The Climate Minute

Imperfect allies: The Climate Minute

There is a lot going on in Bonn this week, at the annual climate conference. In addition to working out the details of the Paris Accords, there were protests of the US gummint shilling for coal, and protests against Jerry Brown for not being pure enough. Listen in as we discuss.

Tax plan threatens clean energy: The Climate Minute

Tax reform is the big buzz in Washington, D.C. this week, but notable for climate hawks is the fact that the program is attacking renewable energy. This reform is more of a “tax cut” program, and it slashes many of the direct credits on the taxes paid by the renewable energy industry. That credit is critical for making renewable energy proposals financially viable. Notably, these credits were part of a major bipartisan deal reached in December 2015.

In a turn of strange, but good news, however, the federal government released the most recent National Climate Assessment (NCA). The NCA says that climate change is driven almost entirely by the burning of fossil fuels and details climate damage across the United States that is already unfolding. This report provides robust support for the endangerment finding, which is the root statement that carbon dioxide is a polluting gas and must be regulated by the Supreme Court. It is a crucial piece of documentation that can be used in the efforts to keep fossil fuels in the ground.

Globally, an interesting but unclear situation is happening in Saudi Arabia that will have consequences for climate issues over the coming decades. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is consolidating power and making radical changes in Saudi Arabia. The young prince wants to go public with Saudi Aramco and reinvest it into things like green energy. He recognizes that there is a post-oil future and he wants to be on the top of it. While this could be good news for renewable energy, there is a dark side to his major foreign policy moves. History has shown that these types of initiatives often collapse into destabilizing international quagmires. It is certainly something to watch. Tune in for more details.

Elections in VA, meetings in Bonn: The Climate Minute

Tuesday’s election has good news for Climate Hawks, with the prospects for state level climate action improving. That, coupled with efforts like America’s Pledge at the Bonn climate conference make us feel better. Listen in.

MCAN helps Muni towns go green: The Climate Minute

About 13% of Massachusetts citizens get their electric power through local “Municipal” utilities. These are a good opportunity to make our state’s energy usage cleaner. Listen in to Carol Oldham, MCAN’s Executive Director, as she describes ways to help these Muni’s reduce carbon emissions. After that, use this map of electric utilities to check your supplier and then send an email to: Info@massclimateaction.net for information on how you can help your town’s utility go green.

Power outages in Boston and San Juan: The Climate Minute

Last week’s storm gave Boston a little taste of the bitter circumstances in Puerto Rico. We ask how the island can be rebuilt in a sustainable model, especially with the departure of Whitefish Energy Holdings. On a different island, New Zealand considers offering a home to climate refugees. Back in Boston, we consider the implications of a hurricane in Boston proper. Listen in.

Sandy+5: The Climate Minute

Hard to believe that Hurricane Sandy was five years ago this week. On today’s podcast, we discuss how the devastation from that storm broke the media silence on climate change—and the media seesaw we have been on since then. We celebrate the technical advances in solar and wind power, which have marched forward despite the political obstacles. Ever vigilant toward the continued tragedy in Puerto Rico, we examine the renewable energy access provided to the American protectorate by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla; and dissect the sketchy deal happening with Whitefish Energy Holdings out of Montana. On an optimistic note, we turn toward the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) in Massachusetts and its recent discussions to reduce transportation emissions. Governor Charlie Baker will be holding listening sessions—an excellent opportunity for climate hawks to have their ideas heard!

Activism is the rent we pay to live on the planet: The Climate Minute

How should we react to the present and future devastation of climate change, and our President’s abject failure to act? What should we do to maintain our spirit and drive? While we mangle a few quotes on the way, it seems Alice Walker sums it up saying “Activism is the rent I pay to live on the planet.” There are no easy answers, but we discuss. What do you think?

Trust, Necessity and RICO: The Climate Minute Podcast

What is the “necessity defense,” why does it matter, and how is under threat? On the flip side, how concerned should we be about the rising popularity of companies using federal racketeering laws to silence opponents? This week we answered these questions in detail. Here is a sneak peek – the necessity defense, alongside the public trust doctrine, are legal constructs that climate hawks should know. Concerned citizens and groups may be able to use these overarching legal principles as mechanisms for making progress on climate issues in the court systems. The necessity defense hinges on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Endangerment Finding, which defines carbon dioxide as a toxic air pollutant. This finding is under threat, with high-powered climate deniers claiming it overreaches and is curtailing economic growth. The Endangerment finding is the backbone for protecting public health from carbon dioxide. The power of the vote is on the horizon. Get involved and add to the blizzard of response that we need to keep the legal system protecting the people.

 

Amazon+Boston=Green? The Climate Minute Podcast

Eversource is reported to have manipulated natural gas markets, restricting the use of existing pipelines even as they have argued that we need to build more pipelines. What gives? At the same time, Boston is vying for the prize of Amazon’s new headquarters. What would the arrival of another corporate behemoth mean for the clean and sustainable development of our city? Listen in as we contemplate the implications!

A sustainable future for Puerto Rico! The Climate Minute Podcast

Hurricane Maria slammed into the island of Puerto Rico, an American protectorate, a few weeks ago. While it is no longer making the top news headlines, the island is still in profound distress. Over fifty percent of the people are without clean water and eighty to ninety percent lack electricity for basic needs, let alone communication via cellphones or news access. Puerto Rico had an old, fragile electrical system, and when the hurricane came through it knocked everything down. In a world trying to stop climate change, the island of Puerto Rico is an opportunity to rebuild in a sustainable way. Elon Musk, CEO and founder of Tesla,is in negotiations with Puerto Rico’s governor Ricardo Rosselló to revamp the island’s power grid using solar technology. Musk has rebuilt many smaller islands around the world using renewable energy technologies and says that the processis scalable. We discuss distributed generation—a system of electricity generation that relies on several small systems spread throughout a region vs. one central power station. To restore electricity to Puerto Rico, distributed generation could be coupled with solar and wind power as well as Tesla’s Powerwall battery systems, several of which have already been supplied to Puerto Rico by Musk. Guest speaker Carol Oldham, Executive Director of Massachusetts Climate Action Network, joins the podcast to discuss community choice aggregation and the potential for Boston to implement this as a power option. Listen in for more detail!