The piece to the left here was posted to social media by Paul Scott, co-founder of Plug In America, whom I met when I was asked to moderate a panel on electric transportation almost exactly 10 years ago (April, 2009). I publish it here because of the conversation that follows, and the hopes that readers may find it interesting. (more…)
This morning I received a generic, vanilla business plan from a fellow in Dresden, Germany (pictured) that contemplates the manufacturing and sales of a line of trucks with hydrogen fuel cell drive trains. My opinion is that no attempt to enter this business from scratch could possibly work, and especially one that doesn’t contemplate some secret sauce, i.e., an exciting idea that holds some potential level of promise. As I explained to him: (more…)
While maintaining global temperatures within 1.5 ° C of pre-industrial conditions is imperative to halting a runaway train that will destroy our planet’s capacity to support organized civilization, our practical capacity to accomplish this goal is very much a matter of political will. (more…)
The countless glaciers of Kazakhstan and other countries in Central Asia feed the continent’s great river basins, which form the water sources for hundreds of millions of people. This brilliant and beautiful piece published by the New York Times tells the story of these folks, and predicts their future prosperity as climate change continues to accelerate over the coming years and decades. I hope you’ll check it out.
I’m taking the liberty to republish this comment Glenn wrote on social media, as I think it brings clarity to the discussion of sea-level rise associated with climate change. – Craig
This (model of sea-level rise) is fun for the sake of curiosity, but it is not constructive for the current political debate.
The likely sea-level rise in the next century is between 1-2 meters. Split the difference and call it 5 ft. There will be monster storm damage, greater tides, droughts, floods… greater weather variability affecting vulnerable crops, and FAR worse migration problems from a flood of climate refugees… Those are the stakes. (more…)
Like beauty, the concept of an emergency is in the eye of the beholder. If you were asked to point to one, you would not be wrong if you pointed to the opioid epidemic, veterans’ suicide rates, environmental devastation, Americans’ dying of treatable illnesses, or 1.5 billion people worldwide with no access to clean drinking water. (more…)
The woman who wrote the piece on the left makes a fabulous point. When it comes to climate change denial, we think of a demagogue leading ignorant people around by the nose. Of course, that’s part of it, but realize that none of this would be possible if it weren’t for the constant pounding of the disinformation campaigns that have been promulgated from the traditional energy industry over the last 40 years.
Here’s a cool video about the marvelous progress that Norway is making in terms of electrifying transportation, and the gains they’re seeing in terms of improved air quality and thus, human health. This didn’t happen without government subsidies, but Norwegians tend to trust their public sector to make good decisions on their behalf. (more…)
What are the criteria by which Americans evaluate candidates for public office? I suppose that depends on what part of the country we’re talking about.
A West Virginia Republican lawmaker is facing bipartisan backlash after comparing LGBTQ people to the Ku Klux Klan and saying he would “see if (his kids) can swim” if they came out as gay. (more…)
