Steve Cohens Blog | The New York Observer

The Political Necessity of Climate and Energy Policy

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:01:20 -0500

Two major pieces of President Obama's agenda are heading toward legislative action of some sort over the next several months. The first is health care reform, recently endorsed by both the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The second is climate and energy legislation, approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee after an aggressive push by its Chair, California Senator Barbara Boxer. The Republicans on the...

Baseball and the Heart of New York City

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:43:00 -0500

My parents moved to Brooklyn in 1955 when I was almost two years old, and by the time I was four, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants had played their last home games in the five boroughs. Until Casey Stengel and the Mets arrived in 1962, the only baseball team in town was the New York Yankees. It was during that time, while the Yankees held a monopoly on New York baseball, that ...

Cash and Carry Political Campaigns

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:52:30 -0400

Saturday's New York Times and much of our local media have been calling attention to the amazing amount of money that Mike Bloomberg is spending on his reelection campaign. In the end, he will spend between $100 million and $150 million on his personal stimulus program for New York's political consultant and media industry. He will outspend his opponent, NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson, by more than 15 to 1. New York's good government groups...

The Slow and Steady Stimulus Package is Moving Down the Track, Or: It's a Local, Not an Express

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:31:17 -0400

At the start of my professional career, I worked for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and, like many, I found the federal government to be a source of both inspiration and frustration. It was frustrating because getting it in motion was like turning around a huge cruise ship (no, not the Titanic!). It was inspiring because when it did get moving it represented this entire great nation and could do amazing things....

The Persistence of Hope

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:42:51 -0400

Barack Obama’s Presidency is less than a year old, and he has already found himself on the roller coaster ride of American politics, media and celebrity. It must have been a pleasant surprise to wake to the news on October 9th that he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. While it will be derided by extremists of both the Right and the Left (probably more by the Right), it is a significant and...

The Daily Show, Cap and Trade, and Scientific Literacy

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:18:22 -0400

Watching Jon Stewart use Capn’ Crunch as the logo for climate cap and trade regulation the other night started me thinking about the need for our society to get more sophisticated about its understanding of economics, policy, and science. My reaction to the pitiful state of our public policy dialogue is what you might expect from someone who teaches public administration at a university. While Stewart claims to just be a comedian, he is...

Climate Regulation Has Begun in the U.S.

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:00:17 -0400

In the last several days, some of the attention in our nation’s capital has shifted back to the issue of climate change. Most concretely, EPA has finally taken the essential step of regulating Carbon Dioxide as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act. Meanwhile, over in the U.S. Senate, Senators Kerry and Boxer have introduced a bill that focuses on energy and climate, the upper house’s counterpart to the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill...

Cool Roofs for the City and the Country

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:29:26 -0400

A few days ago, New York City announced its “Cool Roofs” initiative, an effort to save energy by combining volunteerism and green design. According to the Mayor’s press release:

"Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and former Vice President and founder of the Alliance for Climate Protection Al Gore today launched an NYC Service initiative, “NYC Cool Roofs,” to mobilize volunteers to coat the rooftops of participating buildings with reflective, white coating to reduce cooling costs, energy...

Self Interest as the Driver of National Climate and Energy Policy

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:56:51 -0400

This weekend found President Obama hitting every Sunday TV talk show to talk up health care policy. For some environmental advocates, this focus deepened their concern that the United States would lose this moment and punt on climate policy. However, take heart, this week the U.N.’s climate summit begins in New York and the President will be speaking there as well. While nothing in our nation’s capital is ever certain, count me among those...

But Not a Drop to Drink: The Threat to America’s Drinking Water

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:41:52 -0400

For those of us who worked closely with environmental professionals during the eight years of the Bush Administration, we know that it was a time of declining resources and reduced political support for environmental regulation. It was demoralizing and more than a little scary. Last weekend an excellent piece of environmental reporting by the New York Times writer Charles Duhigg highlighted declining drinking water quality throughout the United States. While New York City’s drinking...

