions. We cannot make the best decisions unless we have confidence in the integrity of the science on which we rely. Therefore, it is my promise that scientific integrity will be the backbone of my leadership of the Agency."

While she does seem serious about this commitment, and has made some great decisions, the question now is whether the White House will let her do her job. A big test is coming with the adoption of new health standards on ground level-ozone (smog).

Americans are worried about their government. We imagine backroom deals are cut, fates are foretold and the little guy always gets shafted because powerful interests own the cops.

Recent events in Kansas prove these fears can be spot-on.

The Kansas City Star has unearthed emails showing the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), the agency responsible for enforcing the federal Clean Air Act, had an “improper relationship” with an air permit applicant.

Mitt Romney's a climate change believer

According to the National Journal, “virtually all of the serious 2010 GOP challengers have moved beyond opposing cap-and-trade to dismissing the scientific evidence that global warming is even occurring.”

Like that old gag from Seth Myers and Amy Poehler on Saturday Night Live, it is understandable if the American people are starting to ask the Republican Party, “Really?”

While many Republicans running for president in 2012 have adopted a stance of certitude on the subject, others are sheepishly running away from prior statements on the subject.