The Climate Minute

Have you heard about #GivingTuesday? It is the antidote to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and is a time to support the non-profits and the causes you care about. We had the chance to catch up with MCAN’s Executive Director Carol Oldham. Listen in! Please support our work fighting climate change and helping cities and towns be more sustainable with a one time or monthly gift. With your help, in 2016 we were able to: • Host the Local Environmental Action Conference, with 450 attendees, 28 workshops, Jane Kleeb (the "keystone killer") as the keynote speaker, with our partners at the Toxics Action Center. • Lead three Clean Energy tours of the Deer Island Anaerobic Digester facility, with attendees from a total of 36 towns. • Produce webinars on the Paris climate accords, Acadia Center’s EnergyVision, and the Energy Omnibus bill. • Run four Climate Change Movie Nights, showing “Merchants of Doubt” and inspiring short films by Lynne Cherry about kids and climate change. • Work with many of you to submit letters to the editor in your local papers. You can find some of them here. • Hold three educational carbon pricing forums. 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 Download Enhanced Podcast

As part of the collection of horribles Trump is assembling to staff his regime, Myron Ebell stands out. He is slated to control the EPA and will likely destroy the President Obama’s Clean Power Plan- if not worse. This raises questions of the ethical arguments for and against serving in a Trump administration. On the other hand, one prospect that seems to be rising from the fog of Trumps decision-making is that the clean revolution may not longer be stoppable and that China will assume a global leadership role in fighting climate change. The Donald’s biggest legacy may be to make China great again. 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 Download Enhanced Podcast

We discuss the unfolding ugliness of a Trump Presidency, and how Climate Hawks should act in the face of denial and hate. The short answer, don’t accept our new politics as ‘normal’, fight like crazy on climate issues and be sure to make alliances with other progressive groups. Listen in Download Enhanced Podcast

The unfortunate choice of a climate denier to be our next president will force the climate movement into alternate paths. In some ways, this is good, since local action to increase green energy will drive state level programs as well. Carol Oldham, the Executive Director of MCAN, put it this way: The great news is that we have groups like MCAN and our partners working here in MA to make sure we stay on track.... and there are groups like MCAN in every state across this nation. Grassroots, effective, informed, and not giving up. We are all focused on making sure we don't lose what we have gained so far, and there are countless activists across America who, like you, are committed to continue our forward movement as a nation in the fight against climate change (and many other fights, too). State and local action will be the proving ground, now more than ever. So I commit to continuing to move us forward on solutions to climate change, and I hope you do too. To sign up to volunteer with us, go here and click on "volunteer". You can take action, you can help, and you can make your community and the world a better place. 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 Download Enhanced Podcast

Donald’s recent election to the presidency is a blow to climate progress. What is to be done? Just remember, we are right, we are powerful and we are not going anywhere. Download Enhanced Podcast

The ongoing confrontation on the Standing Rock Reservation gives us an interesting perspective. How should we look at the acquittal of the Malheur Wildlife occupiers? Is it fair to look at the Native American opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline as a climate issue? Isn’t it one of the historical oppression consistent with our long sad history? 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 Download Enhanced Podcast

The historic Paris Agreement finally “comes into force” today- November 4, 2016. That is good news, but comes with the caveat that much more work needs to be done! Leonard DiCaprio released his movie Before the Flood. It is an important call for the world to address global warming. We discuss. 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 Download Enhanced Podcast

Climate news this week contained progress and tension.  Grassroots opposition has slowed pipeline progress in MA, RI and NH, so CT decided to pull out of the whole concept. On the other hand, in North Dakota the confrontation keeps spiraling, it seems due to a militarized response from the police. Listen in as we discuss. Download Enhanced Podcast

Ross Gelbspan is a climate hero, having written some of the first books highlighting the immediacy of global warming during the 1990’s. Recently, he posted a blog calling for climate activist to stop being ‘experts’ and begin a new role as the ‘catalyst’ of common work with other groups to pressure world governments to take action. Speaking of catalysts, researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory seem to have found a convenient way to take CO2 out of the air and make ethanol. How should this technology be used? We discuss. 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 Download Enhanced Podcast

The Dakota pipeline confrontation is turning increasingly harsh. Journalist Amy Goodman was charged with rioting (but then released), Native Americans and Hollywood actresses were strip-searched and a movie maker was charged with 45 years worth of offenses. Does this mean ‘big oil’ is feeling the heat of grass roots protest? Let’s hope so! 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 Download Enhanced Podcast

Your air conditioner is full of super greenhouse gases, just waiting to escape and warm the world. This week the world did something about that- it agreed to the “Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.”  This will phase out the gases- known as HFC’s- and reduced the rate of warming. Listen in as we discuss. 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 Download Enhanced Podcast

The fight over the Dakota Access Pipeline goes on, with court rulings, the arrest of journalists and a ‘truck attack’ on protestors. The flood waters from Hurricane Matthew are now poisoned with animal waste and perhaps coal ash. The good news is that the airline industry has taken the first baby steps toward controlling emissions. We discuss it all! 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 Download Enhanced Podcast

“I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests, I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans….It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.” Bob Dylan won a Nobel Prize this week. His art can be (and is) continuously re-interpreted. That is the definition of great art!  At the same time, the debacle at Samsung could be the logical outcome of the desire for smaller, more energetic batteries. What are the implications for storage of renewable energy? Finally we discuss such far out ideas as funding climate work from the DOD, or even using carbon fees for a universal income. Listen in, because it’s time “for my boot heels to be wanderin’” 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 Download Enhanced Podcast

Hurricane Matthew took a tour up the Eastern Seaboard this week. We take a look at events from a Climate Hawk’s perspective. 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 Download Enhanced Podcast

This week, the world took an enormous step toward climate sanity. With a vote in the EU parliament, enough countries with enough carbon emissions have ‘ratified’ the Paris Agreement to allow it to ‘enter into force.’  All that jargon means the agreement is law in the countries that agreed to it, including the US of A. That is a big deal, especially since the next President will not be able to withdraw our country from the agreement. The battle to actually generate clean power isn’t over however, since some people in the Senate hope to force the acceptance of burning wood to make electricity. This proposal raises complex issues, but the simple answer is  “Not a good idea.” 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 Download Enhanced Podcast