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<p><i><font size="+1"><b>February 5, 2021</b></font></i></p>
[Superbowl ad with Will Ferrell - 30 e-cars by 2025]<br>
<b>In GM’s new Super Bowl ad, Will Ferrell loves EVs — and hates
Norway</b><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1356966012646789120">https://twitter.com/i/status/1356966012646789120</a><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://grist.org/energy/in-gms-new-super-bowl-ad-will-ferrell-loves-evs-and-hates-norway/">https://grist.org/energy/in-gms-new-super-bowl-ad-will-ferrell-loves-evs-and-hates-norway/</a><br>
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</p>
<p><br>
</p>
[Washington Post]<br>
<b>Oil companies’ losses in 2020 were staggering. And that was
before the government focused on climate change.</b><br>
A bad global economy, Biden’s climate change priorities and the
promise of all-electric vehicles are feeding petroleum pessimism<br>
Will Englund<br>
Energy reporter for the Financial section and a veteran Moscow
correspondent<br>
Feb. 4, 2021 <br>
So many sets of parentheses show up on the latest oil company
earnings reports denoting losses that long columns of figures seem
to be doing a shimmy right on the page.<br>
<br>
An already weakening market was shredded last year by the pandemic,
as prices and volumes fell worldwide. Oil majors that were once the
most powerful corporations in the world lost much of their footing
in 2020, along with many billions of dollars. A bad global economy,
a promise by the Biden administration to get serious about climate
change and growing confidence in a future of all-electric vehicles
have started to raise questions about just how viable these
companies will be.<br>
<br>
Conoco Phillips announced this week that it lost $2.7 billion in
2020. BP and Chevron each lost just over $5.5 billion. ExxonMobil
posted a loss of $20 billion. --<br>
Royal Dutch Shell announced Thursday that it made a $4.85 billion
profit, down 71 percent from the year before and less than had been
expected. Still, the company said it would raise its dividend in the
first quarter of 2021 by 4 percent from the previous quarter.<br>
<br>
The S&P Global Ratings agency said last week it was placing
ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and the French company Total on a “credit
watch” — which means they’re in danger of a downgrade because of the
“significant challenges and uncertainties” they face. ExxonMobil, a
descendant of the mighty Standard Oil Company, was removed from the
Dow Jones industrial average basket of companies in August, a once
unthinkable blow to its prestige.<br>
<br>
The companies are not, of course, planning on withering away any
time soon. The price of oil has been rising this past week as U.S.
stocks have been drawn down, Saudi Arabia has cut its production,
and optimism that the end of the pandemic is in sight has been
growing...<br>
That, however, is a small part of the oil giant’s battered
portfolio. ExxonMobil, based in Irving, Tex., has probably generated
more schadenfreude among outsiders than any of its rivals. It was
the biggest, the stodgiest, the most arrogant. By some measures, it
has now declined the furthest....<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/02/04/exxonmobil-oil-company-losses/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/02/04/exxonmobil-oil-company-losses/</a><br>
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[Dr James Hansen grandfather of global warming science]<br>
<b>Dear Prime Minister</b><br>
4 February 2021<br>
James Hansen<br>
A letter to Prime Minister Johnson is here. The UK will host the
next Conference of Parties (COP) in Glasgow, hopefully this
November. Young people are fed up – rightfully so. Boris Johnson
has a choice. He and the COP can offer soothing ambitions, while
continuing business-almost-as usual – in which case global emissions
will rebound after Covid and remain high or even grow – and he will
be vilified in the streets of Glasgow, London and around the world.<br>
<br>
Or he can use his emergent humanity to help turn the world onto a
different path, one dictated by science. The UK, where the
industrial revolution and coal burning began, could now provide the
blueprint by which other nations may proceed. The science shows
that fossil fuel use will be phased out rapidly via a rising carbon
fee with all funds distributed uniformly to the public. The effect
is anti-regressive, as most wealthy people have a large carbon
footprint. Seventy percent of the people come out ahead. Fee &
dividend is a base that aids all other carbon policies.<br>
<br>
The UK (like the US) is 5X more responsible for global warming than
the average nation. With strong leadership from the PM, the UK
parliamentary system is capable of adopting this year such a
science-based system. Just as the industrial revolution moved from
the UK to the US, so too could a proper way to put a price on
carbon. The PM has the opportunity to earn a special place in
history and the gratitude of young people. Let’s see if he can
grasp it.<br>
- - -<br>
[clips from the open letter to the Prime Minister]<br>
<b>Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions</b><br>
- -<br>
Prime Minister Johnson, young people are fed up – and for good
reason. They<br>
demand that political leaders follow the science and take the
actions needed to<br>
preserve and restore a healthy climate. If this COP is like the
prior ones – with<br>
soothing words and worthless ambitions – they will be justifiably
outraged...<br>
- -<br>
The science that must be followed is clear, not forbidding, and not
in dispute among<br>
the experts. It is feasible to explain to the public what must be
done and to persuade<br>
your Parliament. The great obstacle you must overcome – where others
have failed<br>
– is that posed by the special financial interests that have bribed
our governments<br>
and trashed our planet...<br>
- - <br>
Our large energy use served a good purpose: it raised our standards
of living. But in<br>
recent decades the climate situation has emerged with clarity. We
must find a new<br>
energy path in the mature economies and cooperate with emerging
economies, so<br>
they can raise living standards with clean carbon-free energies...<br>
- -<br>
Thus, one leader with the courage to take on the special interests
could change the<br>
world’s energy course and alter the future for young people and
other life on the<br>
planet. Where may we find such a leader?<br>
I note that there is a Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL-UK) group in the
UK that<br>
advocates this policy. I am sure that the leader, James Collis<br>
(<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:james.collis@citizensclimateeurope.org">james.collis@citizensclimateeurope.org</a>) would be glad to work with
your team on<br>
the fee & dividend approach (which they term “climate income”).<br>
There are also UK citizen climate leaders that are demanding an
honest accounting<br>
of the climate impacts of government decision-making, including
investments in<br>
energy projects. Towards this end, I am certain that Tim Crosland,
director of Plan<br>
B.Earth (<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:tim@planb.earth">tim@planb.earth</a>) would be willing to work with your team.<br>
Prime Minister Johnson, your actions and decisions now will either
establish or<br>
undermine your claim to climate leadership. The upcoming UN climate
conference<br>
will be an excellent venue for you to display your commitment...<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2021/20210203_HANSEN-JOHNSON_Letter.pdf">http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2021/20210203_HANSEN-JOHNSON_Letter.pdf</a><br>
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[basic education reports by state]<br>
<b>America is too often failing students on climate change</b><br>
By Ann Reid, Val Benavidez | February 2, 2021<br>
Americans want their children to learn about climate change in the
public schools. More than three in four of us agree that schools
should teach about the causes, consequences, and potential solutions
to global warming.<br>
<br>
So why isn’t it happening?<br>
<br>
The main influence on what’s taught in the classroom is state
science standards, which specify what knowledge and abilities
students are expected to acquire in the course of their education.
These standards affect the content of textbooks, statewide testing,
and teacher preparation.<br>
<br>
But the treatment of climate change in their science standards
varies drastically in quality, according to a recent report from the
National Center for Science Education and the Texas Freedom Network
Education Fund—even though all states are already experiencing the
disruptions of climate change,<br>
<br>
For the report, available at ClimateGrades.org, a panel of
scientists reviewed standards for all 50 states plus the District of
Columbia, focusing on how well the standards address four key points
central to the scientific consensus on climate change: It’s real;
it’s us; it’s serious; there’s hope.<br>
<br>
Unfortunately, the results of the report are disturbing.<br>
<br>
Although there are bright spots—a majority of states managed to earn
a grade of “B+” or better—ten states received a “D” or worse,
including some of the most populous states in the country, such as
Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The worst of the standards
failed to recognize—or even outright denied—that the existence,
causes, and effects of climate change are a matter of overwhelming
scientific consensus. (Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists
agree that humans are the main cause of global warming.) West
Virginia’s standards actually require students in high school
environmental science classes to debate the reality of climate
change in the classroom.<br>
<br>
Elsewhere, climate change is ignored altogether, or not described
forthrightly, or is misleadingly described as hypothetical.
