The ongoing confrontation on the Standing Rock Reservation gives us an interesting perspective. How should we look at the acquittal of the Malheur Wildlife occupiers? Is it fair to look at the Native American opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline as a climate issue? Isn’t it one of the historical oppression consistent with our long sad history? Listen in!

The historic Paris Agreement finally "comes into force" today- November 4, 2016. That is good news, but comes with the caveat that much more work needs to be done! Leonard DiCaprio released his movie Before the Flood. It is an important call for the world to address global warming. We discuss.

Climate news this week contained progress and tension.  Grassroots opposition has slowed pipeline progress in MA, RI and NH, so CT decided to pull out of the whole concept. On the other hand, in North Dakota the confrontation keeps spiraling, it seems due to a militarized response from the police. Listen in as we discuss.

Ross Gelbspan is a climate hero, having written some of the first books highlighting the immediacy of global warming during the 1990’s. Recently, he posted a blog calling for climate activist to stop being ‘experts’ and begin a new role as the ‘catalyst’ of common work with other groups to pressure world governments to take action. Speaking of catalysts, researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory seem to have found a convenient way to take CO2 out of the air and make ethanol. How should this technology be used? We discuss.

The Dakota pipeline confrontation is turning increasingly harsh. Journalist Amy Goodman was charged with rioting (but then released), Native Americans and Hollywood actresses were strip-searched and a movie maker was charged with 45 years worth of offenses. Does this mean ‘big oil’ is feeling the heat of grass roots protest? Let’s hope so! Listen in.

Your air conditioner is full of super greenhouse gases, just waiting to escape and warm the world. This week the world did something about that- it agreed to the “Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.”  This will phase out the gases- known as HFC’s- and reduced the rate of warming. Listen in as we discuss.

“I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests, I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans….It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.”

Bob Dylan won a Nobel Prize this week. His art can be (and is) continuously re-interpreted. That is the definition of great art!  At the same time, the debacle at Samsung could be the logical outcome of the desire for smaller, more energetic batteries. What are the implications for storage of renewable energy? Finally we discuss such far out ideas as funding climate work from the DOD, or even using carbon fees for a universal income. Listen in, because it’s time “for my boot heels to be wanderin’”

This week, the world took an enormous step toward climate sanity. With a vote in the EU parliament, enough countries with enough carbon emissions have ‘ratified’ the Paris Agreement to allow it to ‘enter into force.’  All that jargon means the agreement is law in the countries that agreed to it, including the US of A. That is a big deal, especially since the next President will not be able to withdraw our country from the agreement. The battle to actually generate clean power isn’t over however, since some people in the Senate hope to force the acceptance of burning wood to make electricity. This proposal raises complex issues, but the simple answer is  “Not a good idea.” Listen in.

The planet passed a woeful milestone this month. The annual minimum of CO2 in the air occurs in September at the end of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer-is greater than 400ppm. Given the long lifetime of CO2 in the atmosphere, it is unlikely that you or I, or anyone living, will see a planet with less than 400ppm in the remainder of our lives.  At the same time, Bill McKibben notes that humans have already built enough mines and drilled enough wells to pollute the air beyond safe limits. That said, there is NO need to explore for new fossil fuel deposits, or even to exploit the ones the industry knows about. New wells are a waste of money, since we cannot use the oil. (Tell that to your investment advisor!) Listen in as we discuss.

A profoundly important legal battle played out in a Washington DC courtroom this week. At issue was the very legitimacy of the methods used in the Clean Power Plan. We discuss (in ‘keep it simple, stupid!’ terms) the issues and implications. Listen in!