The Climate Minute

Massachusetts released two revised climate policies recently. They are each meaningful even if somewhat imperfect steps forward. They should be viewed in light of the decade long process of making the 2030 climate roadmap a success. Climate activists need to pay attention to the proposals and provide good feedback to the state as it tries to follow the roadmap to a clean future.

Here in Massachusetts, the fossil fuel lobby is pursuing its annual scare campaign about methane supplies, conjuring up images of Texas style blackouts. If you look past the hyperbole, there is an industry desperate to maintain its profits at the expense of people and planet.  On the other hand, a recent study confirmed a truly scary, if common sense, expectation: the gas stove in your kitchen is leaking, at least in the moment you turn on the burner if not continuously from loose piping connections. Pollution in your kitchen is more real and frightening than the freeze-in-the-dark scenarios painted by gas apologists. 

Putin’s saber rattling on the Ukrainian border is tied up with climate issues like the use of methane gas. 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently issued a statement saying that they “likely erred in siting the Weymouth Compressor Station” but that there was no  “legal basis to prevent the Weymouth Compressor Station from entering service.” Wut? How did we get here? And what comes next? We talk to a longtime activist for the full story.

Natural water systems-like brooks, streams creeks or even rivers- exist in most urban areas. Over decades of city growth, these waterways have often been buried in culverts or underground pipes. This burial has been done in the service of flood control or the creation of more buildable land.  In the age of climate change, there are several reasons to “day-light” these lost watercourses and let them return to something near their natural path. The benefits run to both the city and the soul. We speak with Miles Howard, a local journalist, author and urban hiker, about this new trend.

The use of hydrogen in the energy transition is both an opportunity for corporate greenwashing or for the implementation of positive, democratizing technology.  Using hydrogen to store grid electricity is a concept that is still in the formative stages. Hear an expert lay out one vision that ought to be considered.

If you make hydrogen from natural gas, it is dirty because of all the CO2 emissions from the conversion process. At both the Federal and Massachusetts level, policies push to support use of dirty hydrogen for home heating. We talk to two experts, who say this is just a way to keep utilities in business and that it is is both dangerous and polluting.  They propose a different path to achieve the goal of sustainable home heating for all.

Climate activist do not have the luxury of being apathetic about voting rights. In order to preserve a democracy that can take action on global warming, we must act now to abolish the filibuster and deliver voting rights.

The utilities are touting a mixture of hydrogen and natural (methane) gas for home heating. Listen to experts explain why this is a bad idea.

The recent movie “Don’t Look Up” is creating a stir. Is it a good movie? Does it move us forward? Listen in as five climate hawks talk to each other about this thought provoking movie.