Alabama’s standards suggest that human activities “may have caused”
a rise in global temperatures<br>
There’s no “may” about it: human activities have caused it, and they
continue to do so.<br>
Even in states where the standards acknowledge the reality of
climate change, the report observed, there is often a failure to
convey the message that “there’s hope” in ways of mitigating and
adapting to the disruptive effects of climate change on nature and
society.<br>
<br>
So there’s room for improvement, obviously. Pennsylvania, South
Carolina, and Texas are all in the process of revising their state
science standards. Since their current standards all received an F
in the recent report, at least a degree of improvement seems likely
there.<br>
But improvement is needed in general. Even states with a good
treatment of climate change in their existing science standards can,
and should, look for ways of improving the quality and quantity of
climate change education in their public schools. For example, New
Jersey recently incorporated climate change across its state
education standards, providing opportunities for teachers to discuss
the issue with their students where appropriate in practically any
of their classes. And over the last few years legislation has been
introduced in a number of states, including Minnesota, New Jersey,
New York, and Washington, to ensure that teachers are equipped with
the content knowledge and pedagogical know-how they need to teach
climate change effectively.<br>
<br>
And don’t think that it’s only in true-blue states that efforts to
improve climate change education can succeed. Among the states with
the best treatment of climate change in their science standards,
according to the National Center for Science Education and the Texas
Freedom Network Education Fund report, were the ruby-red Alaska,
North Dakota, and Wyoming.<br>
<br>
The purpose of public education is to prepare today’s students to
flourish in the world they will inherit tomorrow. That is
incontrovertibly going to be a warmer world.<br>
<br>
So we can—and must—do a better job when it comes to teaching climate
change in our public schools.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://thebulletin.org/2021/02/america-is-too-often-failing-students-on-climate-change/">https://thebulletin.org/2021/02/america-is-too-often-failing-students-on-climate-change/</a><br>
<p>- - <br>
</p>
[Evaluating schools]<br>
<b>Making the Grade?</b><b><br>
</b><b>How State Public School Science Standards Address Climate
Change</b><br>
<b>Introduction</b><br>
More than 11,000 scientists in late 2019, noting that they and their
colleagues “have a moral obligation to clearly warn humanity of any
catastrophic threat,” endorsed a report stating “clearly and
unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency.” In
fact, virtually all climate scientists say overwhelming evidence
shows that human-caused climate change is real. That consensus is
evident in official statements from major scientific organizations,
including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, and the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “We are more sure that
greenhouse gas is causing climate change than we are that smoking
causes cancer,” explains one NASA atmospheric scientist...<br>
- -<br>
<b>State Science Standards</b><br>
Every state has adopted and periodically revises its science
standards, which identify the basic information and skills students
are expected to master in their courses of study. These standards
guide the content of statewide testing and assessment, textbooks and
other instructional materials, and classroom instruction. Each state
has its own process for writing and adopting standards...<br>
- -<br>
<b>Scope of the Study</b><br>
Working independently, three expert reviewers, all Ph.D. scientists
with differing specialties, evaluated how climate change is
addressed in the NGSS and then the standards for each of the 30
states that have not adopted the NGSS. See Appendix A for
information on the three reviewers. Note: The reviewers examined
only the state standards, not model curricula or other guidelines
created by some states...<br>
<br>
The reviewers considered the treatment of climate change in each set
of standards with respect to four key points that form a basic
outline of the scientific consensus on the issue:<br>
<blockquote><b>It’s real: </b>Recent climate change is a genuine
phenomenon.<br>
<b>It’s us: </b>Human activity is responsible for the global
change in climate.<br>
<b>It’s bad:</b> Climate change is affecting and will continue to
affect nature and society.<br>
<b>There’s hope:</b> It is possible to mitigate and adapt to
climate change.<br>
</blockquote>
In evaluating how the standards addressed those four points, the
reviewers considered six focus questions for each:<br>
<blockquote>To what extent is the treatment of the issue in the
standards helpful in permitting students to reach these
conclusions?<br>
To what extent is the treatment of the issue in the standards
appropriately explicit?<br>
To what extent is the treatment of the issue in the standards
integrated in a coherent learning progression?<br>
To what extent do the standards make it clear to teachers what
knowledge and skills students are expected to attain?<br>
To what extent would a student who met the performance
expectations in the standards relevant to the issue be prepared
for further study in higher education?<br>
To what extent would a student who met the performance
expectations in the standards relevant to the issue be prepared
for responsible participation in civic deliberation about climate