Civility in Modern Political Life

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:07:41 -0400

The civility of our political discourse was not helped the other night when South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson called President Obama a liar on the floor of the Congress. Fortunately, his outburst was followed by his rapid apology and the President’s quick acceptance of that apology. I would like to think that the follow-up may be evidence of a consensus that Representative Wilson crossed a boundary that should be maintained.

As I watched the TV...

Ecosystem Services Come to New York City: The Natural Way to Reduce Pollution

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:53:55 -0400

On August 27th, New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo announced that his office will provide $1.8 million of a $7 million settlement with a number of towns in Westchester that had been illegally dumping raw sewage into the Bronx River. According to Cuomo’s web site:

“The funding will be provided to seven entities, including the Bronx River Alliance, THE POINT Community Development Corporation, the New York Botanical Garden, the New York City...

What is the Role of Government?

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:23:43 -0400

Since 1981, I have taught a graduate course called Public Management at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. I care a lot about what government does and how it does it, and I know that government has a reputation for mismanagement - some of it deserved and some not.

At the heart of the current health care debate there is discussion of the “public option”. This would be a government-run...

The Roof is Caving In: Time to Find Funds for Infrastructure

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:21:04 -0400

A few days ago, at the West 181st Street station of the No. 1 subway line, the roof literally caved in. According to the MTA’s website:

“Due to a collapse of the brick façade from the ceiling above the tracks at the 181st Street station, 1 train service will remain suspended throughout the rest of today, Monday, August 17th, 2009. Service through this area will be suspended until further notice. At approximately 10:30 p.m. Sunday,...

Trying to Understand the Health Policy Debate

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:11:05 -0400

Since I am a long way from being a health care expert, I have tried to stay away from the increasingly nasty and difficult health policy debate now raging throughout America. As a parent and as someone who is treated for a variety of typical getting older ailments, I find myself in regular contact with the health care system, but also confess to finding it well beyond my comprehension.

As a student of organizational management,...

Measuring Public Opinion on Environment and Sustainability: How Conventional Wisdom Gets That Way

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:45:22 -0400

The False Trade Off

Since 1985, the Gallup poll has asked survey respondents to trade off environmental protection against economic growth. This past spring, for the first time, more people chose economic growth than environmental protection. (See Gallup graph) The data is an accurate reflection of public opinion, and there is no question that conventional politics frames the environment as an impediment to economic growth. However, in my view, this survey question taps into opinion...

With Friends Like These… Midwestern Democrats Fight Climate Policy

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:53:48 -0400

On August 6th, ten Midwestern Democratic Senators sent a letter to President Obama that began the hardball phase of creating climate policy as it moves from the House’s Waxman-Markey bill to Senate deliberations in the fall. In this letter, the Senators insist that climate change legislation must protect U.S. manufacturers from unfair foreign competition. They do not want U.S. manufacturers to face competition from foreign industries that might not have to pay the cost...

Cash for More Than Just Clunkers

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:57:01 -0400

Our inability to predict policy outcomes was once again confirmed this week by the wildly popular Cash for Clunkers program. The program provides between $3,500 and $4,500 to anyone who trades in an older auto for a shiny new car that has better fuel efficiency. One billion dollars was originally allocated for the program, which was designed to sunset on November 1 or whenever the...

Principles, Values and Leadership

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:12:22 -0400

While it may be my own warped sensibility, I find a common thread in the following recent news items:
• President Obama’s treatment of Harvard Professor Gates’ recent conflict with the Cambridge Police,
• Obama’s struggles with health care policy,
• Mike Bloomberg’s insistence on Mayoral control of education, and;
• The cascading pay-for-play political scandal in New Jersey.

The common thread is the importance of principled leadership in public life, and the often difficult choices...

