The Climate Minute

The Climate Minute: Are we hypnotized by markets? Plus more New York bound buses (PODCAST)

New England is wrestling with it’s energy demands, but Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is increasingly uncomfortable with new gas infrastructure, (maybe due to local opposition to pipelines) despite pressure from the  Governor of Maine.  Still, Massachusetts is doing just fine with solar power, thank you very much.  Cape Wind is still fighting nuisance lawsuits , and we hope they have as much success as they had against the last twenty six nuisance law suits.  Climate change raises questions about "water security" in the future. Right now, citizens of Detroit are fighting deliberate home water shut-offs. Whatever the merits of the argument are on each side, this is unlikely to be the last water related environmental justice case. A draft of an upcoming summary IPCC report is blunt and stark, observing the irreversible nature of the changes we are creating, and the need for discipline to NOT burn the underground fossil fuels that we already know about (much less prospecting in the Arctic!) Jared Diamond wrote a book about how various societies failed to recognize the obvious seeds of their own destruction.

The New York Times reports that the Obama Administration may look for ways to get a climate agreement that bypasses the Senate. Needless to say, heads are exploding on at least one side of the political aisle.

The EPA’s website says it uses the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) (which is a number calculated by the Federal Government) “to estimate the climate benefits of rulemakings. The SCC is an estimate of the economic damages associated with a small increase in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, conventionally one metric ton, in a given year. This dollar figure also represents the value of damages avoided for a small emission reduction (i.e. the benefit of a CO₂ reduction).”

Due to doubt and suspicion from some in Congress, the GAO looked in to the process of making the SCC calculation, and concluded it was done according to the right procedures. This lack of evidence of “cooked books” will no doubt disappoint the confusionists, but they can just continue to repeat their tired older talking point.

 

We should recognize however that the “Social Cost of Carbon” is a profound touchstone basis for a market-based approach to resolving climate issues. An interesting post at Grist wonders if the climate movement has become hypnotized by market fundamentalism. 

The post says

“Thus the climate movement is possessed with near theological discussions about which market tool is better. Is it a straight-up carbon tax, or should we create a carbon cap, auctioning permits to pollute and allowing polluters to buy carbon emissions reductions in a trading marketplace? ideally seeking the lowest-cost carbon reductions possible. What is lost in the discussion is how we actually met big challenges in the past, challenges that require the creation of new technologies and industries. Market fundamentalism conceives new innovations and industries to rise magically out of properly adjusted market systems. Build the incentives and they will come. A study of economic history shows it just ain’t so.

This is a thought-provoking article. As an example of the role of government versus markets, read about the potential for “perovskite” based solar cells. The material was only recently recognized and could be a game changer- but maybe not. Will the ‘market’ fund the development of this speculative technology, or should the government (i.e. we the people) make the investment?

A great opinion piece in the New York Times (The Climate Swerve ) considers how the great mass of people might come to recognize the moral and ethical stakes at play in the issue of global warming.

 

Preparations for the People’s March in September are in full swing. A recent press release suggest the event has gone global:

• In New Delhi, thousands will take over the streets on September 20 to demand a renewable energy revolution.
• In Australia, organizers are expecting hundreds of individual events to take place across the country, including a major march in Melbourne.
• In London environment organisations and faith groups are combining forces to create a historic march through the city to the steps of Parliament.
• In Berlin three parallel marches will combine forces in a colourful festival.
• Events are already being planned in Ghana, Kenya, DRC, Nigeria, and Guinea, along with a major march in Johannesburg.
• In Paris, local groups will create the “Paris Marche pour le Climat,” with parades, marches, and bicycle rides planned across the bridges of the Seinne.
• Reports are also coming in of large mobilizations planned in: Kathmandu, Rio, Sao Paulo, Jakarta, Dublin, Manila, Seoul, Mumbai and Istanbul.

 

From Massachusetts there will be bus departures from Amherst, Cambridge, Cape Cod, Framingham, Holyoke, Jamaica Plain, Longmeadow, Northhampton, Wellesley and Worcester (so far!) For details, and for buses from all over the country, go to the Transportation Page.

 

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

The Climate Minute: Lobsterboats and New York bound buses (PODCAST)

The Climate Minute: Pipelines and Plain Text (PODCAST)

This week we discuss pipelines in Maine, carbon taxes and legal theories.

 

You can read about the South Portland decision on tarsands  here , here  and here as well as the  Administration’s  off shore oil plan here , here and here and about climate risk preparations and new off-shore wind energy leases .  The media did a slightly better job covering climate stories recently. This link tells the sad story of the Aussie Carbon Tax

 

The Courts are back in the news.  After reading about the Plain Meaning Rule you can render an opinion regarding  attacks on the new carbon regulations or on the interplay of the EPA and the ACA. The old saying goes “Know your enemy”, so you can read about clause 111d here.

 

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

The Climate Minute: Opening Mr Overton's window (PODCAST)

This was another pretty good week for Climate Hawks.

 

Massachusetts’ Governor Deval Patrick gave a great commencement address at UMASS Amherst.  We talked with Carolyn Barthel of 350 Massachusetts about what it means. Unfortunately, there was no greatness in the Senate as it killed an energy efficiency bill.

 

Following the President’s release and full-throated support of the National Climate Assessment, has the Overton Window opened just a tiny bit for climate? After all, the Generals promulgated , Christy Todd-Whitman pontificated and Senator Joe Manchin equivocated.  However, only Marco Rubio could confabulate  an evasive answer on ABC, (or perhaps couldn’t in front of the National Press Club.) Both Time and the Washington Post questioned his presidential timber. So, has climate denial become disqualifying for a politician seeking higher office? Thom Hartman discusses  tobacco and denial  while Dan Farber discusses possible hints of hope in Rubio's comments.  Ed Schulz of MSNBC has his heart in the right place and has made a remarkable public journey to climate reality, but as he highlights Rubio’s confusion he needs to keep his facts straight.

 

Finally, two downers and one uplifting report.  If you are less than 29 years old, you have never experienced a month of below average global temperatures.  And, by the way, the collapse of parts of the Antarctic Ice shelf is unstoppable. On the other hand, composer John Luther Adams won a Pulitzer for his Earth inspired symphony Being Ocean.

 

So we will close the way we always close, by saying that 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 US put a price on carbon.

 

…Ted McIntyre

The Climate Minute: Another Big Win, POTUS backs science (PODCAST)

This was a good week for Climate Hawk’s. The President released the National Climate Assessment for 2014. DR Tucker gives us a comment, but the reaction on places like  CNN's CrossFire shows the some folks need to present legitimate policy proposal that they favor, instead of empty talking points about scare tactics.

 

Stanford divests from coal and provides a good example for colleges on the east coast. NPR’s Yuki Naguchi proves she doesn’t get it with this report.

 

On the Fracking Front, we learn about a judgment in Texas and the impact of

impact of fracking on pets .

 

Finally on the arts front, learn about “Angel Azul, the Movie”. You can see a related

music video and catch of glimpse of the politician with his head in the sand off the coast of Mexico.  Check out the play Sila in Central Square. As a bonus, here are some climate haikus and music inspired by birds on a wire.

 

So we will close the way we always close, by saying that 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 US put a price on carbon.

 

…Ted McIntyre

 

 

The Climate Minute: Keystone delay, and an empty Earth Day (PODCAST)

We discuss two big topics this week: the meaning of the Obama Administration’s  delay of the KXL pipeline decision and a feeling of malaise people may have around the meaning of Earth Day.

 

Late last Friday, the administration decided to indefinitely delay the KXL decision.  The decision might have been based on practical concerns , but others put it in context of the midterms. On balance, 350 got it’s assessment just about right.  Keep in mind that a protest in Washington D.C. called “Reject and Protect”   is in progress this weekend.

Earth Day occurred this week. Some commentators expressed frustration and disappointment with how and why we celebrate this holiday in the 21^st Century. Two interesting examples of this train of though are from Joe Romm who says things like:

I don’t worry about the earth. I’m pretty certain the earth will survive the worst we can do to it. I’m very certain the earth doesn’t worry about us. ,,,.We need a new way to make people care about the nasty things we’re doing with our cars and power plants. At the very least, we need a new name.

Another thought provoking view comes from Wen Stephenson  who  calls for a new kind of movement:

Many of us, rather than retreat into various forms of denial and fatalism, have reached the conclusion that something more than “environmentalism” is called for, and that a new kind of movement is the only option. That the only thing, at this late hour, offering any chance of averting an unthinkable future—and of getting through the crisis that’s already upon us—is the kind of radical social and political movement that has altered the course of history in the past. A movement far less like contemporary environmentalism and far more like the radical human rights, social justice and liberation struggles of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

 

Stephenson makes a compelling argument, and is his piece is well worth the effort to read it. In fact, The Nation has an entire issue devoted to climate this month, with articles by MSNBC's Chris Hayes  on The New Abolitionist,  the provocative Naomi Klein and an interesting piece on legal suits against Big Carbon by Dan Zegart.

 

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

 

The Climate Minute- Protest in DC

This past weekend, brave young Americans risked arrest in a protest at the Whitehouse. Because the media didn’t do a good job covering this event, where 398 people were arrested for chaining themselves to the Whitehouse fence, journalistic pictures will be the long-term record. A photo, showing the arms of protester from an Oval Office perspective, can be found here. Ted and D.R. discuss the implications of photos from the protest.

