The Climate Minute

The planet passed a woeful milestone this month. The annual minimum of CO2 in the air occurs in September at the end of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer-is greater than 400ppm. Given the long lifetime of CO2 in the atmosphere, it is unlikely that you or I, or anyone living, will see a planet with less than 400ppm in the remainder of our lives.  At the same time, Bill McKibben notes that humans have already built enough mines and drilled enough wells to pollute the air beyond safe limits. That said, there is NO need to explore for new fossil fuel deposits, or even to exploit the ones the industry knows about. New wells are a waste of money, since we cannot use the oil. (Tell that to your investment advisor!) Listen in as we discuss.

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.
Thanks for listening.
…Ted McIntyre

The pipeline destruction of the Dakota plains became the scene of violence this week, with haunting images recalling both the massacre at Wounded Knee and Bull Connor’s dogs. At the same moment, New Zealand gave ‘personhood’ rights to a national park. Can we combine this sense of collective ownership (did the Indians really ‘sell’ Manhattan Island?) with the private property rights that allow us to risk poisoning the Missouri River?  Listen in!

Bill McKibben has written a provocative article arguing that our society must adopt a war mentality to address climate change.  Is he right? Exactly who or what would we fight? Listen in for a discussion.
Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.
Thanks for listening.
…Ted McIntyre

Bill McKibben is being harassed by paid videographers who are hoping to capture any moment of his life that can be construed as hypocrisy.  Those doing the stalking are paid hacks, but the money comes from anonymous right wing SuperPACs. Does the hypocrisy argument hold up? Is the real goal the intimidation of the rest of us? Listen in as we discuss this outrageous behavior.

Check out live  links at our blog, http://www.massclimateaction.org/blog.
Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.
Thanks for listening.
…Ted McIntyre

Why we believe what we believe is an important question to consider. Are we driven by facts or allegiance? It more than a hundred Nobel prize winners say GMO’s are OK, should we believe it?  At the end of the day, no matter where we stand, we are better off for having considered all the possibilities. Listen in!

Check out live  links at our blog, http://www.massclimateaction.org/blog.
Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.
Thanks for listening.
…Ted McIntyre

Recent events reveal large differences in the worldview of Americans. Are Climate Hawks in an epistemological bubble? How can we stay out? We discuss.

Check out live  links at our blog, http://www.massclimateaction.net/blog.
Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.
Thanks for listening.
…Ted McIntyre

The ongoing resistance to a new pipeline in West Roxbury is a microcosm of the new global effort to fight global warming with peaceful, non-violent direct action. We chat with Chuck Collins, a co-founder of Resist the Pipeline West Roxbury, about the motivation and meaning of ‘direct action’ to stop the construction of new carbon pollution ‘infrastructure” such as the “West Roxbury Lateral.”
Listen in!
Check out live  links at our blog, http://www.massclimateaction.net/blog.
Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.
Thanks for listening.
…Ted McIntyre

The Paris Agreement took another step toward full implementation on Earth Day, when many countries actually signed the agreement. This is good news for the planet. In the state of Washington, a judge ordered the state to implement a climate plan. This opens another path to force change!  The spawn of Mitt Romney’s old superPAC is launching an attack campaign against the likes of Bill McKibben, so be ready for some nasty messages. Down in Louisiana, the first American  ‘climate refugees’ can begin moving to new homes. Is this the start of something big? Finally Jimmy Kimmel makes a great point about who to believe in the realm of climate science, but DR tries to decipher the meaning of the code words “human activity.” Listen in!
Check out live  links at our blog, http://www.massclimateaction.net/blog.
Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.
Thanks for listening.
…Ted McIntyre

US emissions of methane (aka natural gas, aka fracked gas, aka CH4) may be nearly as dangerous as carbon dioxide. New studies show that methane itself, before it is burned as a fuel, is leaking from fracking wells (and pipelines) at rates much higher than were expected. The leaked methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, even as it spends less time in the atmosphere.  On the whole, the damage done by these methane emissions rivals that of CO2. Bill McKibben points this out in a new article and calls for Climate Hawks to oppose the extraction and use of methane. He concludes” The global warming fight can’t just be about carbon dioxide any longer.” We discuss.

Check out live  links at our blog, http://www.massclimateaction.net/blog.
Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.
Thanks for listening.
…Ted McIntyre

Fifty-six Climate Hawks arrested near Seneca Lake protesting natural gas storage plus twenty-one Florida mayors demanding a realistic discussion of climate in the Presidential campaign add up to a growing movement. Listen in as we discuss the week’s events.

Check out live  links at our blog, http://www.massclimateaction.net/blog.
Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.
Thanks for listening.
…Ted McIntyre