The Attack on Climate Policy Begins

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:32:11 -0400

As expected, the counter offensive to climate change policy is well underway. The coal industry is gearing up its lobbying effort and even Sarah Palin is calling cap and trade “cap and tax”. Her view is that regulating greenhouse gasses will cost rather than create jobs. There will be much more of this, and the 24-7 news media and the blogosphere will attempt to turn this into a conflict that can attract attention and...

Reflections on Security, Democracy and Community

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:26:59 -0400

President Obama is in Russia trying to reduce our nuclear arsenal and once again we hear that he is naïve and is out to endanger our security. Let’s step back and think about this for a moment and review the fundamentals. What makes us safer and more secure?

July 4th passed and after the rocket’s red glare and the fireworks (thankfully not bombs) finished bursting in air, our flag and our nation...

Another Step on the Long March to Global Climate Policy

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:23:22 -0400

On June 26, 2009, the House of Representatives took the historic step of passing the first piece of U.S. legislation to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses. While the bill, like all legislation, is not perfect, it is a giant step in the right direction. The most important provisions of the bill require:

• Reductions in greenhouse gases by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050 through a cap-and-trade program.
• ...

The Impact of Technology on Political Communication

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:49:44 -0400

Watching the mass impulse toward democracy in Iran over the past week has been alternately inspiring and terrifying. The power and clumsiness of the state never fails to scare me and the courage and intensity of the public in the street continues to inspire. Something is different about political participation in these early years of the 21st century. In part, we are seeing the impact of technology on political processes.

The power of mass images...

Let's Re-light the Lamp by the Golden Door: A Case for Immigration Reform

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:05:48 -0400

Recently, we read news reports that a Sudanese family, granted asylum in the United States due to the war in Darfur, was finally reunited after a two year struggle with U.S. Immigration. The separation of these parents from their four year old child was heartbreaking, and an example of an immigration system that does not serve our national interest.

I know that when most people think of immigration reform they think of the...

Green Business and Sustainability Management Have Finally Arrived

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:31:48 -0400

The $800 billion federal stimulus package is only slowly starting to kick in, and we see the President pushing to accelerate job creation over the summer. The good news is that a recent study of green jobs by the Pew Charitable Trusts indicates that the Administration’s focus on sustainability is sound economics- and the government may very well be throwing its money in the right direction after all. According to the Pew study:

“The number...

Reflections on the Leadership of President Obama

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:25:58 -0400

Watching President Obama in Cairo the other day, I was struck by his vision, ambition, and his desire to bring about change. Having voted for him in the New York primary last year and in the general election in November, I confess to having enormous sympathy for him. I root for him like he is the home team. Since I focus my work on easy issues like environmental sustainability, I don’t pretend to have...

Mayor Bloomberg's Persistent Sustainability Agenda

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:54:40 -0400

The past several weeks we once again saw the Mayor at his best and at his worst. At his worst, he berated a NY Observer reporter who raised the issue of term limits. At his best, he demonstrated the political courage to experiment with banning cars from parts of Times Square and Herald Square, and pushed hard, if unsuccessfully, to get the City Council to tax plastic bags.

Finally, A More Fuel Efficient Auto

Thu, 21 May 2009 16:49:50 -0400

The Obama Administration has once again demonstrated its commitment to progress on sustainability issues. On May 19th, the President announced dramatically improved auto fuel efficiency standards. In case you missed the announcement, according to the White House web site:

“President Obama today – for the first time in history – set in motion a new national policy aimed at both increasing fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold...

The Stuff of Sustainability

Thu, 14 May 2009 17:39:53 -0400

Recently, New York Times reporter, Leslie Kaufman wrote an excellent story on an interesting and important video called “The Story of Stuff”. Kaufman writes that: “The video is a cheerful but brutal assessment of how much Americans waste, and it has its detractors… The video was created by Annie Leonard, a former Greenpeace employee and an independent lecturer who paints a picture of how American habits result in forests being felled, mountaintops being destroyed,...

