The Climate Minute

The (ahem) “Americans for Carbon Dividends” PAC has proposed a carbon fee and dividend plan, sponsored by Trent Lot of Mississippi and John Breaux of Louisiana. Lots of big-wig conservative types are smiling on the idea. Should climate hawks rejoice? Not yet! The poison bill is to prevent EPA from regulating CO2, and absolve Exxon from lawsuits. Listen in.

Scott Pruitt’s EPA withheld a report about poisonous chemicals in drinking water, and then barred CNN and AP reporters from a meeting about it. Plus the “jerks at FERC” want to ignore the greenhouse gases from pipeline content, Exxon wants permission to cook it’s books on monitoring methane leaks, and Gina takes a potshot at Bill, or did she? The answers to your worries? Vote in November.

In a court case about global warming impacts brought by Bay Area cities against big oil companies, the judges has asked for a tutorial on the scientific basis for the suit. That is a refreshing approach, since the truth has a certain stickiness in legal proceedings. We discuss the general situation and the eight specific questions the judge posed. Listen in.

A new report studies the risk to chemical sites from rising seas (think Harvey in Houston.) That coupled with the casual disposal of radioactive waste from fracking is an upsetting prospect. On the happy side of the ledger, California intends to refuse permits to bring oil onto its coasts from Federally approved oil rigs. Quite an idea! Finally, Elon Musk outdoes himself with the launch of a new rocket that put an EV into space. Too cool for school! Listen in.

Listen in as we discuss the efforts by NYC (and maybe LA?) to try to recoup money from Exxon for climate damages.

It seemed that fact was stranger than fiction in our discussion. We covered the climate implications of the solar eclipse, Geoffrey Supran and Naomi Oreskes’ new paper about ExxonMobil’s climate change communications, and Game of Throne’s “CliFi” subtext.

This week we have three main topics: the CDP Worldwide (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) report that twenty-five fossil fuel companies are responsible for over half of the carbon pollution in the air since 1988; the actions that utilities are taking against renewable energy; and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Henry David Thoreau.

The ‘nuclear option’ has been used. What will the consequences be for climate policy? Only time we tell, but we take a look at some leading indicators. Listen in!

The Paris Agreement, flawed and fragile as it is, represents the world’s best hope of addressing global warming. While the COTUS (Cheeto of the US) railed against it on the campaign trail, there appears to be an ongoing discussion about whether the US should leave the agreement. It seems “Camp of the Saints Steve Bannon” and “Arctic Rex Tillerson” disagree on the wisdom of this. How much fun would that be to watch? Listen in!
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

Listen in to some of the speakers at the February 19, 2017 #ScienceMarch in Boston.