 

Also this past weekend, the Local Environmental Action 2014 conference- a joint venture of MCAN and TAC, was held at Northeastern University.  Of the many interesting sessions, both D.R. and Ted ended up at the carbon tax discussion. For some background on this important concept, check out this blog from an MCAN’er about “carbon taxes” or better “carbon dividend.”

Upcoming this month, the Massachusetts gubernatorial candidates will meet for a forum on “Energy, Environment and the Innovation Economy”, at the historic Faneuil Hall in Boston on March 21st. Get free tix here..

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!

 

…Ted McIntyre

The Climate Minute - So Many Issues, So Little Time

This week there were more interesting topics than our panel could get to!  See the links below for even more reading. We were joined by our frequent guest, the prolific commentator Mr. D.R. Tucker and the new Acting Executive Director of MCAN, Ms. Amy Tighe. The issues before us were a strong speech climate by John Kerry in Indonesia that elicited the usual denier reaction, including some by Newt Gingrich and John McCain , both people who have supported climate action in the past. The contrast in this video says it all. An important question: is Kerry hypocritical and oblivious to lecture Asian governments, or is he sending a message to Congress here in the US? On another front, venture capitalist and climate Hawk Tom Steyer has pledge $100M to support climate friendly candidates. If Steyer is in , should we be happy? Here is some additional commentary. Given his speech, can John Kerry now approve the KXL? Good question! And what about the lawsuit that  challenged and won against the sweetheart deal for the pipeline in Nebraska? More comment here. Keep in mind, concrete targets like KXL may be good for our movement. We ran out of time to discuss the agreement between Footprint Power and CLF. Making the fossil fuel company abide by the Global Warming Solutions Act is good, but what will happen in 2050? Should we continue to oppose the plant? 350MA thinks so. More next week. A second topic we never got to discuss was the debate/debacle/insult to reason that occurred on Meet the Press. After Senators complained about a lack of coverage, the venerable show staged a climate 'debate' that was debacle for responsible journalism. Does the upcoming conference sound good to you? You can sign up at Local Environmental Action , MCAN or TAC. As they say, all roads lead to Rome (or at least Northeastern University!) You can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here. Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email. You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Your generous donations help us continue to bring climate news and views to you through our podcast and blogs, but also help support the Annual MCAN conference (this year on March 2nd, at Northeastern University), and our local climate action. So we will close the way we always close, by saying that because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions- specifically to pay for the full cost of carbon pollution at the time we create it, 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 US put a price on carbon.

The Climate Minute - Looking Ahead to the Year in Climate

As winter storm Hercules shuffles off after dumping up to two feet of snow on New England (note to climate deniers: blizzards in New England are pretty much to be expected and are hardly a sign of a cooling Earth...), Rob, Ted, and special guest DR Tucker look at 2014 and discuss some of the events we expect to be talking about next year. Now, for the links: We did talk a bit about the recent "rescue" of some "global warming scientists" who got caught in Antarctic ice.  Actually, from what we read, these scientists were retracing the route of Australian explorer Douglas Mawson's 1911 to 1913 voyage to Antarctica. We put "global warming scientists" in quotes because the stories we found don't mention how their trip related to global warming, but naturally the right-wing media has fallen into paroxysms of joy over the apparent irony of climate change believers being foiled by cold weather. Add that to the nation-wide spate of cold weather we're having and some climate deniers are having a veritable ball. But, as Mother Jones reminded vulgarian Donald Trump, winter does not disprove global warming. Matter of fact, Buenos Aires has just seen the end of a heatwave which caused temps above 88 degrees F every day since December 13th. To read more about the Supreme Court's consideration of the EPA coal plant rules, read Bloomberg here. In other federal news, will we be seeing a decision out of the White House about the Keystone pipeline? DR found an article that makes the case that perhaps the President may not take any action at all. Given next year is a congressional election year, and no matter what stand he takes he's likely to upset core constituencies of his party, maybe that's not the craziest idea. One major climate event happening next year is the "Great March for Climate" which starts in California on March 1st, and will make it to Washington DC in November. You can check out their website for expected dates they'll be in each city, as well as info about how you can participate. In May we'll be seeing a new meteor shower for the first time, as comet 209P/LINEAR makes a transit through the neighborhood. Keep the night of May 24th in your calendars. Well, we certainly got to talking about those issues, and used up our half hour. So we split this discussion in two, and we'll put out the second half early next week where we'll discuss some of the trends and overarching issues that may drive the climate issue next year. As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you. You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here. Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email. You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Your generous donations help us continue to bring climate news and views to you through our podcast and blogs, but also help support the Annual MCAN conference (this year on March 2nd, at Northeastern University), and our local climate action. So we will close the way we always close, by saying that because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions- specifically to pay for the full cost of carbon pollution at the time we create it, 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 US put a price on carbon.

