This has been a busy week for under-the-radar news. Exxon is feeling the legal heat from Climate Hawks and is trying to strike back.  We discuss the plans. In Ft McMurray Canada, the heat is on due to wildfires traceable to climate change.  In Paris last December, the agreement essentially targeted a 1.5C temperature rise limit which has big implications that only now are becoming apparent. Finally, the Massachusetts Omnibus Energy bill is being written now- it is a good time to call your representative. You can see a backgrounder presentation here. Here is what to ask for:

• Two thousand megawatts of offshore wind
• Increase Renewable Portfolio Standard to 2% year
• Environmental standards for massive electricity transmission project and
• PLEASE ask them to vote against the bill altogether if it includes a pipeline tax!
• Don’t know your Representative or Senator?
• https://malegislature.gov/People/Search

The Paris Agreement took another step toward full implementation on Earth Day, when many countries actually signed the agreement. This is good news for the planet. In the state of Washington, a judge ordered the state to implement a climate plan. This opens another path to force change!  The spawn of Mitt Romney’s old superPAC is launching an attack campaign against the likes of Bill McKibben, so be ready for some nasty messages. Down in Louisiana, the first American  ‘climate refugees’ can begin moving to new homes. Is this the start of something big? Finally Jimmy Kimmel makes a great point about who to believe in the realm of climate science, but DR tries to decipher the meaning of the code words “human activity.” Listen in!

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Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist that the United States put a price on carbon.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre

Pipelines dominate climate news this week with proposed projects withdrawn in Massachusetts (and NY.) The relative good news shows the power of activism. Listen in as we review recent events.

For many Climate Hawks, global warming touches on deep emotions. Art, in all it’s forms, can help us deal with the anger, grief, hope and fear that the act of facing climate change can evoke. To help explore this topic, we talked to Rosanne Walsh ,  an artist living north of New York. Her paintings are figurative allegories which explore perceived personal responsibility for changes in the social order. Other themes that play strongly into her narrative are concerns about her personal relationship with the unparalleled spectacle of the natural world. Come listen as we discuss the role of art in dealing with the sustainability crisis of our time. See below the podcast player for a couple of her pictures.

Figure 1 The Last Roundup, Rosanne Walsh

Figure 2 Priestess of the Pines, Rosanne Walsh

Can better farming practices actually remove carbon dioxide from the air? Can it help in the  ‘geo-therapy’ of the planet? Karl Thidemann of Soil4Climate thinks so. Listen in as we discuss this intriguing concept in the effort to address global warming.

The Omnibus Energy Bill is making its way through the Massachusetts Legislature. We talk with Carol Oldham, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN) about the good and bad of the “still to be defined” bill. Despite the huge win over Kinder Morgan there is still a lot of work to be done.  (Spectra Energy: you’re next.) If you want to call your State Rep, see the link below!

Kids these days. All they think about is the future. In Oregon, a Federal judge finally agreed with their concerns.  He allowed a case based on the “Public Trust” Doctrine to go forward. This is not a final win, but a step forward. Here in Massachusetts, we still have a debate on the Omnibus Energy (or should we say Climate) bill. Finally, if the Liberty Tree was a symbol of integrity and faith in the future for the American revolutionaries, wouldn’t Henry David Thoreau’s  famous cabin a Walden Pond make a good symbol for Climate Hawks? Listen in.

ClimateX is a proposal to provide a tailored path toward a large selection of on-line higher-ed courses on global warming.  The mentoring is targeted at the specific interests of individual Climate Hawks. This customization is designed to help anyone with an internet connection to learn what they need to know in order to pursue their career and activism goals. Listen is as we explore MOOCs (Massive open online courses) and “Recommenders” with the idea’s creators, Rajesh Kasturirangan and Dave Damm-Luhr. If you like what you hear, sign up to vote for ClimateX  in the Climate CoLab idea competition.  Here is what to do:

1. Register with the Climate CoLab. 
2. Once you have a CoLab account, go to the ClimateX page.
3. On the ClimateX page, click the big blue button in the upper right that says "Vote." 

The deadline is April 22, so act now!

This week continued a pattern of heavy-duty climate related reports, which you don’t have to read because we read the synopses! The White House’s report on the public health risks of climate change is detrimental to your psychological well-being all by itself but also lays out the abundant risks of a warming world. This comes on the heels of the recent report on sea level rise and Jim Hansen’s paper suggesting that we are closer to climate “tipping points’ than we thought.  Favorite-son John Kerry lays out the economic opportunities of a clean energy world.  Who will grab the brass ring there? Listen in!