MetaFilter posts tagged with policy and environment

Where do we go from here? Why is the path unclear?

WCityMike — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:54:27 -0800

The antidote to LOLbushsuxx0rs. Over the course of the past week, Slate ran a ten (10!)-piece series, "Fixin' It", in which various writers postulated how the course of various aspects of the United States' military, culture, and policies could be redirected for the better. Although the articles are not entirely devoid of Bush criticism, there's mostly a fairly rare focus on the positive actions to be taken from here onward by the next President (whether it be McCain or Obama or Clinton).

"This collection outlines the promises and pitfalls of new energy technologies..."

sergeant sandwich — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 17:13:02 -0800

Navarre now generates more than 50% of its energy needs by wind power: a profile of the small autonomous region in northern Spain that is leading the way in renewable energy. This is one of many free access articles in this special supplement on energy issues to the journal Nature.

The Happy Planet Index: a Better Way to Measure Well-Being?

shivohum — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 09:00:33 -0800

The Happy Planet Index presents an alternative to GDP for measuring standard of living. It ranks countries by measuring life expectancy and self-reported life satisfaction against an "ecological footprint" needed to support that country's lifestyle. The press release claims that well-being is not based on high levels of consumption, but many don't agree. Full report in PDF here. Vanuatu tops the charts, while Zimbabwe and Swaziland lie at bottom. Critiques here, here, here, and here. A critique of happiness indices generally here.

Transit in Detroit

gregb1007 — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 19:13:42 -0800

Transit in Detroit details an urban planner's initiative to cut the costs of the city's traffic congestion-relieving highway expansion by proposing a transit system combining light rail and bus-rapid-transit. [More Inside]