Environmental economics

Australia’s coal is fueling China’s growth, quite literally. For the past two years, that fuel has been subjected to a carbon tax. But now Australia’s new government is poised to put an end to the carbon tax.

Environmentalists and educators in Oberlin, Ohio, have teamed up to give the community’s residents a detailed look at how they use energy and impact the environment. So far, an environmental studies instructor says, adoption has been strong.

After passing the United States as the top carbon emitter, one researcher says China’s now making a commitment to reduce the country’s carbon output. But in order for China to reduce large amounts of CO2, they say, the U.S. will need to do more.

Bob Inglis is out of Congress now, but he’s still a committed conservative. Unlike many of his brethren, however, he’s ready to tackle climate change. And he says Republicans, conservatives, are in the perfect position to engage on the issue and lead solutions to deal with it.

Job growth has been hard to come in in this economy. But in Massachusetts at least, the clean energy industry is adding jobs at a brisk pace. Fueled by decreased costs, increased availability and federal tax credits, the clean energy economy was adding jobs at an 11 percent clip last year.