My latest column in Sierra magazine, "Common Ground: America's Most Endangered Habitat," talks about the frustrating lack of bipartisan cooperation on finding solutions to big problems like climate change. I quoted one prominent Republican who told me: "Mike, we may not agree on much, but on climate change, there's not really that much separating us. But there's no way I can say that publicly."

Could that finally be starting to change?

Not, I'm afraid, at the highest levels of the party. When the Republicans adopt their 2012 platform in Tampa next week, you're more likely to find that it includes billions in subsidies for finger painting than bold solutions to the climate crisis.

But not everyone in the GOP rank and file is marching in lockstep. Consider this week's "man-bites-dog" story from the National Journal, "Conservative Group Plans to Push Republicans Toward Action on Climate, Cleaner Energy":

Leading members of the Christian Coalition and the Young Republicans on Monday will launch nationwide the Young Conservatives for Energy Reform, a grassroots group aimed at engaging Republicans on the goals of cutting oil use, backing alternative energy and clean-air regulations, and fighting climate change.

Increasingly, the GOP has also found ...

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Coming Clean is the blog of Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune.