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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
Thursday Dec 20, 2018
Wind Auction Success: The Climate Minute Podcast
Thursday Dec 20, 2018
Thursday Dec 20, 2018
MA clean energy policy is paying off. Commitments to renewables, made years ago, resulted this week in a 405M$ auction of off-shore wind leases. Today, decisions are being taken to support clean transportation options that we will enjoy in the future. These are the fruits of determined work by Climate Hawks. Listen in!
Thursday Jul 12, 2018
Senator Pacheco on the Clean Energy Future bill: The Climate Minute Podcast
Thursday Jul 12, 2018
Thursday Jul 12, 2018
Massachusetts State Senator Marc Pacheco is the sponsor of the Clean Energy Future bill that recently passed the Senate. He joined the Climate Minute to discuss some key aspects of the bill. The Senator pointed out that the economic and health benefits of building a renewable future come at no risk, since studies show there would be no rise in electricity rates. This is based on a study by the Applied Economics Clinic. Listen in as we discuss battery storage, solar rates and other aspects of the bill. Remember: Call your State Representative soon (like NOW!) at 617-722-2000 and urge them to support the related bills in the House.
Sunday Jun 24, 2018
Sunday Jun 24, 2018
The Massachusetts Senate recently passed "An Act to Promote a Clean Energy Future", otherwise known as the “Pacheco Bill” after Senator Mark Pacheco who introduced it. The bill has so many good aspects, it is hard to fit them all into a single podcast! Listen in as we discuss a lot of them. Now the bill awaits action in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. It could face a much tougher time there, and need the support of all climate hawks! Join the MCAN Legislative Action Team to help out.
Thursday Feb 01, 2018
Did Eversource give itself a Northern Pass? The Climate Minute
Thursday Feb 01, 2018
Thursday Feb 01, 2018
The Baker Administration gave approval to a 20-year long contract for the supply of green hydro-electric power. The big winner was Eversource. The deal involves construction (by Eversource) of a 192 mile high voltage line across the mountains of New Hampshire. Both the decision-making process and the decision itself beg questioning. Eversource appears to be both contestant and judge of the proposal, since it owns the Northern Pass infrastructure and will be it’s customer. Further, the wisdom of a 20 year commitment to this system, thus foregoing the opportunity to develop a more robust energy system here in MA, is questionable. Listen in as we consider the big issues at play here.
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.
Sunday Dec 10, 2017
Taxing Clean Energy: The Climate Minute
Sunday Dec 10, 2017
Sunday Dec 10, 2017
The tax proposal before Congress will be damaging to the clean energy industry. Listen in and then call your Member of Congress.
Friday Dec 30, 2016
Friday Dec 30, 2016
2016 was quite a year-in many, many ways. Environmental justice concerns melded quite clearly with climate activism in Dakota. The pipeline protests there seem to be a template for a linking of climate and inequality issues that will be needed in the future. Of course, the year was notable from a geo-physics perspective as the Arctic icecap melted-in the winter! What a surprise! Finally, the international climate movement might be strong enough to persist, even withoutUS leadership. Look to China to reap the benefits of our stupid policies. Listen in as we discuss.
Friday Dec 23, 2016
Can Obama Trump-proof the planet? The Climate Minute Podcast
Friday Dec 23, 2016
Friday Dec 23, 2016
Good news this week: President Obama acted to protect a vast stretch of underwater area from fossil fuel exploitation. This suggests he know what is coming, and is working to protect the planet from the Trump-oil agenda. On top of that, a court case that will allow a full legal presentation of climate science will go forward in the State of Washington.
In case you are a little shaky on your constitutional trivia answers, the Emolument Clause is in Article 1, Section 9 of the US Constitution. Donald Trump must swear to “preserve, protect and defend” this along with all the other clauses in the document. Here it is:
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.
Listen in.
Tuesday Dec 20, 2016
Turn Baby Turn! The Climate Minute Podcast
Tuesday Dec 20, 2016
Tuesday Dec 20, 2016
The new Administration may have dreams of reversing our progress against climate change but there are a few legal, market driven and international snags that may slow these Climate-Orcs down. 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
Friday Sep 23, 2016
Baker’s Executive Order sets a clean energy path: The Climate Minute Podcast
Friday Sep 23, 2016
Friday Sep 23, 2016
Governor Baker signed an Executive Order to set policy for the state related to global warming. It promises emissions targets for the year 2030 and 2040, and focuses on transportation as the next big area for reductions. The Order comes in a year that has seen two major Supreme Judicial Court rulings favoring climate action, the passage of the Omnibus Energy bill, and Baker’s own effort to make RGGI stronger. These are all good signs, a credit to climate activists, and a warning that we must maintain the pressure to fulfill the promise of these decisions.