The issue of responsibility for climate change has many sides. We discuss a BBC article that provides another way to consider the question.

The reading list:

• BBC's "Future" section on Who is to Blame for Climate Change
• Wikipedia on Merchants of Doubt

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for a building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist the United States transform it’s energy sector, over the next decade, under a just and equitable plan, that uses regulations, investments and a price on carbon to safeguard our collective future.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

The increase in temperature associated with climate change is a threat to pregnancies and the pollution associated with fossil fuel use compounds that danger. Disadvantaged communities suffer these effects more than others, and so pregnant women are at particular risk. A new report details the findings.

Our psychological processing of the pandemic shutdown leaves us still wondering about a ‘wellness economy’, where GDP is not the driver of all our effort. This may be a good thing for a world fighting climate change.

The reading list

• The NYT on climate risk to pregnancy
• The Guardian on the Doughnut Economy
• Coronavirus and the wellbeing economy

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for a building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist the United States transform it’s energy sector, over the next decade, under a just and equitable plan, that uses regulations, investments and a price on carbon to safeguard our collective future.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Clouds may seem simple but new calculations reveal an unexpected heating contribution. OTOH, we also learn that renewables are a better bet than ever.

The reading list:

• Wikipedia on Climate Sensitivity
• The Guardian on the impact of clouds in climate models
• Report on renewables in 2035
• Grist unpacks the report
• Forbes on the report
• The Climate Minute on solar prices
• The Climate Minute says Nationalize Coal!

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for a building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist the United States transform it’s energy sector, over the next decade, under a just and equitable plan, that uses regulations, investments and a price on carbon to safeguard our collective future.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

June 19^th commemorates the end of slavery. The day gives us an opportunity to think about how systemic racism and the climate fight are intertwined.

The reading list

• WNYC's Takeaway on Juneteenth
• Wikipedia on Juneteenth
• Tamara Toles O'Laughlin says "If you care about the planet you must dismantle white supremacy."
• why defunding the police is also a climate issue
• Scalawag Magazine on what you need to know about what supremacy

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for a building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist the United States transform it’s energy sector, over the next decade, under a just and equitable plan, that uses regulations, investments and a price on carbon to safeguard our collective future.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

A deepening understanding of the connection of racism to the causes of climate change is important to our work. Hop Hopkins of the Sierra Club has a good formulation: “You can’t have climate change without sacrifice zones, and you can’t have sacrifice zones without disposable people, and you can't have disposable people without racism. “ We explore.

The reading list

• Hop Hopkins at Sierra Club
• Grist
• Vogue
• MIT Technology Review
• Yale E360
• Paradigms in the Structure of Scientific Revolutions
• Kendi's Anti racist reading list

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for a building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist the United States transform it’s energy sector, over the next decade, under a just and equitable plan, that uses regulations, investments and a price on carbon to safeguard our collective future.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

We review the emerging national consensus on climate action.

The reading list:

• Vox's Roberts on the emerging SIJ consensus
• A fence-line community in Philadelphia
• The Climate Minute on "Nationalize Coal!"

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for a building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist the United States transform it’s energy sector, over the next decade, under a just and equitable plan, that uses regulations, investments and a price on carbon to safeguard our collective future.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

The sad events in Minneapolis and cities across our nation call for a discussion of how systemic racism and climate change issues interact. The time has come for racial injustice to be seen as a climate issue.

The reading list

• Holthaus: The Climate Crisis is racist and the answer is anti racism
• Emily Atkin's Heated World on the Climate Movement's silence
• Statement by Cheasapeake Climate Coalition
• White Accomplices ( with quote from Malcolm X)
• Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on being a black climate scientist
• An anti-racist reading list
• The 1619 project
• 350 Press Release, with O'Laughlin quote
• Gizmodo: no climate justice without defunding police
• 350Seattle Press release
• NYT: Black enviros talk about climate and anti-racism
• A letter from Alternatives for Community and Environment

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for a building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist the United States transform it’s energy sector, over the next decade, under a just and equitable plan, that uses regulations, investments and a price on carbon to safeguard our collective future.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

A four-day workweek might have sounded outlandish in January 2020, but by June it is a legitimate topic to consider. A shorter week could have climate and pandemic benefits, as well as allowing the chance to be a little more human. Listen in as we kick around another big idea.

The reading list:

• NZ Premier unshaken by earthquake
• The Climate Case for a 4-day workweek.
• Tides of History on Covid and possible impacts in history
• Sustainababble on bikes in London

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for a building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist the United States transform it’s energy sector, over the next decade, under a just and equitable plan, that uses regulations, investments and a price on carbon to safeguard our collective future.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Many renewable energy technologies make use of uncommon elements, such as the lithium in your cell phone battery or the neodymium in your EV. Climate Hawks should ask questions about how those materials are mined and purified. The time is now to think about just and sustainable methods to fuel the renewable energy revolution.

The reading list

• Moore's film is taken off You Tube for copyright infringement
• The Verge (February 2019) on the sourcing of rare materials
• A call to reduce the enviro impact of cobalt mining
• How to get cobalt from ore
• Efforts to design rare earths out of EVs

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for a building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist the United States transform it’s energy sector, over the next decade, under a just and equitable plan, that uses regulations, investments and a price on carbon to safeguard our collective future.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Good news. As we install more solar panels, we keep learning how to do it more cheaply. This helps predict big solar electricity cost reductions over the foreseeable future.

The reading list:

• The Rice and Chessboard story
• Ramez Naam on why solar energy will be insanely cheap
• An update on Perovskite solar cells
• Renewables beat coal during the shutdown
• A Long Duration Battery in Minneapolis
• ARPA-E on why long term storage matters.

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for a building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist the United States transform it’s energy sector, over the next decade, under a just and equitable plan, that uses regulations, investments and a price on carbon to safeguard our collective future.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre