Here are four very serious problems with natural gas: (1) drilling & fracking cause major emissions that harm the health of people and animals within a mile or so of the site; (2) indoor uses of natural gas (including in gas stoves) produce nitrous oxides that endanger people's health; (3) fracking wastewater is toxic and often highly radioactive; and (4) natural gas is a … [Read more...] about What’s so bad about natural gas?
Energy
Bright Green Lies
This book made me recall the line 'Stop the world — I want to get off'. (I think it's actually the title of a Broadway musical back in the 1960s.) I won't attempt to do a review of Bright Green Lies,* but the opening gives you a glimpse of the problem: “We need to stop being guided by the general story that we can have it all,” Derrick concluded, “that we can have an … [Read more...] about Bright Green Lies
Making Lithium Batteries
EV and their batteries don't only create huge environmental, health, and environmental justice problems in the mining process— they also create problems in the factories that make the batteries. This story describe harmful working conditions in the Ultium Cells plant in Ohio, but the same problems are found in other plants as well. Like other 'clean energy' plants, they have … [Read more...] about Making Lithium Batteries
Neocolonialism v. Stewardship & Rights of Nature
It's widely accepted that electric vehicles [EV] are a solution to the fossil-fuel problem. Unfortunately, the huge demand for lithium and other minerals is actually creating another massive wave of environmental degradation and environmental injustice. Have we learned nothing in the last 100 years about the disastrous effects of colonialism and irresponsible extraction‽ We … [Read more...] about Neocolonialism v. Stewardship & Rights of Nature
Reimagining our relationship with nature
Truthout just published a good story titled 'Let’s Accept Climate Science — And Also Reimagine Our Relationship to the Earth'. One thing the makes this article unique is its recognition that our relationship to climate change is not only a scientific one — in fact, for most of us, the science is not as important as other aspects. Science is critical in our understanding of … [Read more...] about Reimagining our relationship with nature
Beyond Plastics – new video on train derailment
This morning, Beyond Plastics released an eye-opening new video that documents the reality on the ground in East Palestine, Ohio, where residents are dealing with the aftermath of the toxic train derailment. … [Read more...] about Beyond Plastics – new video on train derailment
Thacker Pass project — another travesty
Thacker Pass is a project to mine Lithium on sacred lands of the Shoshone & Paiute in Nevada — and it is a serious threat to the native people's health, culture, and environment. The Bureau of Land Management should never have approved it, but the administration pushed hard for its approval and is defending it in court. The Thacker Pass project not only fails the basic … [Read more...] about Thacker Pass project — another travesty
Will Democrats shape real climate action?
On Christmas Day, a natural gas processing plant in southwest PA caught fire, and several sources said that anyone calling the DEP emergency line to report the incident got only a voicemail. DEP denied these claims. DEP critics said the agency is ineffective in dealing with industry and communicating with the public. “They could have provided a much more detailed and … [Read more...] about Will Democrats shape real climate action?
A Template for Climate Action and Community Energy
While this story is set in San Diego, the strategies and actions used there are equally applicable here. Please take a few minutes to read this — and then see what you can do to bring about the needed changes here. (With respect to Community Choice Aggregation [CCA], our challenge here might include enabling legislation at the state level.) Here's an excerpt that introduced … [Read more...] about A Template for Climate Action and Community Energy
No Miracles Needed
How wind, sun, and water can power the world Mark Stanford, who teaches civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, makes the case that existing technologies for renewable energy and energy conservation can meet all our energy needs. A January 23 article in The Guardian gives a brief recap: “ ‘No miracles needed’: Prof Mark Jacobson on how wind, sun and … [Read more...] about No Miracles Needed