James West

Climate Desk Producer

James West is a producer for the Climate Desk. He wrote Beijing Blur (Penguin 2008), an intimate yet far-reaching account of modernizing China’s underground youth scene. After completing a masters in journalism at New York University in 2007, James returned to Australia where he worked as the executive producer of the national affairs program Hack. He has produced a variety of Australian television and radio programs, including the debate show Insight on SBS TV.

Get my RSS | Follow @jameswest2010

How Much Is a Beachfront Home in the Sandy-Ravaged Rockaways Worth?

—By Tim McDonnell and James West

| Thu Mar. 28, 2013 10:05 AM PDT

257 Beach 140th Street, a modest four-bedroom house blocks from the beach in Rockaways, Queens, is fairly unremarkable, but it put up a hell of a fight during Hurricane Sandy. While other houses just down the street were being ripped off their foundations, 257, which had been up for sale since before the storm, suffered only a little flooding in the basement. It's otherwise unscathed, but even that damage was enough to knock a solid 10 percent off its list price (down to $799,000 from $890,000), enough to make first-time homebuyers Matthew and Jenny Daly take a closer look.

"There are more opportunities because of everything that's happened in the last six months," Matthew says.

In New York City alone, Sandy racked up $3.1 billion worth of damage to homes. Many of those properties in hard-hit areas like the Rockaways and the south shore of Staten Island are still empty, awaiting repairs, government buyouts, resident squatters, or like in the case of 257, a new owner ready to tackle a fixer-upper. Damaged homes are now on the market for as much as 60 percent off their pre-storm value, and local realtors say there's a ready contingent of bargain-hunters waiting to pounce—sometimes, to the detriment of sellers.

Advertise on MotherJones.com

VIDEO: Can We 3D Print Our Way Out of Climate Change?

—By James West

| Mon Mar. 25, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

Tech optimists' crush of the decade is surely 3D printing. It has been heralded as disruptive, democratizing, and revolutionary for its non-discriminatory ability to make almost anything: dresses, guns, even houses. The process—also known as "additive manufacturing"—is still expensive and slow, confined to boutique objets d'art or lab-driven medical prototyping. But scaled up, and put in the hands of ordinary consumers via plummeting prices, 3D printing has the potential to slash energy and material costs. Climate Desk asks: can 3D printing be deployed in the ongoing battle against climate change?

This Cheat Sheet Will Make You Win Every Climate Argument

—By James West

| Mon Mar. 4, 2013 4:02 AM PST

"I don't see what all those environmentalists are worried about," sneers your Great Uncle Joe. "Carbon dioxide is harmless, and great for plants!"

Okay. Take a deep breath. If you're not careful, comments like this can result in dinner-table screaming matches. Luckily, we have a secret weapon: A flowchart that will help you calmly slay even the most outlandish and annoying of climate-denying arguments:

VIDEO: On the Ground at the BP Gulf Oil Spill Hearings

—By James West

| Thu Feb. 28, 2013 4:07 AM PST

This week marked the start of the the civil trial against BP over its role in the 2010 explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that killed 11 men and caused the worst spill in US history. District judge Carl Barbier warned of a lengthy trial, one that could last up to 3 months if a deal isn't reached earlier, and if the first three days of the trial are anything to go by, BP is in for a battery of tough questions about its safety record and procedures. As much as $17.5 billion in damages is hinged on the legal question of whether the company was "grossly negligent" in causing the deaths and the subsequent spill. Climate Desk caught up with Dominic Rushe at partner publication, the Guardian, who has been covering the trial as it unfolds.

"It Seems Like Yesterday That Trayvon Was Here"

—By James West

| Tue Feb. 26, 2013 10:18 PM PST

From left: Trayvon Martin's father, Tracy Martin; his mother, Sybrina Fulton; and Benjamin Crump, the family's lawyer. James West

A few hundred demonstrators chanted "Hoodies up! Hoodies up!" in New York City's Union Square earlier tonight to mark the exact minute that Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old, was shot and killed by Florida neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman one year ago. Zimmerman was ultimately charged with second-degree murder in the case, which sparked a national debate over racial profiling.

Dark hoodies drawn over their heads in remembrance of what their son was wearing that night, Trayvon's parents stood with their lawyer, Benjamin Crump, and Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx to lead a candlelight vigil that doubled as a call to action against profiling, gun violence, and the proliferation of so-called Stand Your Ground laws.

"This is a somber day for us," said Trayvon's father, Tracy Martin, with the help of a bullhorn. "This is a day that won't be forgotten. It seems like yesterday that Trayvon was here."

Foxx spoke briefly and quietly: "We had a moment together," he said of his meeting with Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon's mother. "I want you to know this is a personal thing." He promised to use his fame to help push for justice in Trayvon's case. Crump told demonstrators that Foxx had flown in from Los Angeles especially to meet with the family on the one-year anniversary. Foxx sang a short tune, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper," before concluding, "We love you." He hugged the pair.

As the hour approached, Crump prepared the audience: "People in Sanford get ready…People in Tucson, Arizona, get ready. People in Aurora, Colorado, get ready. People all over the world get ready," he said. "Let Tracy and Sybrina know that even though Trayvon may have been alone last year at 7:17, he is not alone this year at 7:17."

Martin thanks the crowd in Manhattan's Union Square. James West

Trayvon's parents led the crowd in a minute of silence. People bowed their heads and closed their eyes. It was the only moment Fulton looked unruffled by the horde of reporters, leaning close to Crump.

As the clock struck 7:17, the moment the killing took place, Fulton and Martin spoke a short prayer in unison over the bullhorn: "We remember Trayvon Martin. Gone but never forgotten." The words were repeated several times by the crowd, a mix of activists. protesters, and New Yorkers on their way home from work.

Fulton then began to count, "One… two…" As the minute came to a close, and rain began to fall, she said, "three," and everyone blew out their candles and cheered.