Global Sustainability and the Class of 2009

Mon, 11 May 2009 16:10:35 -0400

Here on Columbia University’s Morningside Heights campus, at around Broadway and West 116th street, the surest signs of spring are all of the preparations for graduation now underway. Groundskeepers are planting new shrubs, and bleacher seats and tents are being assembled everywhere. Working in a place like this is both a joy and a privilege-- a fact never far from my mind- especially this time of year. As another group of students gets ready...

Torture: Ineffective, Illegal, and Unprincipled

Mon, 04 May 2009 11:48:42 -0400

The issue of torture and security keeps reemerging in the news, as we debate matters of national survival and our core values. The issue is often posed in the following way: What if a terrorist had information about an urgent threat to American lives and the only way to obtain that information would be to torture it out of him? The responses range from: No, even if we were under grave threat, torture would...

Science, Technology and Economic Development

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:28:47 -0400

On April 27th, President Obama gave an inspiring speech at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C about the importance of scientific research and education. He began by describing the threats to global sustainability and economic well being faced throughout the world and here in the United States. He observed that:

“At such a difficult moment, there are those who say we cannot afford...

The Politics of Climate Science

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:00:18 -0400

Newt Gingrich, while gearing up for a possible Presidential run in 2012, is making the point that legislation to regulate carbon dioxide and reduce global warming will raise the price of energy and deepen the recession. New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin recently reported that the Global Climate Coalition, a now defunct interest group once linked to the fossil fuel industry was putting out public relations skeptical of global warming science, even when its...

Earth Day 2009

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:37:19 -0400

This week we will celebrate the 39th Anniversary of Earth Day, a holiday that in many ways coincided with the beginning of the mass environmental movement in the United States. The first Earth Day, in 1970, was proposed by then Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, and organized by Denis Hayes, one of the truly effective leaders of the environmental movement. Here in the 21st century, the planet needs protection more...

A Better Bottle Bill is Only the Beginning

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:17:25 -0400

Amid the New York State budget’s disaster lays some sign of progress. At long last the state legislature has expanded its law requiring deposits on beverage bottles to include a five-cent refundable deposit on water bottles in addition to beer and soda beverage packaging. According to state estimates, water bottles comprise nearly a quarter of all beverage packaging sold in New York (around 3.2 billion bottles), and revenues from the tax would generate around...

Understanding the Climate Policy Debate

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:49:44 -0400

It is amazing to me how the media can both create and resolve its own conflicts. On April 10 John Broder wrote a piece for The New York Times, "Obama, Who Vowed Rapid Action on Climate Change, Turns More Cautious." In the story Broder asks, “Has the administration scaled back its global-warming goals, at least for this year, or is it engaged in sophisticated misdirection?” The answer: “Maybe some of both.”

Broder...

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009: Climate Policy Gets Real

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:08:33 -0400

Recently, Congressmen Henry A. Waxman and Edward J. Markey released a draft of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. And so the great climate and energy debate will finally begin for real. I have been studying environmental policy development for over three decades and just as we saw the start of policy to clean the air and water in the 1970's and we then started working on toxic waste clean-up...

Homelessness Is On the Rise

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:01:44 -0400

The growth of tent settlements in California and elsewhere is one of the saddest developments in this season of sadness. As President Barack Obama recently observed, “It is not acceptable for children and families to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as ours.” Here in New York City successive mayors since the Koch administration have wrestled with this difficult and seemingly intractable problem. The website of the NYC...

Public Service and Private Greed

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 13:48:48 -0400

On Election Day in 1960, my family placed a hand lettered sign in our living room window on East 59th street in Brooklyn that read “Kennedy for President”. A few months later, as a seven year old boy, I remember watching President Kennedy on our black and white television ask us to pledge “what we could do for our country”. It was a thrilling, inspiring moment. I think that...

