The Climate Minute

Meanwhile, on Planet Cecil - The Climate Minute Podcast

Finally, an off-shore wind project begins construction, the Obama administration releases a climate plan, and the legal concept of a Public Trust gains ground. We discuss.
The Reading list:
•    RI wind project begins construction!
•    The President's plan is about to become real.
•    The political implications of the Prez' plan
•    Jim Hansen's "Public Peer Review" paper
•    ED Schultz, Climate Hawk
•    The Public Trust Doctrine makes another step forward.
•    RIP Cecil, and the planet?
Check out live  links at our blog,  https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com
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

What did Exxon know, and when did it know it? - The Climate Minute Podcast

Are fossil fuel companies ‘corrupt organizations’ for lying about the safety of their product? Just ask the tobacco industry.  
The reading list:
•    Is Exxon a "Corrupt Orgnization"?
•    The Episcopal Church divests.
•    New limits on drilling in the Arctic
•    Should EPA address ocean acidification?
Check out live  links at our blog,  https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com
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

Supply and Demand for Climate Hawks - The Climate Minute Podcast

If our efforts at reducing emissions represent control of the “demand” for fossil fuel, what about the “supply?” Should Climate Hawks push for reductions in greenhouse gas emission from, say, coal plants, or should we focus on reducing the supply of fossil fuels, such as the KXL pipeline or stopping Royal Dutch Shell in the Arctic. We discuss. Listen in!.

The reading list:
•    DR on the Bradcast
•    Big coal leases
•    Dave Roberts on the Powder River leases.
•    Bill McKibben on approval of Royal Dutch Shell's artic exploration
•    Bill McKibben's groundbreaking "Do the Math" article
•    Oil CEOs call for a carbon fee

Check out live  links at our blog,  https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/supply-and-demand-for-climate-hawks-the-climate-minute-podcast/
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

Democracy and Climate Intertwined - The Climate Minute Podcast

“Want climate action? Don’t be a fool;
It’s never gonna happen under corporate rule!”
“Want climate justice? Here’s step one:
Build a democracy to get it done!”

Those were among the slogans we chanted as we marched down Central Park West last September. From the moment the march was announced, I knew I would make the trip down from Boston, and I also knew that there among the scores of climate activists of every imaginable stripe, from anarchists to educators to evangelicals, from scientists to socialists, I would be marching with a cadre representing the growing “democracy movement.”
I see the battle for climate action as being waged basically on two fronts, reflective of the twin root causes of the crisis. On the one hand, at the heart of all the drivers of climate change we find a short-sighted and rapacious consumer culture, global in scope but distilled most clearly here in America. The work of addressing this fundamental malaise is a “hearts and minds” campaign of sorts – educating and shaping the habits of the general public – and it’s absolutely critical; from buying efficient light bulbs and hybrid cars to eating locally and turning down the thermostat, the choices we make in our individual daily lives add up to make a real difference.

But we cannot ignore the profound impact that public policy decisions have on our energy use. Even in the world’s freest markets, the invisible hand is constrained and influenced by the rules set in place by governments. In theory, that means that you and I – all of us, collectively as citizens – have a say in determining the incentives and restrictions that give shape to U.S. energy policy on both the supply side and the demand side:  Should we be giving subsidies to Exxon and Shell because it’s somehow good for the economy? Tax credits to homeowners who install renewable capacity or upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes? Both? In what amounts and for how long? Should we be capping emissions on CO2 from power plants? Loosening rules on fracking to provide jobs and lower energy prices? Or providing low-cost loans to companies developing renewable energy technology? Perhaps most significantly, should we be pricing carbon at a level that reflects its true costs, to make up for what will likely be viewed in hindsight as the most costly market failure of human history?

Most of these questions, to me, have clear answers, and many of them we continue to get wrong. While some progress is made in fits and starts, at the margins, I can’t imagine anyone who understands the climate crisis making the case that the U.S., no longer the top emitter but still firmly in the #2 slot and a leader on world policy, has developed anything remotely resembling an adequate, comprehensive climate policy. Some of the inaction, or the actively destructive policy, is enabled by misunderstanding and complacency among the public. But much of the mess we’re in today can be traced to a gradual consolidation of power, over the last few decades, in the hands of fewer individuals and, most notably, global corporations. As these forces representing the production and accumulation of tremendous private wealth among CEOs and the investor class exert more and more control over public policy, the chances for effective action on climate, in the name of the public good but at the expense of some of the lucre being raked in by industrial titans and investors, become vanishingly slim.
There is, however, hope in our history! The American experiment has been punctuated by moments that have clarified crises and exposed injustices, and in those moments people have mobilized to force action, to right wrongs, to continue the work of building a more perfect union. Grassroots campaigns have emerged to tackle the darkest problems we've faced, from the abolitionists to the suffragettes, to the protests that eventually forced reconsideration of the Vietnam War. Out of the disparity of the Gilded Age arose a tide of progressive reforms, including the labor movement that fought a bloody campaign to win rights for workers. And of course, the 20 million Americans who took to the streets as citizens and stakeholders on the first Earth Day spurred a raft of legislation that still forms the framework of our environmental protections today.

