The Climate Minute

One issue in the ongoing transition to a clean energy economy will be balancing speed and justice. A possible example of this balancing act could be in the rapid construction of green infrastructure-for example ‘bullet trains’ or solar farms- on Federal "rights-of-way" on the interstate highway system. This sounds like a no-brainer because it avoids many of the usual siting issues associated with NIMBY-ism. Unfortunately, the simplicity vanishes when we consider the historical injustice of the placement of those highways back in the 1950's and '60s. We should not compound that injustice by imposing new burdens on those communities. How to resolve this conundrum? It is good to give early consideration to this future question in order to ensure both the justice and speed we need.

The current craze for sea shanties brings us the myth that  ‘oil killed whaling.’ The truth is more complex and illuminates big oil’s plans to “get into plastics.”

President Biden made January 27, 2021 a defining moment for climate action. He signed Executive Orders that signify an enormous shift into the right direction for America. We begin to unpack some of the many aspects of the announcement.

Governor Baker vetoed a good climate bill. His four page explanation doesn’t measure up. We discuss his talking points and how the Legislature will proceed to get the bill passed.

The Inauguration of President Biden has many implications for Americans of all perspectives, but especially for climate activists. Listen in as we discuss the sights, sounds and actions taken on this historic new beginning.

The major cable channels continue to downplay and mis-inform their audiences about the climate crisis. We talk to veteran climate journalist Beth Rosenberg and wonder if there are legal avenues to force a change.

Betsy Rosenberg is a veteran climate journalist, who wants to implement regular designated coverage of environmental issues on mainstream media.  We discuss her vision of a major-cable-news-media world where global warming is treated as the top-of-the-masthead topic, with both dedicated discussion and integration into all the other fodder of the 24-hour news cycle.

The State of Massachusetts released a strategy to achieve net zero by 2050 along with near term actions for 2030. Listen in to hear what it all means. Oh, BTW, call Governor Baker now to insist he sign the climate legislation that supports the roadmap!

The long slow MA legislative process finally produced a good climate bill. It now sits on Governor Baker’s desk, in limbo and awaiting his signature. If the Governor fails to sign it, there may be no new policy for years. Listen in for some good reasons to support this bill.

In the waning days of 2020, Congress passed a COVID relief bill that included a good package of climate legislation. Among many other topics, the bill tells the EPA to deal with the 'super' greenhouse gases used in air conditioning. Why does this matter? Listen in.