change?<br>
</blockquote>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://climategrades.org/">https://climategrades.org/</a><br>
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[face it]<br>
<b>Got Climate Anxiety? These People Are Doing Something About It</b><br>
Distress over global warming is increasing, but formal and informal
support networks are springing up, too.<br>
By Susan Shain<br>
Feb. 4, 2021<br>
After Britt Wray married in 2017, she and her husband began
discussing whether or not they were going to have children. The
conversation quickly turned to climate change and to the planet
those children might inherit.<br>
<br>
“It was very, very heavy,” said Dr. Wray, now a postdoctoral fellow
at Stanford University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine. “I wasn’t expecting it.” She said she became sad and
stressed, crying when she read new climate reports or heard
activists speak.<br>
<br>
Jennifer Atkinson, an associate professor of environmental
humanities at the University of Washington, Bothell, became
depressed after students told her they couldn’t sleep because they
feared social collapse or mass extinction.<br>
<br>
There are different terms for what the two women experienced,
including eco-anxiety and climate grief, and Dr. Wray calls it
eco-distress. “It’s not just anxiety that shows up when we’re waking
up to the climate crisis,” she said. “It’s dread, it’s grief, it’s
fear.”<br>
It’s also not unusual. Over the past five years, according to
researchers at Yale University and George Mason University, the
number of Americans who are “very worried” about climate change has
more than doubled, to 26 percent. In 2020, an American Psychiatric
Association poll found that more than half of Americans are
concerned about climate change’s effect on their mental health.<br>
<br>
Dr. Lise Van Susteren, a psychiatrist based in Washington, D.C., and
co-founder of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance, an organization
building a directory of climate-aware therapists, said she had
“absolutely” seen a surge in patients seeking help with climate
anxiety in recent years...<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/climate/climate-anxiety-stress.html#commentsContainer">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/climate/climate-anxiety-stress.html#commentsContainer</a><br>
- -<br>
[Nice little video for really distressing times]<br>
<b>Mental Illness and Reasons to Live</b><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7pH0pdM7Qo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7pH0pdM7Qo</a><br>
The School of Life<br>
Even if we've never spelled them out, each of us carries within us a
private list of 'reasons to live'. Mental illness can threaten these
reasons: to heal, we may need to seek out new ones.<br>
If you are struggling with mental health there are lines where you
can get professional support: <br>
[UK Based ]Get support from a mental health charity<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/">https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/</a>
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[it will happen, so why not now?]<br>
<b>This popular and proven climate policy should be at the top of
Congress’s to-do list</b><br>
The case for a national clean electricity standard.<br>
Leah Stokes and Sam Ricketts -- Feb 4, 2021<br>
Last year, presidential candidate Joe Biden campaigned on a bold
climate plan that included cleaning up America’s electricity system
by 2035 with a federal Clean Electricity Standard (CES). A national
CES, which would require utilities increase their share of renewable
and carbon pollution-free electricity, is an old idea. But the
ambition — 100 percent clean electricity by 2035 — was new.<br>
<br>
By the end of the campaign, whenever he brought up climate change,
which he did constantly, Biden had one year on his mind: 2035.<br>
<br>
The new deadline reflects the scientific facts and the economic
opportunity. The US must cut emissions by about half this decade to
give the world a shot at limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Doing this will create millions of good-paying jobs in the American
clean energy economy. But to make progress at the pace and scale
that’s necessary, it’s Congress who must focus on building a 100
percent clean electricity system.<br>
<br>
That’s why we released a major report Thursday, with Evergreen
Action and Data for Progress, which shows how Congress can get this
done. As two policy experts and advocates who have focused on
cleaning up the electricity sector, we think we have the best shot
yet to get this policy passed this year.<br>
<br>
Clean electricity is the backbone of the energy transition — the
critical piece that all the other sectors will slot into. Not only
will getting to 100 percent clean electricity directly cut more than
a quarter of US carbon pollution, it will also enable large parts of
our transportation, building, and industrial sectors to run on clean
power. Powering as much of these sectors as we can with carbon-free
electricity would allow us to cut US emissions 70 to 80 percent. It
would, in short, solve a huge chunk of our climate challenge.<br>
<br>
The climate demands it. The president campaigned on it. And 81
million Americans voted for it. It’s now time for Congress and the
administration to deliver. Here’s how they can do it.<br>
<b><br>
</b><b>A proven, practical, and popular approach</b><br>
Over the past three decades, 30 states — red and blue alike — have
passed laws requiring electric utilities to use more clean energy.
