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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
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.
Thursday Jan 04, 2018
Bomb-o-what-is-this? The Climate Minute
Thursday Jan 04, 2018
Thursday Jan 04, 2018
As the East Coast settles in for a storm that has ‘undergone bombogenesis,’ we discuss the important stories of 2017. Listen in.
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.
Friday Aug 11, 2017
Is biomass right for MA? The Climate Minute Podcast
Friday Aug 11, 2017
Friday Aug 11, 2017
Here in Massachusetts we consider ourselves leaders in the climate change movement. Notable among our many efforts on clean energy is the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA), started in 2008. One of the items in the GWSA is a mandate to get to a certain amount of clean energy by the year 2020. As part of that effort to get to the mandated amount of clean energy that we use in MA, an idea has come up to burn biomass—essentially wood—and put it into the “clean energy” category. According to an article in the Boston Globe, the Baker Administration is considering designating biomass for renewable energy and making biomass eligible for clean energy incentives, which is very controversial as you might imagine. The Baker Administration is saying that biomass is part of the so-called “combo platter” of energy that the state needs to rely on and that over time it should not increase carbon emissions. Climate hawks protest because burning biomass will create more pollution in the form of soot and also reduce the trees that are needed to absorb carbon dioxide. As D.R. says, looking at it from a 35,000 foot perspective, branding biomass to be renewable energy as though it is the equivalent of wind and solar reminds him of the famous Reagan initiative to brand ketchup as a vegetable. This is an opportunity to play semantics with what is considered “renewable” and “clean energy.”
Monday Jul 10, 2017
Baby, you can drive my EV! The Climate Minute Podcast
Monday Jul 10, 2017
Monday Jul 10, 2017
The G20 meeting this past week held discussions of the Paris Accord. The rapid arrival of attractive electric vehicles shows that markets are committed to clean energy (and hence the Paris Accord,) even if our orange furor is not. Listen in.
Friday Jun 16, 2017
Are you Paris Compliant? The Climate MInute
Friday Jun 16, 2017
Friday Jun 16, 2017
The US exit from Paris has sparked a backlash. Many states are banding together to meet the agreement's goals. What does it m ean to be "Paris Compliant" and how do we comply? Listen in.
Friday Jun 02, 2017
An Irish Wake for the Paris Accords: The Climate Minute Podcast
Friday Jun 02, 2017
Friday Jun 02, 2017
In a shameful, unconscionable, historically damaging decision the Trump administration will pull the US out of the Paris Accord. Listen in as we process this unfortunate news and try to figure out how to react.
Monday May 29, 2017
Paris, Bonn, Boston and Washington: The Climate Minute Podcast
Monday May 29, 2017
Monday May 29, 2017
Work on the Paris Accords continues with meetings in Bonn this week. Even though Governor Baker supports the US remaining, the question will be decided by our Tweeter-in-Chief. Will his demons or better angels prevail? Perhaps more importantly, will our leadership here in Massachusetts embrace a carbon price? The answer depends on you.
Friday May 26, 2017
Mass Action: The Climate Minute Podcast
Friday May 26, 2017
Friday May 26, 2017
There is a lot of climate action at the state level. We discuss what’s been going on here in Massachusetts and around the country.
Tuesday May 02, 2017
Voices from the People’s Climate Mobilization:The Climate Minute Podcast
Tuesday May 02, 2017
Tuesday May 02, 2017
April 29, 2017 was the day of the People’s Climate Mobilization. It was a great day, with 150 to 200,000 people marching in DC and even more around the country. We had the good fortune to chat with people of all kinds, students from Salem State University, activists from California and Utah as well as concerned folks from all over. Listen in to just a few of the thousands of committed citizens in DC last Saturday.