Smugglers Sell Coolant Tied to Global Warming - NYTimes.com

Much of the global air-conditioning industry relies on the gas the way the auto industry does on gasoline. But while oil is getting harder to find and more expensive, HCFC-22 is becoming more abundant and remaining cheap on the global market...By reducing the supply of the coolant and encouraging prices to rise, the United States government hoped to force manufacturers and consumers to scrap old machines and invest in more environmentally friendly, if more expensive, alternatives. But it has not worked out that way, especially in recessionary times when people hang on to old appliances and search for cheap shortcuts. 

How sure are we that this gas is causing the planet to overheat?

[Revkin]: People are mixing up qualitative realism with...

"People are mixing up qualitative realism with quantitative realism."

— Dean of climate modeling, Syukuro Manabe, warning against putting too much stock in such simulations (2001). Of course, projections of greenhouse-driven warming rely on an interrelated trio of methods - observations, modeling and theory, added Ron Stouffer.

Spanish Mayor on Hunger Strike over Austerity Measures - SPIEGEL ONLINE

it is solar power that kicked off Vadillo's unusual protest in the first place. In January, Spanish Industry Minister José Manuel Soria cut all subsidies for new projects relating to renewable energies.

Behind the scenes at the Democratic convention | Grist

Most of the politicians seemed to fear that climate change would be a non-starter, that it would confuse or scare off voters.