The Democratic and Republican presidential candidates could not have more different approaches to climate change. Mitt Romney joked about it in his acceptance speech at the Republican convention while President Obama vowed to reduce carbon pollution
Reporting from Charlotte, N.C. on President Obama's acceptance of his party's nomination, E&E's Jennifer Yachnin writes, "President Obama volleyed back at GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's mockery of climate science, vowing to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions".
"My plan will continue to reduce the carbon pollution that is heating our planet -- because climate change is not a hoax," Obama told 20,000 supporters at the Time Warner Cable Arena. "More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. They're a threat to our children's future. And in this election, you can do something about it."
One might have thought that with the first day (Monday August 27th) of the Republican convention in Tampa canceled due to concern over Hurricane Isaac (which proceeded to ravage coastal Louisiana), Gov. Mitt Romney might have taken climate change more seriously. Instead, his mockery of climate change was a noticeable laugh line in his acceptance speech.
"President Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet My promise is to help you and your family."
E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution, providing analysis on Obama's acceptance speech on NPR's Week In Politics: Democratic National Convention, remarked:
"I, too, was looking for somewhat more specificity. One specific thing, however, that was interesting is he mentioned climate change. That issue's been dead since 2010. I thought that was the one striking courageous moment or one of the striking and actually courageous moments in the speech."
FULL STORY: DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION: Climate change gets spotlight as Obama fires back at Romney

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie