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?
climate action
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
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
“Youth Turn Up the Heat”
A story in Lever News reports on Climate Defiance, a new youth-led group/movement that calls out politicians' hypocrisy. (funded in part by the Climate Emergency Fund) In the three months since it was founded, Climate Defiance has organized high-profile actions including blockading the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, shutting down a speech by Sen. Joe Manchin … [Read more...] about “Youth Turn Up the Heat”
Climate Collateral
How military spending accelerates climate breakdown By Mark Akkerman, Deborah Burton, Nick Buxton, Ho-Chih Lin, Muhammed Al-Kashef, Wendela de Vries As the world’s climate negotiators gather for their annual summit (COP27) in Egypt, military spending is unlikely to be on the official agenda. Yet, as this report shows, military spending and arms sales have a deep and … [Read more...] about Climate Collateral
Introduction to “Coffee with Sarah!”
Hi, everybody! My name is Sarah and I will be interning with ASCLV this summer. I'm extremely excited to get into some of the important topics I have in mind for this blog, but I wanted to jump on here and add an introduction post before I dive into the content. I'm currently finishing up my undergraduate degree in English (with a minor in Professional Writing), and I … [Read more...] about Introduction to “Coffee with Sarah!”
Urgent climate action can secure a liveable future
INTERLAKEN, Switzerland, March 20, 2023 —There are multiple, feasible and effective options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change, and they are available now, said scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released today. “Mainstreaming effective and equitable climate action will not only … [Read more...] about Urgent climate action can secure a liveable future
IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report
The long awaited AR-6 report was released a few days ago. There are no surprises for anyone who's been paying attention, but there's lots of confirmation of how serious the problem has become and that there are still possibilities for reducing the impact — with actions, not words! Sticking to the basics, here are some statements about AR6: “The world is in deep trouble … [Read more...] about IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report
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