As the crisis of our unresponsive and unrepresentative political system comes into sharper focus, a new movement is rapidly coalescing to take the reins and build a better system, closer to our American ideals, equipped to tackle our biggest problems, foremost among them the disruption of the planetary systems that support our civilization. And as that movement for democracy grows, there's a concrete opportunity to help it along here in Massachusetts.

There’s a bill pending in the Massachusetts legislature, H. 3127, called the We the People Act, that would take a bold step toward reversing the erosion of our democracy and putting all of us, not just those with the most wealth and power, in the driver’s seat to set our nation’s policies.

The We the People Act is the product of a homegrown democracy movement, the local expression of a growing national movement to address two fundamentally destructive legal doctrines created by the Supreme Court, in the Citizens United decision and a long string of cases that came before it, that have enabled today’s unresponsive political system. The bill calls on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment asserting that the rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of actual human beings, not corporations, and also that we can and should place limits on the way money is raised and spent in our elections, because money is not speech, and campaign finance rules are not incompatible with the First Amendment’s protection of free speech.

Massachusetts has already called on Congress for an amendment, with a near unanimous resolution in 2012 (joining a list of 16 states and counting), but the reality is that the prospect of action in today’s Congress is basically nil, so the We the People Act brings out the big guns – a tool that has been used successfully in the past to pressure a corrupt and intractable Congress into constitutional reform. The tool is a convention of the states, outlined in Article V of the Constitution, and it’s the only way that we, as citizens and state legislators, can exert the kind of leverage that will force Congress to listen.
Once corporations can no longer overturn environmental regulations and other public health and safety laws by claiming constitutional rights, and once our elections have been wrested away from the system of legalized bribery that has been codified in recent years, a whole new realm of positive change becomes possible. To address the climate crisis, we need a revolution in our energy policy. That change depends on the success of a political revolution to build a functioning democracy.

- Taylor Gaar, volunteer, Greater Boston Move to Amend

Read more at www.wethepeoplemass.org

Kayaktivists challenge Shell, Obama misses boat- The Climate Minute Podcast

The Obama Administration’s decision to allow oil exploration in the Chukchi Sea shows passivity where leadership is required. Climate hawks, like the “Kayaktivists” in Seattle, will just have to stop Shell by themselves. The framing of the TPP on the news is inaccurate. Instead of endless discussion of winners and losers, we should ask “Why can’t an environmental group have the same access to the negotiations as Exxon?”   Finally, consider if the current global refugee crisis is a harbinger of the future in a warming world.

The reading list:
Obama approves Arctic drilling
Seattle votes for a delay
Kayaktivists say "Shell No!"
Bill McKibben blasts the Administration on the Shell decision
Naomi Klein on Free Trade and Climate
How to connect climate damage to immigration

Check out live  links at our blog,  https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/05/17/kayaktivists-challenge-shell-obama-misses-boat-the-climate-minute-podcast/
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

Silenced, or Outspoken? The Climate Minute Podcast

Some people are trying to gag the discussion of climate change, but Climate Hawks are talking back. We discuss.
Here is the reading list:
•    A gag order in the Florida state goverment
•    A misleading Koch funded exhibit at the Smithsonian.
•    Mitch McConnell's letter to governors about the EPA
•    The VT governor's letter back to McConnell
•    The LA governor tries to dodge FEMA rules
•    The Guardian Divestment campaign
•    Is the TPP a threat to democracy?

Check out live  links at our blog, https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/03/27/silenced-or-outspoken-the-climate-minute-podcast/

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

Keep it in the Ground - The Climate Minute Podcast

The venerable British newspaper The Guardian has launched a six month effort to highlight climate issues called "Keep it in the Ground". It is a great source to keep up with the latest thinking on climate issues.

Here are some highlights:
•    Alan Rusbridger  explains why he decided to start the effort.
•    George Monbiot explains why we need to end extraction.
•    Naomi Klein tells why we need to pay attention.
•    Bill McKibben says the climate movement is resurgent.
•    George Monbiot considers losses to others than ISIS.
    [Editor’s Note: Monbiot’s piece focuses on the destruction of natural regions. The extension of that argument to the fossil fuel companies is Ted’s.]
•    There is even a podcast.

