The Climate Minute

The Abolition of Dirty Energy-The Climate Minute Podcast

Colliding memes this week! Obama portrays as angry black Climate Hawk, while angry black men take to the streets in Baltimore. Environmental justice looms over the news. Mitch McConnell defends coal (as a proxy for slavery) while the Pope convenes a meeting on the moral implications of global warming.  Are Climate Hawks the new Abolitionists?  We discuss.

The reading list:
•    Obama as "angry Black Man"
•    Baltimore as a toxic environment
•    McConnell, coal and slavery
•    McConnell, oil and slavery II
•    "The Energy of Slaves"
•    Tim DeChristopher
•    DeChristopher on the moral crisis of our time.
o    At his sentencing, standing before the federal judge, DeChristopher concludes a long, eloquent statement that spreads across the Internet and galvanizes a growing climate-justice movement:
o    “This is not going away. At this point of unimaginable threats on the horizon, this is what hope looks like. In these times of a morally bankrupt government that has sold out its principles, this is what patriotism looks like. With countless lives on the line, this is what love looks like, and it will only grow. The choice you are making today is what side are you on.”
•    New Abolishionists?
o    What we want to abolish is our outmoded, broken economic and energy systems that threaten our survival, in part because they put no value on human and ecosystem inputs and impacts.
•    New Abolitionist II
o    More acutely, when you consider the math that McKibben, the Carbon Tracker Initiative and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) all lay out, you must confront the fact that the climate justice movement is demanding that an existing set of political and economic interests be forced to say goodbye to trillions of dollars of wealth. It is impossible to point to any precedent other than abolition.
•    Pope Francis
•    Dave Roberts on Vox
Check out live  links at our blog,  https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/?p=4330&preview=true&preview_id=4330
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

Reclaiming Earth Day- The Climate Minute Podcast

As we celebrate the 45th anniversary of Earth Day, it’s time to take stock of where we are and where we are going. Of course, it’s only been five years since the BP disaster. What’s up with that? We discuss.
The reading list:
•    Some Earth Day history, from the New Yorker (with accurate dates!)
•    Brentin Mock on Earth Day and Environmental Justice
•    Wen Stephenson on Port Arthur, Texas
•    Joe Romm on saving ourselves
•    John Kerry on Earth Day
•    Some things we know now that we didn't know then
•    Explaining the BP spill
•    The risks to the Gulf
Check out live  links at our blog,  https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/04/24/reclaiming-earth-day-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

Meanwhile, down at the Court House...The Climate Minute Podcast

There are several court cases proceeding that are important to Climate Hawks. We discuss:
The reading list:
•    Clean Power Plan
•    "Stop Picking on Larry Tribe!"
•    Divest Harvard
•    The Necessity Defense
•    Dutch lead the way.
Check out live  links at our blog, https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/04/23/meanwhile-down-at-the-court-house-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

Climate Hawks Send a Sunny Message to the Statehouse-The Climate Hawk’s Companion Podcast

A few weeks ago, real, live, ordinary citizens (like you) became lobbyists for a day. They went to the Massachusetts State House to ask their elected representatives to Stand Up for Solar energy and increase the cap on funds to support it’s development.  Communicating with elected politicians is the heart of democracy, as well as being an empowering and enjoyable experience. In this episode, we speak with Emily Rochon, the Director of Energy and Environmental Policy at Boston Community Capital. She helped plan and carry out this great day of activism.

For all the details, check out her blog at SolarIsWorking.org.

Check out live  links at our blog, https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/climate-hawks-send-a-sunny-message-to-the-statehouse-the-climate-hawks-companion-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

MA Guv subverts state's national enviro leadership status- The Climate Minute Podcast

New Governor Charley Baker’s Executive Order 562 would substitute weak federal environmental standards for the existing superior state regulations here in Massachusetts. Based on overheated rhetoric claiming that state regulations are “confusing, unnecessary, inconsistent and redundant” the governor orders “each secretariat, agency, department, board, commission, authority or other body”… “to promptly undertake a review of each and every regulation” and retain only those which do “not exceed federal requirements.” The rule means that any Massachusetts environmental regulations stronger than their Federal counterparts will be dropped, and the weaker Federal ones will be used. Our state is a national leader in many areas, including the fight against carbon pollution and global warming. The regulations that embody that leadership are now at risk. If we rely on the Federal regulations, Massachusetts’ environmental policy will be set by the likes of Senator Ted Cruz. Think that is a good idea? There is more. Listen in.   
Here is a reading list:
•    A report in the Globe
•    Good news for the Associated Industries of Massachusetts
•    A sober analysis
•    Some comments from BlueMassGroup
•    The Governor on the radio
•    Hints of things to come.
Check out live  links at our blog, https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/04/17/ma-guv-subverts-states-national-enviro-leadership-status-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

From Tehran to Paris- The Climate Minute Podcast

Are there any parallels between the Iran deal and the COP21 negotiations coming up in Paris? There may be. What are the new methods for climate deniers now that the science is winning? We discuss.
•    A backgrounder on the Iran deal
•    Is climate denial in retreat?
•    The new denier strategy?
•    Will states rejecting the EPA's plan be boycotted like Indiana?
Check out live  links at our blog, https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/from-tehran-to-paris-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

Favor Divestment? Oppose TPP! The Climate Minute Podcast

Bill McKibben makes the case for why Harvard should divest, the NY Times explains how much warming might come from burning even the ‘reserves’ we already know about, and we wonder if the TPP isn’t a get-out-of-jail card for Exxon-Mobil. Listen in.

The reading list:
•    McKibben on Harvard Divestment and Andarko
•    What happens if we burn all the fossil fuel we know about?
•    Will the TPP's Tribunals protect the "expected future profits" of corporations?
Check out live  links at our blog,https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/04/14/favor-divestment-oppose-tpp-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

What's your Climate Thing? The Climate Minute Podcast

Dave Roberts (formerly of Grist , soon to be at Vox ) points out that we all have a  Climate Thing- “that one angle at which climate has intersected with [your] interests and caught [your]  attention.”  It is good for every Climate Hawk (a phrase Dave Roberts coined ) to consider their own climate thing. What is the personal, emotional wellspring of your commitment to addressing global warming? It is a good thing to know.  We discuss.

The reading list:
•    Robert's take on the "Climate Thing"
•    The original Franzen article
•    The Guardian article on evangelizing for climate action

Check out live  links at our blog, https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/04/12/whats-your-climate-thing-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

Building the "Next System" - The Climate Minute Podcast

Naomi Klein started it all with her book This Changes Everything , which pointed out the links between climate, social ills and our ‘system’ of running the world.    Now, there we have The Next System Project which tries to provide some concrete ideas about how to build the successor system to our current economic methods.

The reading list:
•    An overview of the concept from the Common Dreams website
•    A pdf describing the project and possible Next System ideas
•    Some commentary from Grist

Check out live  links at our blog, https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/building-the-next-system-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

The long and winding road to COP21- The Climate Minute

The clock is ticking toward the December 2015 meetings in Paris (COP21) which are intended to negotiate a climate treaty.  Mexico has made an encouraging proposal, as has the US. Out in California, the (climate change related) drought has forced mandatory water limits. By the way, where did you latest salad come from?
The reading list:
•    Mexico's proposed carbon emission reductions
•    The US proposed carbon emissions reductions
•    Senator McConnell's reaction
•    Senate votes on a carbon tax
•    Chris Christy shifting in the winds
•    California imposes mandatory water limits
Check out live  links at our blog, https://massclimateaction.wordpress.com/2015/04/05/the-long-and-winding-road-to-cop21-the-climate-minute/

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