UpStart[uhp-stahrt] n. 1. A company or organization with innovative approaches to energy use, carbon pollution, resource consumption, and/or social equity, 2. A company or organization overcoming market barriers to build the new clean energy economy.

While playing an important role, governments and non-profits cannot build a “clean economy” on their own; rather, the private sector must lead the way. And thanks to a growing number of forward-thinking companies, the clean economy is already in the works. In this series, Lisbeth Kaufman of the Center for American Progress highlights “UpStarts” – companies that are shaking up the market, breaking down barriers and helping change the economy.

B Lab is creating a new type of company, the B Corporation, which modifies governance so that managers respond to long-term interests of investors, stakeholders, and the environment, rather than just focusing on short-term profits.

In a Harvard Business School case study on B Lab, co-founder Coen Gilbert explained B Lab’s goals and approach to overcoming market barriers for social entrepreneurs:

There are tons of individual companies that have managed to effectively balance social and business impact.  Still, we need to institutionalize the values, standards, and accountability that allow companies to do that.  We need systems in place.  We need to change the rules of the game instead of continuing to clean up the mess.

We want to look at the root causes.  The root causes are not evil people, but rather poor system design. Right now the system is designed to maximize short-term stock value; it does that well, but at the cost of everything else.  The question is: How do we have a system that facilitates long term value for the good of society? Read more

Mitt Romney at UNH town hall.

I don’t speak for the scientific community, of course, but I believe the world’s getting warmer. I can’t prove that, but I believe based on what I read that the world is getting warmer. And number two, I believe that humans contribute to that. I don’t know how much our contribution is to that, because I know that there have been periods of greater heat and warmth in the past but I believe we contribute to that. And so I think it’s important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may well be significant contributors to the climate change and the global warming that you’re seeing.

Watch it:

Romney has not, however, endorsed any policies that would actually achieve his supposed goal of reducing global warming pollution. In his book, No Apology, Romney endorses the climate policy of Bjorn Lomborg, who grossly misrepresents science to claim adaptation to rapid climate change will be a simple prospect.

Our guest blogger is Michael Conathan, Center for American Progress Director of Oceans Policy.

Sarah Palin at Yankee Seafood Cooperative

When Palin’s One Nation bus tour pulled into New Hampshire yesterday, it came as no surprise that one of her first stops was the Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative in Seabrook. New England is home to America’s oldest fishing industry. Many of the region’s fisheries were overfished for decades until recent reductions in catch limits began rebuilding depleted fish populations. While these regulations will allow the fisheries to reverse decades of decline, the short-term economic sacrifices have hit some fishermen hard.

In New Hampshire, which has just 18 miles of coastline, fishermen have felt the pinch, while some of their counterparts in the larger Massachusetts fishing ports of Gloucester and New Bedford or Portland, Maine have thrived. As such, Palin found fertile ground for her anti-government pandering. Palin greeted fishermen by exclaiming “I love your industry!” She tied her visit to one of her major themes, excess government regulation:

“Politics cannot play a part in the fisheries industry,” said Palin, rapping “overly cautious environmental concerns” for strangling the enterprise.

The “overly cautious” regulations Palin attacked are rebuilding fish populations and ensuring that the fisheries reverse decades of decline to once again become growth industries, sustainable for future generations.

Palin has a long track record of politicizing fisheries issues in her Alaskan homeland, to the detriment of both the wildlife and Alaska fishermen:

– Palin consistently opposed allowing native Alaskans to maintain their subsistence fishing rights, choosing instead to back commercial and sportfishing interests.

– Testing the limits of campaign laws, Palin joined mining interests to actively oppose a state ballot measure that would have protected Bristol Bay’s abundant salmon populations from polluted runoff and habitat destruction that would come as a result of opening the Pebble Mine site, thought to contain up to half a trillion dollars of gold, silver, and copper ores.

