They may seem like two disparate topics: climate change and an archaic Senate procedural rule. But they have more in common than you might think. Thanks to the Senate filibuster rule, essentially any piece of legislation needs 60 votes, a super-majority, if it hopes to pass.

I've taken to writing with some frequency about the mainstream media's failure to cover climate change. Among the many reasons I do so is, well, because of the mainstream media's persistent and rather abhorrent failure to cover climate change. Make sense? Thought so. And while I did dole out some blame to the media for helping to kill the climate bill, I feel that the subject warrants a post of its own.

Image via a Green Living

You'd be forgiven for thinking that AB 32, California's climate change law, was truly controversial. Republican candidates running for office this year have taken to publicly bashing it, calling it a job killer and worse.

Soot from vehicle exhaust, power generation and burning biomass is the second most important contributor to global warming.

Photo via the Wall Street Journal

The future of climate policy is very much up in the air right now.

Image via Project Groundswell

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise if you've been following any climate related news this year -- we've already seen the hottest global averages ever recorded for April, May, and June, and the hottest Jan.-June period as well.

Photo via Foreign Policy

I've already done my fair share of helping to direct the blame at those who helped kill the climate bill (these 7 were responsible, by my reckoning).

Photo via Greenpeace

Well, the dust is still settling from the massive failure in the Senate to produce a meaningful energy bill -- fingers are being pointed, everyone's angry, and there's a

photo: Carina via flickr

There's lots of overlap between ending our oil addiction in the United States and combatting climate change, with setting a price on carbon (regardless of the mechanism used, be

photo: Gabriel via flickr

As the United States still spins its wheels on enacting climate legislation that would set a price on carbon--with John Kerry just saying the