Author Archive

Time to shift climate change discussion to policy solutions

Missoulian: Controversy is essential in a functioning democracy. You may be in favor (or against) background checks for gun purchases in Missoula or have a strong opinion on the school bond issue. The reality TV that fronts as our primary presidential debates sparks lively conversations around the social media water cooler. Climate change dialogue, however, is different. The discourse should be around policy, and not about whether climate change is happening or not. We have somehow digressed, responding to...

Keystone Pipeline bad for the U.S. and the Earth

Missoulian: Are projects that make climate change worse - like the Keystone XL Pipeline - in the national interest? Not if short-term expedience creates long-term disaster. The 1,711-mile-long, yard-wide KXL would transport oil from underneath Alberta's boreal forests to refineries in Oklahoma and Texas. The oil would most likely be exported from there. One long-term cost of KXL is its contribution to raising the Earth's temperature. Burning fossil fuel carried in the pipeline produces carbon dioxide....