– Palin attempted to block the endangerment listing of Cook Inlet beluga whales for economic reasons, despite the fact that the Endangered Species Act explicitly excludes consideration of economic factors from decisions about endangerment listings.

For Palin, it seems the only good fish is a dead fish. Honest politics and sound science can give us good fisheries policy. Let’s keep Palin’s political rapping out of the equation.

SOURCE: AP/Ralph Wilson

Is natural gas a tool in the fight against climate change or an environmental nightmare? CAP Senior Fellow Tom Kenworthy tries to figure out “what the frack is going on.”

The Obama administration is moving to examine more closely the environmental and health impacts of a surge in natural gas production across the country, particularly where hydraulic fracturing is used. But with the oil and gas industry enjoying numerous exemptions from some of our most important environmental laws, the administration can do more to assure the public that drilling for gas, particularly in shale formations, can be done in ways that protect our water, air, health, and climate.

Concerns intensify over natural gas development

It’s a pretty clear signal that the debate over natural gas development is heating up when a song about hydraulic fracturing, or fracking—a form of natural gas drilling—becomes a minor hit on YouTube. As suggested in the first two lines of the chorus of “The Fracking Song”—produced by a partnership between Pro Publica and New York University’s journalism school—the entire subject is in need of more clarity:

What the frack is going on with all this fracking going on?

I think we need some facts to come to light

In recent weeks the Obama administration took a number of steps to shed additional light on growing public concerns over natural gas drilling, in particular the widespread use of fracking. That technique, deployed in unconventional gas settings such as shale gas and coal bed methane gas formations, uses large volumes of water combined with sand and chemicals to fracture underground rock formations. Pumped deep underground at high pressures, the fracking fluid creates fissures in the rock so natural gas can escape from the rock. The gas is then transported to the surface. Read more

As part of the “Fish on Fridays” series, Michael Conathan, director of oceans policy at the Center for American Progress, writes about the plummeting numbers of BlueFin Tuna — and the rancorous politics around trying to save them.

(AP Photo/Chris Park)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, drew ire from some environmental groups when it announced last week that the Atlantic bluefin tuna does not warrant a listing under the Endangered Species Act despite widespread decline the species over the past several decades. Despite its unpopularity, this is the correct decision from both a legal and a conservation standpoint.

The bluefin tuna is one of the most astounding creatures on the planet. Marine biologists frequently refer to sharks as perfect eating machines. If so, then the bluefin is a perfect swimming machine. Each fish is a tube of pure muscle that has evolved biological adaptations allowing it to swim faster, deeper, and farther than virtually any fish on the planet. Their circulatory systems make the cold-blooded fish operate with the power of a warm-blooded animal, and their fins are designed to retract into slots in their bodies, reducing drag and allowing them to travel through the water at speeds in excess of 45 miles per hour. Read more

The Climate Progress news round-up is a daily look at the top climate and energy news from around the web. Do you have interesting stories to share? Post them in the comments below.

As Stimulus Funding Ends, Experts Weigh Law’s Impact on ‘Green Economy’

The debate over whether the stimulus created jobs is heated and endless, with lawmakers continuously arguing the merits of economic projections and clean energy investments.

But one thing is clear: As federal agencies run out of stimulus funds, temporary workers are seeing their jobs come to an end.

“As soon as the money stops, one imagines jobs stop being supported,” said Josh Bivens, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute. “My guess is we’ve passed the peak effect of the Recovery Act on jobs.” Read more

Most readers probably know about Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) by now. While not popular in the U.S., the policy has gained traction in more than 50 countries. Climate Progress recently had a visit from German Parliamentarian Ulrich Kelber, who talked about the importance of FITs (video below). We thought it would be a good opportunity to explain the policy for all those who aren’t completely familiar.

FITs are considered by many to be the most successful instrument for promoting renewable energy. Despite the wonky name, it’s actually a very simple concept — which is why it’s been so effective. Read more