762K
Downloads
984
Episodes
The Climate Minute examines current news on global warming, climate change, renewable energy and the prospects for progress on international negotiations, carbon taxes and clean energy policy.
Episodes
Sunday Feb 25, 2018
Gun violence, the CDC and Climate Denial: The Climate Minute Podcast
Sunday Feb 25, 2018
Sunday Feb 25, 2018
Today, we connect the dots between the horrific gun violence in Parkland, Florida, and climate action. Notably, science should lead policy decisions, not the other way around. We visit Pruitt’s exploits as a “first-class fool,” as well as sketchy dealings in the Department of Interior. Listen for our “easter egg” about Maxwell Smart and the “cone of silence.” Don’t miss the Local Environmental Action conference at Northeastern University, March 3rd. Ted and Mariah will be there with a booth and would be thrilled to speak with our listeners. More information on the Massachusetts Climate Action Network’s Event page
Sunday Feb 18, 2018
Surprise! We’ve been geo-engineering all along: The Climate Minute Podcast
Sunday Feb 18, 2018
Sunday Feb 18, 2018
In a recent GRIST article, Eric Holthaus describes a devil’s bargain we have already made. The competition between the cooling, reflective particles created in burning fossil fuel and the warming effects of carbon dioxide created in burning those same fuels will end, in favor of the warming CO2, as we move to clean technologies. Listen in as we discuss this new challenge. (Don’t forget to register for the Local Environmental Action Conference March 3 at Northeastern .
Sunday Feb 11, 2018
Can you hear me Major Elon? The Climate Minute Podcast
Sunday Feb 11, 2018
Sunday Feb 11, 2018
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.
Monday Jan 22, 2018
Egregious neglect of care and concern: The Climate Minute
Monday Jan 22, 2018
Monday Jan 22, 2018
Listen in as we discuss the efforts by NYC (and maybe LA?) to try to recoup money from Exxon for climate damages.
Thursday Dec 21, 2017
Taxes for the Elect and the Damned: The Climate Minute
Thursday Dec 21, 2017
Thursday Dec 21, 2017
The right wing of our political system has achieved its goal of a tax cut for the super rich. Regarding clean energy, the details of the language went from extremely bad to just very bad. Still, understanding the impetus for passing such a destructive piece of legislation is important, and sheds light on the opposition to climate fixes. Could the fervor for tax cuts be due to a distorted idea that the rich are deserving of their good fortune and should be protected from the lazy poor, whose status is their own responsibility? Does that rewind to a religious fundamentalism that classifies us into ‘the elect’ and ‘the damned?’ Does the bill align with a magical belief in ‘trickle down’ economics, just as the same wing of the party discounts science and believes that climate change is a hoax? A party that believes the very function of government is at odds with the best interests of the virtuous rich can only be destructive to democracy. Please vote in 2018.
Thursday Dec 07, 2017
The future is now in the CA wildfires: The Climate Minute
Thursday Dec 07, 2017
Thursday Dec 07, 2017
Wildfires destroy parts of California, while the 45th president destroys a national monument. Listen in as we discuss.
Sunday Nov 26, 2017
How to save the world with a donut or a circle: The Climate Minute
Sunday Nov 26, 2017
Sunday Nov 26, 2017
A report that African Americans are more likely to live in toxic neighborhoods near oil installations is our starting point. This unsettling fact leads us to consider an idea from the IEA recognizing the synergy between fair energy availability and carbon pollution reduction, as well as the concept of a circular economy from a UN document. (See the links for our 2015 discussion of the Next System Project.) Of course, all this is at odds with our capitalist/consumerist dogma. Is capitalism the enemy or the savior of our planet? On a happy note, Tesla has released an electric 18-wheeler that can go 500 miles. Watch out, Peterbilt!
Thursday Nov 23, 2017
Virginia’s green moves show that #WeAreStillIn: The Climate Minute
Thursday Nov 23, 2017
Thursday Nov 23, 2017
The world made more progress on climate at the ‘23rd Conference of the Parties’ in Bonn, putting some meat on the bones of the Paris Agreement. The US gummint was present and unhelpful, but American cities and states were there in force. As evidence of the ‘sub-national’ efforts to say #WeAReStillIn, the state of Virginia moving to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI.) This is encouraging on many levels. This good news is topped off by a new study showing that in many places of the US, it is long-term cheaper to run renewable wind and solar than it is fossil fuel. That is something to be thankful for! Listen in.
Sunday Nov 12, 2017
Tax plan threatens clean energy: The Climate Minute
Sunday Nov 12, 2017
Sunday Nov 12, 2017
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.
Thursday Nov 02, 2017
Power outages in Boston and San Juan: The Climate Minute
Thursday Nov 02, 2017
Thursday Nov 02, 2017
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.