MCAN’s new board member talks to us about her work, how she ended up in the climate movement and lessons she learned on the way.

The reading list:

• Tree cover equity in Boston
• Climate Resilience at Mystic River Watershed Association
• What is climate resilience?
• Quote from John Muir
• Sierra Club calls out John Muir
• A roller skating champion!
• A skate shop in NH
• Find the current global CO2 ppm here
• How many days ‘til 2030?

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 that protects environmental justice communities.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Your home emits CO₂ when you use gas to heat it. That’s called operational carbon emissions. Did you know that lots of CO₂ was emitted just making the stuff in your walls? Embodied carbon is the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of building and infrastructure materials. We talk to MCAN’s Better Buildings Campaign Director to find out how we can reduce the embodied carbon in our buildings.

The reading list:

• A two page summary of embodied carbon- check this out!
• Learn and take action at the MCAN page on embodied carbon
• The Rocky Mountain Institute explains embodied carbon
• A startup in Boston is making low carbon cement
• Wikipedia on Portland Cement
• Environmental Product Declarations (EDP) explained
• The Climate Minute on the Zero Carbon Renovation Fund
• Find the current global CO2 ppm here
• How many days ‘til 2030?

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 that protects environmental justice communities.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

How can we make it easier for the grid to transition to clean energy? The Forward Clean Energy Market can help. Listen in to MCAN’s expert explain this new idea.

The reading list:

• MCAN's toolkit to learn and comment on the FCEM proposal
• The FCEM proposal from DOER
• Some power plants failed to keep their promise to be ready over the Christmas 2022 holiday
• UtilityDive on Forward clean energy markets
• The Climate Minute on de-mystifying ISO and the grid
• The Climate Minute on RECs
• Find the current global CO2 ppm here
• How many days ‘til 2030?

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 that protects environmental justice communities.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

If you want to understand the transition to clean energy, you need to understand Renewable Energy Certificates. We talk to MCAN’s Clean Energy Director to find out more about what a REC is, and why they matter.

The reading list:

• The EPA on Renewable Energy Certificates (REC)
• EnergySage on Renewable Energy Certificates (REC)
• RECs explained
• Find the current global CO2 ppm here
• How many days ‘til 2030?

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 that protects environmental justice communities.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

We can make a plant go extinct in order to have EVs, or we could allow bison herds to capture CO2 from the air by rethinking our economics. The future is ours to choose.

The reading list:

• Is your EV worth an endangered species?
• Re-wilding nature has climate benefits, but would we do it?
• The Climate Minute on Green Growth vs deGrowth
• The Climate Minute talks to people on the ground at the Lithium site in Nevada
• The Climate Minute talks with an author who thinks about envisioning the future
• The Climate Minute talks to an inventor proposing hi-tech ways to pull CO2 out of the air
• Its bison, not buffalo
• Find the current global CO2 ppm here
• How many days ‘til 2030?

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 that protects environmental justice communities.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

In a warming world, our futures will be determined by our decisions in the present. However, two starkly different visions- one of a sacrifice free continuation of the present using renewable energy and a second of a radically downsized and more humane economy- might guide our thinking. Which way should we go?   We discuss “Green tilted glasses” from truthdig.

The reading list:

• com's 'Green tinted glasses' article
• The Guardian on Jacobson
• Wikipedia on de-growth
• Parrique on degrowth in the IPCC report
• Commentary on Parrique
• Real GND site
• Right leaning Manhattan Institute
• Resource panel
• The Climate Minute on lithium miningFind the current global CO2 ppm here
• The Climate Minute on envisioning better futures
• How many days ‘til 2030?

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 that protects environmental justice communities.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Humans may need to go beyond reducing carbon emissions to actually removing CO2 from the atmosphere. “Carbon dioxide removal” is the buzzword. We talk to a someone with a new idea about how to approach this gargantuan task.

The reading list:

• The idea explained in detail
• Wikipedia on Carbon Dioxide Removal
• Reactive Surfaces website
• MIT: US says CDR is essential
• McDaniels's paper in “Journal of CO2 Utilization" describing the life cycle assessment of the idea
• Find the current global CO2 ppm here
• How many days ‘til 2030?