The Climate Minute - 2013 in the rear view mirror

As the end of the year approaches, it's mandatory that people with websites do a "year in review" kind of thing, so here's ours.  Grab a coffee and take a little walk down memory lane with us, won't you? So let's look back at 2013, was it another "annus horriblus" for climate, or was this the year when the rise of the oceans began to slow, and our planet began to heal? Well, it started out pretty hopeful, as the President dedicated about a minute and a half to climate change in his second inaugural.  Considering the price of real estate in that rhetorical neighborhood, eighty-seven seconds on one's issue isn't something to be sniffed at. In February, Rob and Ted - and 25,000 to 50,000 of their closest friends, trundled off to Washington DC to march in protest of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.  take a look at our photo gallery from the march here. Lasting impressions include an overwhelming sense of community and joint purpose, as well as frostbite from the cruel February winds. March saw more Keystone protests, and the annual MCAN conference at Northeastern University.  We were joined by over 300 local activists who enjoyed an afternoon of fellowship and training, including a quite excellent session on podcasting convened by Ted with old friend DR Tucker and Joel Wool of Clean Water Action.  In a rather meta-move, we did a "podcast on podcasting" for all your educational needs.  You can check it out here.  For Mayor John Fetterman's awesome keynote address, and a link to more pictures from the conference, go here. As spring continued we kept banging the drum on Keystone, including thinking up ways to get your cranky Tea Party uncle to think differently about the pipeline.  We also had a wonderful conversation with Natalie Hildt of the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership about a proposed oil heat efficiency program under consideration in Massachusetts. April is also the beginning of town meeting season in Massachusetts, and several communities faced questions about shutting down wind turbines at their meetings.  Both Scituate and Falmouth told the anti-wind folks to take a hike, while Falmouth voters had to repeat that sentiment in May when the Selectmen insisted on pushing the point at a town election: where the townspeople once again said they'd rather keep the turbines running than spend millions to take them down. In May we crossed a Rubicon of sorts, when the Mauna Loa observatory started recording 400+ ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere.  This was followed in June by the President making a major speech on climate change at George Washington University, laying out his administration's intent to address the climate crisis, with or without the help of the anti-science wing of the opposition. Finally in July the Senate did it's job and confirmed the nomination of Gina McCarthy as the Administrator of the EPA, those of us who have worked with Gina before were naturally ecstatic.  We discovered a new friend in the land down-under when we stumbled across Gavin Webber's "The Greening of Gavin" blog and podcast.  The month ended with a mammoth protest at the Brayton Point powerplant organized by the Better Future Project and 350Massachusetts.  We did a roundup of news stories and YouTube videos from the protest here. Later on this summer Ted also took part in the Energy Exodus march again organized by 350MA.  This was a march from Brayton to Cape Cod, highlighting our nation's journey from coal power to clean, renewable energy like Cape Wind.  You can hear Ted's interviews with marchers in media res, as they say, here. Ted did another series of interviews with fellow protesters at the "Draw the Line" protest in Providence in September.  The EPA dropped some long-awaited regulations on powerplant co2 emissions that month, while our good buddies (sarcasm alert) on the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the President's climate plan. Meanwhile, previously fire-ravaged hills in Colorado were inundated by unusual amounts of rain causing floods and mudslides and taking numerous lives in Colorado.  We also managed to sneak in a conversation with our new Australian buddy Gavin and talk all about Australian politics, suburban self-reliance, and making cheese at home.  We still haven't tried that mozzarella recipe yet, but we'll get there. November saw the giddy crowning of champions in New England, as the Boston Red Sox won the world series, and the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy gave Massachusetts top billing in it's analysis of state efficiency efforts for the third year in a row! And we closed out the year in much the same place as we started; wondering who was going to make a difference on climate change and get this country moving in the right direction.  New guest host DR Tucker and Ted talked about the supposition that perhaps only a Republican can get the country moving in the right direction, much like only Nixon could go to China.  Jeez... that's depressing! Well, we remain hopeful, and we'll keep fighting.  Join us next week when we'll talk 2014, make a few predictions, toss around a resolution or two, and generally hope for better times ahead. As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you. You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here. Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email. You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Your generous donations help us continue to bring climate news and views to you through our podcast and blogs, but also help support the Annual MCAN conference (this year on March 2nd, at Northeastern University), and our local climate action. So we will close the way we always close, by saying that because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions- specifically to pay for the full cost of carbon pollution at the time we create it, 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 US put a price on carbon.