Measuring Emissions of Greenhouse Gasses: EPA Takes a Critical First Step

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:00:04 -0400

Watching the Obama Administration’s “green team” in action is inspiring. In a very short period of time, these folks have revitalized our environmental agenda. They are doing it with words and with deeds. While there is plenty of rhetoric and lots of symbolic action, there is also significant and important activity underway at the ground level. Taken together, we are seeing a rapid repudiation of the Bush environmental legacy,...

Developing A Sustainable Planet: The Basics

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:02:37 -0400

While it will not be smooth or simple to build, I believe we are at the start of a sustainable or green economy. My reasoning here is not simply naive optimism, but recognition of necessity. The false wealth of the period ending has focused many of us on the need for a solid, understandable basis for our economy. One part of a solid economy is found in free market capitalism where investors risk their...

Governor Paterson’s Puzzling Poor Performance

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:28:11 -0400

I had high hopes for David Paterson when he became governor, but I have to admit I’ve pretty much given up on him. I was appalled by the way he treated Caroline Kennedy when she expressed interest in New York’s vacant Senate seat: Hey Governor, a simple no would have sufficed. Is it really a good idea to humiliate and then badmouth a public service-minded citizen who has done nothing but good works for...

The Challenge of This Tough Job Market

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:52:02 -0500

I have been talking a lot to my students about the job market many of them will face this May. Believe it or not, this is mostly a good news story. One of my jobs at Columbia University is to direct and teach in the environmental policy programs at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). One of these programs is a one-year Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy that...

Adapting to Climate Change in New York City

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:52:57 -0500

As the first decade of the 21st century closes, the climate problem is starting to mature, both as a policy issue and as an area of academic inquiry. In fact, we are starting to see the development of two distinct elements to the field. The oldest area of inquiry is the one that seeks to understand the causes of climate change and tries to prevent them from taking place. This is an effort to...

President Obama’s Green-print for an Economic Recovery

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:48:47 -0500

On Feb. 24 we once again were treated to the intelligence and inspiration we have come to expect from President Barack Obama. As the president noted in his speech, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is now law, and one of the central themes of the stimulus is investment in science, technology and renewable energy. President Obama's rescue plan commits $15 billion a year to develop renewable energy technologies, such as wind and solar...

Toward a Clean Energy Future

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:03:04 -0500

In Sunday's New York Times, the reporter, Melanie Warner, (or her editor) poses the question:...

President Obama has Already Redefined the Political Center

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:31:15 -0500

It took less than a month for the 24-7 news media and political pundit class to pile on President Obama and resume their old habit of underestimating him. "His appointments were not properly vetted". "The stimulus package is a pork-laden mishmash". "He's too nice to the conservatives" "He still hasn't gotten his kids a dog". Through all of the endless analysis our new President maintains his balance and seems to coolly rise above the...

Bringing Green Principles Into the American Economy

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:09:58 -0500

Some of us believe environmental sustainability can be a central element of the revival of the American economy. Some think this idea is mushy-headed, idealistic nonsense that should be rejected by hard-nosed business leaders. Wal-Mart, perhaps the best-known example of a company that has done well by doing good, provides evidence of how green business can lead to greenbacks.

After the retail giant's reputation took a hit, first for not providing employees with enough...

Building a Sustainable Auto

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:58:38 -0500

The power of the American Presidency to move the environmental agenda was never more apparent than during President Obama's recent directive to EPA to reconsider California's request to set tighter air emission and fuel efficiency standards. Under the Clean Air Act, California has long had the authority to exceed federal standards and typically it has made good use of this power. What makes President Obama's directive even more important is that 13 states are...

Understanding Public Opinion About the Environment

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 22:51:51 -0500

On January 22, a piece in the New York Times discussed public opinion data on the environment and global warming and noted that support for protecting the environment was slipping in U.S. public opinion polls. According to Andrew C. Revkin:

"The latest in an annual series of polls from the Pew Research Center on people's top priorities for their elected leaders shows that America and President Obama are completely out of sync on human-caused...