The Climate Minute

Catching up to 2023

Governor Healy began her administration by working to align the state’s roadmap efforts. The wind industry undergoes some growing pains, and we discuss why fusion would be great but not relevant to our current needs.

Voices from the Vineyard Wind Job Fair

The clean energy transition means jobs, especially here in Massachusetts. Vineyard Wind is preparing to start construction of a wind farm off the coast. These will be ‘green jobs’ and so it is interesting to find out more specifics. In mid- January, Vineyard Wind held a job fair in New Bedford MA to find workers for the task. We interviewed some of the employers.

Will geo-engineering make us scream?

A small start-up company offers to inject dust into the sky to reflect sunlight and thus stop global warming.  What could possibly go wrong?

“Don’t Look Up” one year later

Over the past year, the movie “Don’t Look Up” has been a streaming hit, logging hundreds of millions of viewing hours.  What is it about the movie that made it big? With twelve months perspective, we watch again.

A billion dollar brawl

The ‘oil and gas’ industry works to delay the adoption of climate friendly options for energy.  Listen in as we discuss recent news on climate and what it all means.

We wish you a Merry Solstice!

The arrival of the solstice is a chance to contemplate our place in the world, and what it means to be a climate activist. The Climate Minute wishes a happy Winter Solstice, 2022, to everyone.

Activists take seats on an ISO Committee: “The taste of democracy was delicious”

ISO-NE is an important but poorly understood institution that controls the market for electricity.  It needs to respond more effectively to the climate crisis. Recently, a group of activists were elected to ISO’s ‘Consumer Liaison Group.’ This is a good result, potentially turning an otherwise docile committee to a voice for public input. We speak with one of the activists recently elected to the CLG.

Nuclear weapons are still with us and still unthinkably dangerous

With the ominous threat of climate catastrophe clouding our future, it is easy to forget that the use of nuclear weapons could bring about immediate destruction on an unimaginable scale. The current ‘casual’ discussion of the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine brings home the reality of our risk. Dr Helen Caldicott is an iconic figure of the effort to abolish nuclear weapons. We speak with her about the issue and its relationship to the climate crisis.

The peaker is coming, but Peabody residents already have higher health risks

After more than a year and a half of calling on the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to do their job and conduct a Comprehensive Health Impact Assessment (CHIA), MCAN took matters into its own hands and conducted a preliminary assessment of the health outcomes of communities that live near the proposed site of the Peabody Peaker.  We talk to the author! The results from the study were deeply concerning and highlight the need for additional analysis on the impact the proposed Peabody Peaker will have on neighboring communities that are already overburdened.

Jeff Roy on prospects for 2023

As we head into the new year, we are joined by State Representative Jeffrey Roy, Chair of the TUE Committee, to discuss prospect for state level climate work next year.