Wise Up, Rise Up
What's up with Paul Hawken?
From EPA Staff: An Open Letter to the American Public
"the new administration is halting programs Americans depend on for their health and wellbeing"
2 Build Political Will, 9 Restore Our Environment
New EV battery boasts 5-min charge time, adding 250 miles of range
BYD has overtaken Tesla as the leading EV manufacturer in terms of volume.
3 Eliminate Fossil Fuels, 5 Sustainable Transportation
Neglecting ‘Scope 3’ emissions could sink corporate climate action
Scope 3 emissions are the indirect emissions within a company's supply chain.
2 Build Political Will
G20+ Countries Hold the Key to the Global Renewable Target by 2030
New data from IRENA highlights the critical role of G20 and beyond in doubling annual renewable capacity additions by 2030 to triple global renewables.
4 Renewable Energy
Central banks are not independent on climate policy, study shows
"a central bank’s likelihood to take climate action depended on national politics rather than the country’s economic exposure to transition risks"
2 Build Political Will
Glaciers Once Deemed ‘Eternal’ Will Not Survive 21st Century, Warns UN
Glaciers are vanishing at an unprecedented rate, posing a threat to our environment and society.
10 Dangerous Limits
Trump’s EPA insists climate change isn’t a danger
"The big target here is the 2009 endangerment finding, in which the EPA concluded that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare.."
2 Build Political Will, 3 Eliminate Fossil Fuels, Dire Warnings
Our National Parks Are Too Vital To Be Lost
Discover how President Roosevelt's legacy shaped our national parks' conservation efforts.
2 Build Political Will, 9 Restore Our Environment
‘Completely Delusional’: Trump Calls for Reinvigorating Domestic Use of US Coal
99% of coal plants are more expensive to operate compared to wind or solar energy.
3 Eliminate Fossil Fuels
California now has nearly 50% more EV chargers than gas nozzles
The state approved a $1.4 billion investment plan to expand zero-emission transportation infrastructure.
4 Renewable Energy, 5 Sustainable Transportation
Video of the Week
From Commonwealth Club World Affairs (CCWA): Paul Hawken: Carbon, Climate, and Humanity
Paul Hawken, the author of the new book Carbon: The Book of Life, argues that the climate movement is thinking about its work, and messaging, all wrong. “Those who call carbon a pollutant might want to lay down their word processor,” Hawken writes. Carbon, he notes, is after all the building block of life, the animating force behind trees, rhinos, eyelashes, hormones, bamboo, and so much more. Without it, Earth would just be a lonely, dead rock. So much for decarbonizing.
Hawken has come to believe that treating carbon as something to tackle, liquefy, and pump into geological formations not only reflects the same mindset that caused climate change in the first place, but also further alienates people from the living world. There is no “climate crisis,” he argues, but a crisis of human thinking and behavior that’s degrading the soil, wiping out entire species, and changing the weather faster than people can adapt. “From a planetary view,” he writes in Carbon, “the warming atmosphere is a response, an adjustment, a teaching.”
We find it impossible to square Hawken's soft-hearted individual mandate vision in light of the global political & mega-corp pact to keep fossil fuel usage alive. -Ed.
The 10 Ways to Fix Climate Change
The climate crisis demands action at all levels. While governments and industries must make the most sweeping changes, individuals hold power through their choices and their votes. Focus your energy on reducing your carbon footprint with smarter transportation choices, adopting a more plant-based diet, demanding energy efficiency, and supporting sustainable businesses.
Most importantly, use your vote to support climate-conscious leaders, hold those in power accountable, and push for policies that protect our planet.