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 that protects environmental justice communities.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

The unsettling IPCC report inspires a poetic response. Then we discuss some climate related reports.: Astroturf off Martha’s Vineyard? Why re-wild the planet? How about daylighting rivers? What could go right? Listen in here for all the latest.

The reading list:

• The IPCC’s AR6 Synthesis Report
  • https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/
• Link to the Jorie Graham article that got Steve to read his own poem
  • https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/05/jorie-graham-poet-to-2040-book/673493/
• Steve’s poem “This Branch”
  • https://www.quietpoet.com/2023/03/this-branch.html
• What does IPCC report mean for MA?
  • https://blog.greenenergyconsumers.org/blog/the-latest-ipcc-report-what-it-means-for-massachusetts-rhode-island
• Healy appoints new DPU
  • https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/03/17/science/with-new-commissioners-healey-aims-reshape-an-agency-seen-critical-climate-reforms/
• Oil uses astroturf groups to oppose wind
  • https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/04/05/metro/whale-tales/
• “Ministry for the Future” book link
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ministry_for_the_Future
• Miles Howard links
  • https://massclimateaction.podbean.com/e/day-lighting-a-river-is-good-for-the-city-and-the-soul-the-climate-minute/
  • https://massclimateaction.podbean.com/e/urban-hiking-on-the-frontiers-of-climate-change-the-climate-minute/
  • https://www.bostontrails.org/about.html
• Justin Bean link
  • https://www.justincbean.com/
• The Climate Minute discusses the book “What could go right” with the author
  • https://massclimateaction.podbean.com/e/a-better-question-what-could-go-right/

• Grid impact of Green hydrogen
  • https://static1.squarespace.com/static/634abba43f1e2f4dfd5e07dc/t/6400f4e00845db41f84ddc36/1677784292826/GridImpactofGreenHydrogen+-+3-6-2023.pdf
• The Climate Minute disusses the reprot with the authors
  • https://massclimateaction.podbean.com/e/hydrogen-for-home-heating-is-a-dead-end-solution/
• rewilding
  • https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27032023/rewilding-animals-carbon-storage/
• See the page that collects all the “Making Sense of Climate” episodes -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/02/making-sense-of-climate-collection.html
• Find the current global CO2 ppm here
• How many days ‘til 2030?

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 that protects environmental justice communities.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

In his new book, our guest invites listeners to ditch the cynical narratives we’ve become accustomed to, urges us to envision an ideal future, and offers the tools to build it. Listen in for a fun conversation.

The reading list:

• What could go right? on Amazon
• What could go right? on Barnes and Noble
• Justin Bean's personal site
• A video on the Renaissance and views of the public space
• Piketty Capital in the 21st Century
• Toffler's Future Shock
• Find the current global CO2 ppm here
• How many days ‘til 2030?

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 that protects environmental justice communities.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Massachusetts’ natural gas distribution companies (Eversource and National Grid) want to add hydrogen to your home heating gas supply. A new report makes plain this is a bad idea. Using our state’s shiny new wind turbines to produce enough green hydrogen to allow us to put that H2 gas into the utilities’ pipelines and then burn it to heat our homes is “a dead-end climate solution that will fail to meet our state mandated emissions reduction goals at huge costs to ratepayers.” Listen to the report’s authors discuss the issue.

The reading list:

• Report: Impact of Green Hydrogen Production on the Availability of Clean Electricity for the Grid
• One-Pager on the report
• Gas Transition Allies website
• Background on the issue from InsideClimateNews
• The Climate Minute with Dr. Seavy on the fees in you gas bill
• The Climate Minute talks to Dr. Seavy about why utilities want to replace pipelines
• The Climate Minute: A Billion Dollar Brawl

• Richardson and Butterworth make the case in Commonwealth Magazine
• Brett defends Green Hydrogen
• Find the current global CO2 ppm here
• How many days ‘til 2030?

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 that protects environmental justice communities.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre