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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
Friday Feb 20, 2015
Snow, thundersnow, trains and earthquakes-The Climate Minute Podcast
Friday Feb 20, 2015
Friday Feb 20, 2015
Our heavy snows are entirely consistent with global warming and its effect on the jet stream. Jim Cantore got all worked up about “ thundersnow “ falling in Plymouth MA. But, is thundersnow a new thing? Cable networks favorite ‘climate guy’ Bill Nye asks the media and us all to talk about climate.
The big train accident in West Virginia was analyzed by Hayes and Maddow.
There are earthquakes in Oklahoma, but does this City Manager suffer from
Stockholm Syndrome? Over at the BradBlog they discuss the train and the RCMP's surveillance of KXL activists.
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/2015/02/20/snow-thundersnow-trains-and-earthquakes-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
Sunday Feb 08, 2015
EPA weighs in on KXL- The Climate Minute Podcast
Sunday Feb 08, 2015
Sunday Feb 08, 2015
The Keystone pipeline is heading for a showdown, and the EPA rides to the rescue.
Here are some links:
• The pipeline goes through Nebraska, not Nevada (my bad!) Visit our friends at Bold Nebraka
• The EPA sent Mr Obama a nice note telling him that the Keystone XL pipeline will lead to a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Let’s hope the President reads it before making his decisions.
• Pope Francis will address a Joint Session of Congress in September. It will be interesting to hear what he says about climate change.
• Up in Australia, Prime Minister Tony Abbott (of “Ax the tax” fame) seems to be in deep trouble.
• The Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty is coming closer, but most of the media ignore it, except for Ed.
Check out live links at our blog, https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/02/08/epa-weighs-in-on-kxl-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
Thursday Feb 05, 2015
Pipelines explode, Cable News doesn’t- The Climate Minute Podcast
Thursday Feb 05, 2015
Thursday Feb 05, 2015
We discuss media treatment of recent pipeline explosions, the Koch’s explosion of campaign money, and the curious story of Willie Soon.
Here are some links:
http://mediamatters.org/research/2015/01/28/study-how-broadcast-networks-covered-climate-ch/202232
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/01/27/3615930/koch-brothers-climate-delay-889-million-2016-election/
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2015/01/26/harvard-smithsonian-climate-change-skeptic-accused-violating-academic-disclosure-agreement/Y1uMQ8yuLpYCjOHGckRArO/story.html
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
Tuesday Feb 03, 2015
Just win, baby -The Climate Notes Podcast
Tuesday Feb 03, 2015
Tuesday Feb 03, 2015
Charles and David Koch may be very, very rich...but they're also very, very desperate.
https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/02/03/just-win-baby-the-climate-notes-podcast/
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/31/us/politics/most-americans-support-government-action-on-climate-change-poll-finds.html?_r=0
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/01/27/3615930/koch-brothers-climate-delay-889-million-2016-election/
D.R.
Friday Jan 16, 2015
The good, the bad and the inspiring- The Climate Minute Podcast
Friday Jan 16, 2015
Friday Jan 16, 2015
The news this week ranged from good to depressing, from new methane rules (good) to 400pm in the air (depressing.) We try to put it all in perspective.
• The administration proposes methane emissions regulations.
• Global CO2 levels are over 400ppm.
• US India climate talks are proceeding.
• Worcester will try time-based electical rates.
• Gov. Baker appoints an energy team. But is it a team of rivals? It has a gas-tax advocate (see here) and the Senate wants to work on the climate issues (see here .)
• Should we build and then tear down an Olympic Stadium?
• A report on future gas demand was released at the very end of the Patrick Administration. But the origin and use of fracking sand is very informative.
• Bernie Sanders proposed an amendment to the KXL approval bill.
• The move Selma should give Climate Hawks something to think about. A couple of years ago, joe Romm posted a blog think about Martin Luther King and climate activism.
See the links at https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/01/16/the-good-the-bad-and-the-inspiring-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
Friday Jan 09, 2015
Five issues that will shape the news of 2015- The Climate Minute Podcast
Friday Jan 09, 2015
Friday Jan 09, 2015
What are the underlying issues that will drive climate progress in 2015? We discuss a Congress that denies global warming, low oil prices, the Trans-Pacific partnership, upcoming negotiations in Paris, and the impact of the Pope’s views on global warming.
First, we note that Cape Wind is in jeopardy. There seems to be enough momentum behind the wind industry the progress in other areas is likely.
Congress is targeting the Keystone pipeline. Read Dave Roberts who says about the whole controversy that “This is the first time since cap-and-trade that the movement defined a clear fight specifically about climate. They picked something Obama could block and then set out making the case that he should block it. It was something that could could have passed without a blink from anyone, and they charged it with meaning. They marched, protested, organized, wrote, and marched some more. They got big money to enter political races behind the issue. They got key allies to speak out against it. They’ve managed to delay and delay it. They even got Obama to say that he’ll reject it if it has any impact on greenhouse gases. (Imagine that standard applied to all future infrastructure projects!)”
It seems the President will veto the bill, but this is just the beginning of a long fight. Bill McKibben said “This is a tribute to the millions of people who have made this one of the center pieces of a fast growing climate movement. So far their desire to protect the land and climate have been a match for the fountains of dirty money that constitute the oil industry’s only real argument.” If you want to find your rep’s phone number, click here, for your Senator, click here.
Robert Reich says this about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
Even better for global companies, the tribunal can order compensation for any lost profits found to result from a nation's regulations. Philip Morris is using a similar provision against Uruguay (the provision appears in a bilateral trade treaty between Uruguay and Switzerland), claiming that Uruguay's strong anti-smoking regulations unfairly diminish the company's profits.
What does the acronym INDC mean? “Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.” Say that three times fast! It is a statement of how much carbon each country will promise to cut in the preparation for negotiations in Paris at COP21 next December.
Pope Francis is said to be preparing an important statement on climate next year, but will likely anger some conservatives.
See the links at https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/01/09/five-issues-that-will-shape-the-news-of-2015-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
Wednesday Dec 31, 2014
2014 from the Climate Hawk's Perspective - The Climate Minute Podcast
Wednesday Dec 31, 2014
Wednesday Dec 31, 2014
The year 2014 was hot, the climate movement became conscious of itself and saw new dimensions in a big world.
This year is likely to be the hottest year on record and one where climate change undeniably arrived in clear force.
The year will also be remembered as one where climate activism took center stage with lots of rabble-rousing. The President said "Our citizens keep marching. We cannot pretend we do not hear them." From EPA regulations to the Climate March, Climate Hawks were out in force. The KXL pipeline is in deep Presidential trouble because of activism. In NY, fracking was banned, and the polls approve. On top of all that, Kinder Morgan blinked in the face of local opposition.
The climate movement’s conception of itself changed in 2014 as well, not the least due to Naomi Klein's book "This Changes Everything". Rebecca Solnit is getting lots of mileage out of a comparison of our times to the French Revolution. She says: “…physics is inevitable…Politics, on the other hand, is not inevitable.” In the same way, the #BlackLivesMatter movement is a big one for Climate Hawks. From a convergence of interests, to environmental justice to a simple realization that cities are a locus of climate opportunity, a new way of thinking was born.
The year also saw hopeful signs of an independent media as well as price parity for renewables, and a great window of opportunity for a carbon tax.
See the links at http://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2014/12/31/2014-from-the-climate-hawks-perspective-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
Friday Nov 21, 2014
Local, National and Global Progress-The Climate Minute Podcast
Friday Nov 21, 2014
Friday Nov 21, 2014
There was lots of climate news this week, from local to national to international issues. We check them all out!
Last Saturday, activist met in Fitchburg to discuss the proposed Kinder-Morgan pipeline. For details and other links, check out this report from the Berkshire Edge.
Here in Massachusetts, we have the ‘Global Warming Solutions Act’ that commits the state to lower carbon emissions. A great organization, Mothers Out Front , has been rallying to ask the Governor to take more steps in this direction. Check out their website to switch to clean energy yourself. We chat with Co-director Vanessa Rule about what is going on!
Over at Tufts University, there will be a conference this weekend entitled Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming . The attendees will discuss “The exceptional potential of the biosphere to address all of our current emissions, as well as to remove the 125 parts per million of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.”
“If you can’t explain your opponent’s argument, you cannot explain your own.” Down in DC, the Senate rejected a KXL approval measure. But the real question is why are 'conservatives' fixated on fossil fuels? Here is a discussion of West Virginia as a resource colony. The Boston Globe suggests compromise , but letter writers are fed-up.
In the wider world, due to the US commitment of $3 billion dollars, a UN clean energy fund is closing in on it's goal. In addition, the recent US-China agreement on emissions target suddenly has transformed into real work in China to cap coal usage.
See the links at http://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/local-national-and-global-progress-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
Friday Nov 07, 2014
Severe, Widespread, and Irreversible: The Climate Minute Podcast
Friday Nov 07, 2014
Friday Nov 07, 2014
In a big news week, we focus on the latest IPCC report and the outcome of last Tuesday's elections.
The executive summary of the IPCC Synthesis Report:
http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/SYR_AR5_SPM.pdf
Some Commentary on the report
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/11/10-things-you-need-know-new-ipcc-climate-report
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/11/04/3587527/ipcc-irreversible-impacts/
WIll the new Massachusetts Governor take action on climate? Maybe.
http://theconversation.com/republican-charlie-bakers-win-in-liberal-massachusetts-offers-path-forward-on-climate-change-33779
Perhaps there is less hope in the US Senate.
http://grist.org/politics/the-new-gop-senate-is-already-gearing-up-to-cause-climate-mayhem/
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
Sunday Oct 12, 2014
A Natural Disaster- Climate Notes (PODCAST)
Sunday Oct 12, 2014
Sunday Oct 12, 2014
The Boston Globe has apparently embraced the conventional wisdom that natural gas is the miracle cure for our energy woes. Let's hope the paper's future coverage of energy issues includes the perspectives of those who recognize that natural gas isn't all that it's fracked up to be.
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The link to the original editorial:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2014/10/04/renewables-are-new-england-future-but-gas-pipelines-still-needed/1tpsRSYaMioGdeg8k9R2rM/story.html
Links to the LTE:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2014/10/11/importing-natural-gas-not-bridge-secure-energy-future/fj8l9fOaOQGNcfl5Aux1MI/story.html
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2014/10/11/importing-natural-gas-not-bridge-secure-energy-future/fj8l9fOaOQGNcfl5Aux1MI/story.html