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Entries from March 2016

Bernie Sanders’ drinking problem

March 31st, 2016 · 1 Comment

While the Bernie bird video has gone viral, CitiSven has focused on a prominent item in the images that — well — probably almost everyone else let their eyes pass over without consciously registering that there was a water bottle on the podium. This guest post is a far more thoughtful and eloquent look at […]

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Tags: environmental · guest post · plastic · political symbols

In light of shockingly low Mexican solar electricity prices, should Sunshot program change its targets?

March 31st, 2016 · Comments Off on In light of shockingly low Mexican solar electricity prices, should Sunshot program change its targets?

When Secretary Chu announced the Department of Energy’s SunShot program in February 2011, many (okay, most or nearly all) energy (related) analysts thought that the target of $0.05 per kilowatt hour for large-scale solar electricity delivery to the grid was beyond simply ambitious.  Great, perhaps, to have a stretch goal but I can recall multiple […]

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Tags: electricity · Solar Energy

Are “VSP” political advisors waking up to #climate as political issue?

March 29th, 2016 · Comments Off on Are “VSP” political advisors waking up to #climate as political issue?

For a decade, at least, many closing tracking climate issues in the United States have advocated that — regretfully in many ways — climate was/is a serious wedge issue that does not distinguish the two major parties but which could have impact in swaying voters toward those candidates aligned with scientists and scientific understanding.  This […]

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Tags: politics

Elizabeth Warren’s glaring gap re @RealDonaldTrump

March 21st, 2016 · 1 Comment

At the moment, Senator Elizabeth Warren’s facebook post on Donald Trump is shooting around the net. While much of the focus is her defining of Trump as “loser”, the fourth paragraph is the most substantively important discussion. In this, Warren elucidates what is at stake in this election: Affordable college. Accountability for Wall Street. Healthcare for […]

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Tags: 2016 Presidential Election · climate change

Republican Congressman installs geothermal energy, expresses fundamental understanding of our energy challenges

March 10th, 2016 · Comments Off on Republican Congressman installs geothermal energy, expresses fundamental understanding of our energy challenges

Republican Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1), with a lifetime League of Conservation Voters (LCV) rating of 18%, recently replaced his heating system with a geothermal heating cooling system. His description of why to this: “I had an inclination to want to do it because I’m interested in trying to drive toward micro-energy production, distributed energy, conservation […]

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Tags: economics

JP Morgan’s “Prohibited Transaction” list: A clear sign of change

March 8th, 2016 · 1 Comment

Leading financial firm JP Morgan has issued a new Environmental and Social Policy Framework document. JPMorgan Chase believes that balancing environmental and human rights issues with financial priorities is fundamental to sound risk management and a core part of corporate responsibility. This 23 page document has 16 uses of the words “climate change”. And, reflecting […]

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Tags: coal

Climate Hawks’ Primary: A window on @SenSanders vs @HillaryClinton

March 7th, 2016 · 2 Comments

Simple truth:  Due to the dysfunctional nature of the American political process (and essentially in one major party), there is zero question that the Democratic Party candidate for President will be far better on climate and clean energy issues than the GOP candidate. anyone who considers themselves a Climate Hawk should work, full bore, to […]

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Tags: 2016 Presidential Election · Bill McKibben · climate change

How should a Climate Hawk vote?

March 6th, 2016 · 1 Comment

A Climate Hawk is a person who understands that climate change is a threat to our safety and security. Climate Hawks favor taking aggressive action to neutralize the threat. Many Climate Hawks are environmentalists, but one does not need to be an environmentalist to be a Climate Hawk. The Climate Hawk destroyed the climate appeaser […]

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Tags: 2016 Presidential Election

It is past time for #election2016 to address #climate & environmental justice. Let’s start to change this in Flint.

March 2nd, 2016 · Comments Off on It is past time for #election2016 to address #climate & environmental justice. Let’s start to change this in Flint.

The two Democratic candidates are going to Flint, Michigan, for a debate. Sparked by the horrific lead poisoning of (far, far) too many under Republican Governor Rich Snyder’s ‘watch’, this debate is expected to focus on challenges for urban minorities. A growing chorus is emerging advocating that the focus truly revolve around the core issue […]

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Tags: environmental · environmental justice

Tweet storming @AlGore’s talk to @ARPAE’s #ARPA16

March 1st, 2016 · 1 Comment

As a respite from watching Republican Party debates and campaigning, I am spending three days at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Energy Innovation Summit. In stark contrast to those @GOP science-denial soundbites, this Super Tuesday morning, Al Gore spent an hour on stage being interviewed by Steve Clemons from The Atlantic.  There are a […]

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Tags: Energy