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Because our economic progress is typically tracked through one-sided measurements such as the GDP, it’s easy to overlook the real economic picture for average Americans (as we have written about here,here, and here). An example: Recently released census information, reported in the Seattle P-I, revealed that the income gap between the richest and poorest Americans has steadily increased over the last two decades, and the paychecks of those at the...

The French government’s proposal to finance a rebate on gas-sipping cars with a tax on gas-guzzling ones (discussed here) hit a roadblock yesterday: the plan was shelved after it ran into opposition from carmakers and conservative lawmakers. That’s terrible news; not only would it have reduced fossil fuel emissions, it also would have set a fantastic precedent for wider use of such “feebates” in the rest of the world, as...

More thoughts on the same item. Fires in the dry, inland Northwest are igniting as usual, near Washington’s Lake Chelan, for example. But such fires are commonplace; in fact, they maintain vigorous ecosystems. Cascadia’s coastal rainforests, especially northern ones, are a different story. They’re not adapted to fire. On our coast, as in tropical rainforests, fire is a sign of something unnatural-most likely, global climate change. North of Cascadia, in...

Provincial electric utility BC Hydro released its 20-year plan a few months ago, and The Tyee has a useful critique. BC’s energy use is somewhat more efficient than the Northwest states’. But there’s plenty of room for progress. The plan calls for modest expansion in wind-power and other clean, renewables. But it also glances yearningly at coal and another mega-dam. The plan is far too cautious about renewables, according to...

Oregon’s counterproductive tax system briefly experienced some serious discussion in the state legislature, according to today’s Oregonian. Gridlocked returned quickly, of course, but there were a few shining moments of light. There’s little sign yet that tax shifting-taxing pollution rather than paychecks-is about to catch on in the Beaver State. The idea remains too novel, and dramatic tax reforms almost always come during large political crises when one party controls...

This fascinating article in Harvard Magazine summarizes some of the latest research on obesity and inactivity-one of the most important health trends of the decade in Cascadia. (Check if you’re too heavy on the calculator here.) Some snippets to convince you to read it: Two-thirds of American adults are overweight, and half of these are obese. . . [and] up to 80 percent of American adults should weigh less than...

Gasoline prices are at their highest in recent memory and they appear likely to stay high for months. Is this a dream come true for climate defenders and transportation reformers? Far from it. Short-term price spikes, such as the one we’re enduring now, have surprisingly little impact on driver behavior. But they constitute a massive drain on the economies of fuel-importing regions such as ours. And they enrich oil companies,...

The three West Coast governors-Arnold Shwarzenegger of California, Ted Kulongoski of Oregon, and Gary Locke of Washington—are moving forward with a global warming initiative first initialed by ex-governor Gray Davis of California. And their policy advisors have assembled a first batch of plans for public comment. Read and comment here. Unfortunately, boldness is largely absent from the first draft. The proposals are modest gestures like buying hybrid cars for state...

Motor fuel prices in Cascadia keep rising. BC premier Gordon Campbell says to blame Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin for the bite it’s taking out of British Columbians’ bank accounts. Fuel prices in Vancouver reached about 95 (Canadian) cents a litre yesterday, approaching the psychologically important dollar-a-litre level. Just so, gasoline prices in the Northwest states have inched toward the $2 a gallon mark. (Yours truly discusses these matters on...

“This Place on Earth 2002” looks at the region’s progress in sustainability by assessing trends in ten key areas, from salmon health and spread of sprawl to income distribution and energy efficiency. This excerpt from the introduction explains the need for such alternatives to traditional gauges.