Since 2015, 10 states have adopted 100 percent clean electricity
standards, requiring the transition to fully 100 percent carbon-free
power. And six more have committed to that goal. State laws are
popping up so fast, it’s hard to keep track. Across the country, 170
cities have policies to get to 100 percent clean. As a result, more
than one in three Americans already live in a place that’s committed
to reaching 100 percent clean power.<br>
We know this approach is technologically possible. Wind, solar,
batteries, transmission lines, and other technologies can replace
dirty fossil fuels. Google, one of the largest electricity consumers
in the country, is aiming for 100 percent clean power, real-time at
all its facilities by 2030.<br>
<br>
With all this state and local leadership, it’s not surprising that
this approach is popular with the public. In independent polls from
both Data for Progress and the Yale Program on Climate Change
Communication, run over the past few months, more than two-thirds of
voters support the federal government moving the country to 100
percent clean power by 2035.<br>
<br>
And once we implement this policy nationally, it should stay popular
because clean energy saves customers money.<br>
<br>
Researchers from UC Berkeley, GridLab, and Energy Innovation have
shown that we could dramatically clean up our electricity system by
2035 and lower electricity bills. Why? Many utilities continue to
operate old, uneconomic coal plants. In just three years, these
plants cost customers an additional $3.5 billion to keep open — and
that’s before we add in all the extra hospital bills for folks
breathing in their pollution day after day. Or the cost of
destabilizing our climate. Replacing these dirty plants with clean
power is not only good for our health; it’s also good for our
wallets.<br>
<br>
Clean electricity standards are proven, practical, and popular.
What’s missing is federal policy, to ensure that every state and
utility is switching from dirty energy to clean sources at the
accelerated pace that’s necessary. Without a national CES, we know
that utilities will not move fast enough — their own plans show that
they won’t. This policy must be at the top of Congress’s to-do list
this year.<br>
<b><br>
</b><b>How Congress can pass a CES through the budget reconciliation
process</b><br>
With the election last month in Georgia, Democrats took control of
the Senate. However, their majority is slim. The Democrats and
Republicans each have 50 seats, and Vice President Kamala Harris can
cast tiebreaking votes in Democrats’ favor.<br>
<br>
To pass meaningful legislation, Democrats have two options. They can
get rid of the filibuster, an arcane Senate rule that prevents
consideration of a bill without 60 votes. Or they must rely on a
unique parliamentary process known as budget reconciliation, which
allows some bills to pass with a simple majority.<br>
<br>
Biden can fight climate change, guarantee housing, and halve poverty
— without the GOP<br>
Reconciliation is complicated. Essentially, it’s a legislative
process that allows Congress to expedite bills that relate to
federal government revenues (like taxes), outlays (spending), or the
debt limit. This process allows legislation to pass with a simple
majority in the Senate — just 51 votes. However, there are limits to
what types of legislation can be included in this process. The
criteria are written in the “Byrd Rule.” And this can’t be done all
the time; historically, Congress has only used budget reconciliation
once each fiscal year.<br>
<br>
In our research for our report, we spent months talking with
congressional offices, parliamentary experts, think tanks, climate
advocates, and others, and have concluded that it is possible to
pass a CES through the budget reconciliation process. In our report,
we identify several ways a CES can fit with the Byrd Rule.<br>
<br>
Most state clean energy laws create a system of credits that
utilities and other power producers can get by producing clean
power. These “zero-emissions electricity credits” — or ZECs — allow
us to measure progress. Through reconciliation, the federal
government could create a system of ZECs that live “on the books,”
inside the federal budget. Utilities would earn ZECs by continuously
increasing the amount of carbon-free electricity they deliver to
customers, or else purchase the credits from the federal program.<br>
<br>
Another approach would involve the federal government regularly
buying a quantity of ZECs from power companies, through auctions.
