Free Republic

… Opponents of the carbon tax implemented in 2012 had the media largely on their side. Electricity prices soared—not mainly because of the tax, but because power companies were spending billions on infrastructure. Most electricity users were compensated for the added cost of the tax, but many of them didn’t know that. And rising gas prices fed the fury—even though the tax didn’t apply to gasoline. Australia’s experience illustrates how easy it is to scuttle complicated environmental laws, and serves as a warning to President Barack Obama, whose recent proposal to force a 30 percent cut in power plants’ carbon...

On October 22, an accord was signed by Xie Zhenhua, China's vice minister at the National Development and Reform Commission, and Jairam Ramesh, India's environment minister, in New Delhi. The memorandum provides an alternative framework to counter pressure from America and Europe to adopt mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions in a new UN treaty. The two Asian powers will collaborate on the development of renewable power projects and improved energy efficiency programs, while rejecting any outside mandates that would slow economic growth. The United Nations has been holding forums around the world to build support for a new climate...

What Is a Cosmos? The Greek Idea of Cosmos and its Contemporary Meaning By David Fideler The Greek word cosmos cannot be translated into a single English word, but refers to an equal presence of order and beauty. When the Greek philosopher Pythagoras first called the universe a cosmos, he did so because it is a living embodiment of nature’s order, beauty, and harmony. The fact that the physical world embodies beauty and harmony can be demonstrated in many ways, but rational proof is only required when we have forgotten our own connection with the underlying fabric of life. When...

Environmentalists -- notorious for making doomsday predictions about man's industrial activities while appealing to "science" -- are now turning to religion to halt the "sins" of industrialization and development. Over a year ago in a full-page article ("Keep Faith With Nature" -- Calgary Herald, Jan. 16, 1999), eco-activist Harvey Locke exhorted: "we need to restore a sense of the sacred to creation if we are to save it." He urged greens to "reach out to those who have religious and spiritual impulses and strive with them to protect the full diversity of life on Earth." Other prominent environmentalists since, such...