The Climate Minute

The MCAN Newsletter, February edition: The Climate Minute

The MCAN Newsletter keeps you up to date on climate issues and activities.  Check it out.

The climate messes with Texas: The Climate Minute

Disaster struck in Texas in February. A combination of man-made, climate-related weather extremes and man-made planning mistakes and malfeasance led to millions freezing in the dark without water. The debacle in the Lone Star state can be viewed from many perspectives and provides lessons to us all. We try to get our arms around a few of these.

Returns on a Climate Investment: The Climate Minute

The new Green Future Act proposal in the MA Legislature provides the funding for climate initiatives. What are those new initiatives? What are the benefits? We talk with an expert about how the money will be spent and what that spending will do.

Unlocking the Green Future: The Climate Minute

Massachusetts is moving ahead with plans to build reduce carbon emissions. We talk to an expert about how to pay for this good work.  A newly introduced bill called the Green Future Act would unlock billions, and fund the real changes we need. 

Forward a hundred, back a million: The Climate Minute

Pollution from fossil fuel kills one in five globally. Does the scope of such an effect portend changes in how we govern ourselves? Are we in a dangerous place? Perhaps we are, based on how our systems must change over the next century and how the earth was different the last time CO2 was this high. 

Rare metals and repairability: The Climate Minute

Increasing theft of catalytic convertors highlights the value of rare materials in the production of renewable energy technologies. Getting enough of the 'right stuff' is a challenge for a just transition. Would a repairability index for hi-tech devices reduce demand and help solve the problem?

Update on Weymouth: The Climate Minute

The Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station (FRRACS) has dedicated years to opposing the construction of a fracked gas compressor station in Weymouth. We check in with a veteran activist about the state-of-play in this long running controversy. There is a deadline with FERC coming up, so listen in and learn how you can take action.

A small step forward: The Climate Minute

"An Act creating a next-generation roadmap for Massachusetts climate policy" was vetoed by Governor Baker albeit with suggested amendments. The good news is that the bill still has a path to becoming law. We review the stakes and discuss the give and take of lawmaking. Activists pushing for progress can make all the difference.

Thinking about EVs: The Climate Minute

GM plans to sell only electric vehicles by 2035. That is a big deal all by itself, but what does it mean for the grid? And are we building a world that will have eight lanes of the Mass Pike congested with electric vehicles? 

Speed v Justice: The Climate Minute

One issue in the ongoing transition to a clean energy economy will be balancing speed and justice. A possible example of this balancing act could be in the rapid construction of green infrastructure-for example ‘bullet trains’ or solar farms- on Federal "rights-of-way" on the interstate highway system. This sounds like a no-brainer because it avoids many of the usual siting issues associated with NIMBY-ism. Unfortunately, the simplicity vanishes when we consider the historical injustice of the placement of those highways back in the 1950's and '60s. We should not compound that injustice by imposing new burdens on those communities. How to resolve this conundrum? It is good to give early consideration to this future question in order to ensure both the justice and speed we need.