Rolling Stone is also  on the case. They just published a article called The Fate of the Trees.
Check out live  links at our blog, https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/03/13/keep-it-in-the-ground-the-climate-minute-podcast/
Don’t forget to sign up for the Local Environmental Action Conference. Sunday, March 15, 2015, 9am-6pm, at Northeastern University's Curry Student Center.
Local Environmental Action 2015 is a great opportunity to join community leaders, environmental advocates and activists from across New England for an exciting day of skills training, networking, and inspiration. Whether you have been to every conference or are attending for the first time, be sure not to miss this amazing opportunity to connect and grow our grassroots movement.

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

Dr. Evil vs Gandhi- The Climate Minute Podcast

Do the ends justify the means? If a Climate Hawk could be as nasty as “Dr. Evil” seems to be, should she? We consider, because it is important to "Know Thine Enemy."

Blogger Dave Roberts tells us about a PR man proud to be called Dr Evil, and wonders if Climate Hawks could or should use the same methods. What is even more troubling, Roberts argues that he is just a cog in a (climate denial) machine.

A well-respected guy named Mohandas Gandhi argued that the means were even more important than the ends, and in some sense the same thing. Building a just, durable and sustainable future requires just methods. (That doesn’t imply you can’t be aggressive, or use the truth attack the bad guys!)

The TPP is coming up for a vote. Reich and Trumka call for a debate.  Senator Bernie Sanders speaks about the media's failure to engage the topic. On the other hand, nothing is stopping YOU from speaking.  Go here, type in your zip code and get your Congressman’s email address. Just write “No fast track of the TPP.” He will know what you are talking about!  

Don’t forget to sign up for the Local Environmental Action Conference. Sunday, March 15, 2015, 9am-6pm, at Northeastern University's Curry Student Center.
Local Environmental Action 2015 is a great opportunity to join community leaders, environmental advocates and activists from across New England for an exciting day of skills training, networking, and inspiration. Whether you have been to every conference or are attending for the first time, be sure not to miss this amazing opportunity to connect and grow our grassroots movement.

Check out live  links at our blog,https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/03/06/dr-evil-vs-gandhi-the-climate-minute-podcast/

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

Should you pay for the Governor's new pipeline? The Climate Minute Podcast

Between the veto of the KXL bill and efforts to make people pay for pipelines (instead of solar panels or wind turbines) there is a lot to discuss.
This past week, the President vetoed the KXL bill, but don’t worry- its not dead. As oil trains proliferate, we could see ten explosions per year. Over in Europe, they have big energy plans. Here in Boston, the new Governor is considering asking electrical ratepayers to foot the bill for a new gas pipeline. Really? What about paying for clean energy?
Don’t forget to sign up for the Local Environmental Action Conference. Sunday, March 15, 2015, 9am-6pm, at Northeastern University's Curry Student Center.
Local Environmental Action 2015 is a great opportunity to join community leaders, environmental advocates and activists from across New England for an exciting day of skills training, networking, and inspiration. Whether you have been to every conference or are attending for the first time, be sure not to miss this amazing opportunity to connect and grow our grassroots movement.

Check out live  links at our blog,https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/should-you-pay-for-the-governors-new-pipeline-the-climate-minute-podcast/
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

Divestment Day-The Climate Minute Podcast

This weekend Divestment Day will be celebrated. We discuss the what and why, consider geo-engineering and speculate about the FBI’s now found interest in Climate Hawks.

Bill McKibben himself tells you why you should join an action. (If you have never read McKibben’s “Do the Math” article in Rolling Stone, click here and read it RIGHT NOW! ) There will be actions all over the world as well as here in Massachusetts. In fact over at Harvard there are  protests underway now.

As proof that the divestment movement has strength, consider that Big Oil is pushing back, trying to equate modern life with hydrocarbons. There is even a Valentine’s Day theme that seems to be coordinated, or at least very popular among those attacking divestment. For example, it is not clear if it’s tongue in cheek, self-parody, parody or simply a horribly lame way to reach people, but watch this video
 to see for yourself the demonization of Bill McKibben and the equation of coal to modern life.  When you are done wiping tears of laughter from you eyes, go read this  Op-Ed piece published under the name of Jeff Jacoby, but clearly derivative of the Big Oil meme.

Geo-engineering probably really is a 'wildly, utterly, howlingly barking mad' idea, but should we talk about it anyway?

The ghost of J. Edgar Hoover is probably smiling, now that FBI is monitoring Keystone activists.

Finally, and most importantly, clear your calendar on March 15 for the Local Environmental Action Conference in the Curry Center of Northeastern University, on the Green Line in Boston. It is cheap, fun and a great way to connect to other Climate Hawks.

See the live links at https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/02/13/divestment-day-the-climate-minute-podcast/

Check out more  links at our blog, http://massclimateaction.wordpress.com or our Facebook page facbook.com/massclimateaction.

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