Massachusetts is moving ahead with plans to reduce carbon emissions. We talk to an expert about how to pay for this good work. A newly introduced bill called the Green Future Act would unlock billions, and fund the real changes we need.

The reading list:

• Learn more and read the House factsheet here
• Green Future Now
• Baker's 2030 roadmap document
• WBUR on Baker's rejection of the second climate bill
• gov on TCIRead the Policy Roundup on the bill (and sign up!)
• Sign up for Lobby Day March 4

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

Pollution from fossil fuel kills one in five globally. Does the scope of such an effect portend changes in how we govern ourselves? Are we in a dangerous place? Perhaps we are, based on how our systems must change over the next century and how the earth was different the last time CO2 was this high.

The reading list:

• The Guardian: one in five deaths due to Fossil Fuel use
• The Guardian: A danagerous Epooh
• The Atlantic on previous times the planet was at high CO2
• Oreske's novel on looking back from the future

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

Increasing theft of catalytic convertors highlights the value of rare materials in the production of renewable energy technologies. Getting enough of the 'right stuff' is a challenge for a just transition. Would a repairability index for hi-tech devices reduce demand and help solve the problem?

The reading list:

• NYT on Converter theft
• Car and Driver on converter theft
• GreenBiz on metals for renewables
• Ernst and Young on the challenges to mining rare earths
• GRIST on France's repairability index
• Report on a sustainble battery supply chain
• VOX on TX power outages
• SIgn up for Lobby Day March 4

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 Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station (FRRACS) has dedicated years to opposing the construction of a fracked gas compressor station in Weymouth. We check in with a veteran activist about the state-of-play in this long running controversy. There is a deadline with FERC coming up, so listen in and learn how you can take action.

The reading list:

• Alice Arena is a Newsmaker!
• Follow @ElfOnSite to see what is going on at the construction site.
• nocompressor.com has links to all FRRACS info and actions
• FERC
• Enbridge

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

"An Act creating a next-generation roadmap for Massachusetts climate policy" was vetoed by Governor Baker albeit with suggested amendments. The good news is that the bill still has a path to becoming law. We review the stakes and discuss the give and take of lawmaking. Activists pushing for progress can make all the difference.

The reading list:

• WBUR reports on the Baker action
• Climate Xchange discusses the options
• Commonwealth on the value of Net Zero buildings
• Acadia Center critique the $6B excuse
• MCAN's tool kit for Net Zero Building advocates

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

GM plans to sell only electric vehicles by 2035. That is a big deal all by itself, but what does it mean for the grid? And are we building a world that will have eight lanes of the Mass Pike congested with electric vehicles?

The reading list:

• The movie "Who Killed the Electric Car?" from 2006
• WaPo on GM's decision
• NYT's Plumer on the implication for the power grid
• NYT on China's battery industry
• NYT on other automakers abandoning the previous administration's rollback
• Einstein and Gedanken Experiments
• Medium on the Mayor of Paris' effort to change the car culture

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

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 reading list:

• Dave Roberts (DRVolts) discusses the advantages of using railway R-o-W for power lines
• Yearwood (HipHop Caucus) discuss issues related to Transportation and Mobility Justice
• President Biden works toward Environmental Justice
• Markey introduced EJ Data bill
• Biden supports Harris' Environmental Justice Impact Statement plan
• Bloomberg on Federal money to remove urban highways
• South Korean solar panel and bike path on a highway
• CA struggles with its bullet train plan
• EJ in Federal transportation proposals
• WBUR from 2015: Solar panels on the Mass Pike

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 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.”

 The reading list:

• USA Today on the Wellerman Shanty
• The NYT on the Wellerman Shanty
• The New Republic on the "Whale Oil Myth"
• New Yorker's McKibben passes the mic to "Beyond Plastics"
• Yale on how plastics impact climate change
• McGuinn's version of Drunken Sailor
• Eight MIles High
• McGuinn's version of "Blow the Man Down"
• Harvard's Rebecca Henderson on new forms of Capitalism

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

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.

The reading list:

• Gina McCarthy's Boston Shout-out
• White House Fact Sheet on Executive Orders. (Warning: contains actual facts.)
• CSPAN of President Biden's announcement
• The Guardian on the Biden EO

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

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 reading list:

• The Governor's letter
• Altemose analyzes the letter
• Commonwealth Magazine: Where did that $6B number come from?
• The Legislature refiles the bill

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