Word choice–that Achilles heel of many a politician–evidently applies, also, to scientific argument. If you want Sen. Jim Inhofe to take another look at global warming, for God’s sake, don’t call it “global warming.”

That’s the finding in a new study by the University of Michigan. The paper says, in part:

“Republicans were less likely to endorse that the phenomenon is real when it was referred to as ‘global warming’ (44.0%) rather than ‘climate change’ (60.2%), whereas Democrats were unaffected by question wording (86.9% vs. 86.4%). As a result, the partisan divide on the issue dropped from 42.9 percentage points under a ‘global warming’ frame to 26.2 percentage points under a ‘climate change’ frame.”

Could this mean that Americans are, in fact, less polarized by the issue than pols on either side appear to believe? As long as there is campaign money to be raised on the issue, don’t count on cooperative language.

As the US tries to cut its dependence on fossil fuels, it is turning more and more to renewable sources like bio-diesel, ethanol, solar and wind power. But these aren’t always better. James Anderson, CEO and Founder of BHFI in Ohio – which has been developing the Organics Reprocessing for Biofuels (ORB) system to make biomass energy production more accessible to smaller and less affluent communities worldwide – recently spoke with us about the politics behind our energy choices.

The US throws way around 7 billion tons of organic waste ever year, but this waste could be used to produce energy – half a trillion dollars’ worth, according to James Anderson, CEO and Founder of BHFI in Ohio. A unit of BHFI has developed the Organics Reprocessing for Biofuels (ORB) system, which offers a relatively cheap, easy, and environmentally friendly way for everyday people to capitalize on the organic energy all around them.

It may not look so bad on the surface, but the estimated 5,000 barrels of oil per day still spewing into the Gulf of Mexico will take its toll. Miyoko Sakashita, senior attorney and oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity, talks about the long-term effects of the oil spill.

After two botched attempts, BP is still trying getting a handle on the oil gush in the Gulf of Mexico (which some experts estimate to be spewing some 200,000 barrels per day). But there’s already been a lot of damage, not least to animals. So we checked in with Miyoko Sakashita, senior attorney and oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity, to find out how the Gulf’s rich wildlife has fared in this massive ecological crisis.

When A.J. Fairbanks was studying marketing at Tulane University – where there was less wine consumed than some other, err, more flammable drinks – little did he know he’d end up in Napa Valley as the general manager for the Hyde de Villaine winery. In the late 1990s, his uncle Larry Hyde, owner of Hyde Vineyards, and his aunt’s husband Aubert de Villaine – co-owner of the Domaine de La Romanée-Conti in Burgundy – joined forces to establish HdV, and it didn’t take long for A.J. to come on board the family business. While not exactly the job of his dreams – that would be playing centerfield for the Dodgers – it came pretty close.

But life’s not all a bottle of wine. The recession has hit the wine industry, and AJ finds he has to put in overtime to compete with the innumerable other small wineries out there.

In the latest episode of “Little Green Shoots”, A.J. gives us the scoop from inside the bottle.

So do you favor a dry chardonnay with your fish? Or maybe something from Provence? Well, it may all be moot if climate change has its way. Global warming is changing the winemaking map across the world as weather becomes hotter and water more scarce. France may feel the pinch, but English wineries couldn’t be happier…

Learn more about it in the latest episode of “A Minute of Your Time.”

You’d think the United States, with its history of innovation and acting on opportunties, would be the global leader in green energy production. Well, think again.

Check out who’s leading the race for solar, wind and biofuel power in the latest episode of A Minute of Your Time.

Renewable energy production is growing every year. We continue to build wind farms and solar energy plants. Hybrid vehicles are taking up more and more space on the roads, and there is an increasing amount of research into next generation biofuels from the likes of algae and jatropha.

While the big international oil companies like Exxon Mobil, Shell, and BP have talked a good game when it comes to renewables, every year they spend millions of dollars in Washington lobbying against them.

Robert Wilder – manager of the WilderHill stock indices, which tracks clean energy stocks – discussed with us what the oil companies are doing and why.

Global warming is a problem that affects everyone, but one country seems to be pulling ahead of the rest: China. According to a recent report from the Pew Charitable Trusts, China spent $35 billion last year on renewable energy, compared to $19 billion from the US.

Robert Wilder – manager of the WilderHill stock indices, which tracks clean energy stocks – tells us what China’s doing to pull ahead in the green energy race.