Essentially, companies would submit bids for how much they would
like to be paid for the clean power they are producing. The federal
government would set the quantity needed that year — for example, 80
percent clean power by 2030 — and purchase ZECs until that target
was fulfilled. This approach would keep the costs of the policy low.
Auctions have been used successfully in New York state.<br>
<br>
A third approach could involve a twist on either of the first two,
but with utilities earning clean energy credits for every ton of
carbon pollution that they reduce, rather than for every
megawatt-hour of clean electricity that they deliver. This is
similar to policy recently adopted in Arizona’s new 100 percent
clean electricity standard.<br>
<br>
There are other alternatives that come close to approximating a
federal CES and could also fit within the Byrd Rule. The federal
government could provide funding to states with strings attached to
ensure they are adopting carbon-free electricity requirements with
the ambitious timelines necessary. Another option is a
carbon-intensity standard that penalizes power utilities for failing
to reduce their emissions. We could also continue to use the tax
code to penalize and incentivize utilities, pushing them toward 100
percent clean electricity by 2035.<br>
<br>
Each of these approaches can put us on a path to 100 percent clean
electricity, even under the constraints of the Byrd Rule. We are
confident there are other CES designs that could fit within
reconciliation.<br>
<br>
On the road to 100 percent clean electricity by 2035, we need to hit
80 percent clean in 2030. This is a critical target for several
reasons. It places the emphasis where it should be: on urgent and
immediate progress. And it’s doable with the technology we have now.<br>
<br>
Some utilities are already aiming for 80 percent clean by 2030,
including practically all the ones in Colorado. These utilities, and
others, recognize that it’s time to move off of fossil fuels.
NIPSCO, in Indiana, has committed to retiring all its coal by 2028
and will not build new gas.<br>
<br>
Focusing on 80 percent clean will ensure that we are not distracted
by how to squeeze the last, and most difficult, 10 to 20 percent of
pollution out of the electricity system. This target is also
important because of congressional rules — the budget reconciliation
process typically limits a law’s budgetary impact to 10 years. For
all these reasons, a federal CES must include this 2030 target.<br>
Congress and the Biden administration must pass other policies
alongside a CES, to drive environmental justice and equitable
economic opportunity, and promote good union jobs. We outline a
number of them in our report, including long-term federal clean
energy investments through tax incentives, grants, and public
financing; energy transition support through debt retirement for
coal plants and financial resources for fossil fuel communities;
speeding up electrification of other sectors, including vehicles and
buildings; streamlining clean energy siting and permitting;
promoting electricity market competition; intervenor compensation to
ensure transition costs remain as low as possible; and policies to
address the technology innovation gap.<br>
<br>
Realistically, Congress will first tackle Covid-19 relief using
budget reconciliation, and only turn to Biden’s clean infrastructure
agenda in the months to come, during a second budget reconciliation
process. Because Congress didn’t pass a budget resolution last year,
there are two opportunities to use reconciliation this year.<br>
<br>
The Biden administration cannot wait for Congress to act. In the
meantime, it must use existing laws to begin making progress toward
100 percent clean electricity right away. Biden’s Environmental
Protection Agency already has a clear legal requirement to regulate
greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, because these pollutants
endanger Americans’ health and well-being. It must also act on other
dangerous pollution from fossil fuel power plants, advancing
regulations that the Trump administration sat on, and reversing
rollbacks made over the past four years.<br>
<br>
<b>Clean electricity is the way forward</b><br>
President Biden and Vice President Harris ran and won on a bold plan
for climate action.<br>
<br>
As the country faces a terrible economic crisis, and the ongoing
Covid-19 pandemic, a clean energy recovery is our best opportunity
for economic recovery. A CES can create millions of good jobs and
drive environmental justice. With a big push on clean power, we
could see a net increase of 500,000 to 1 million more good-paying
jobs in the energy sector this decade, reaching 2.2 million in the
2030s. If we worked on energy efficiency at the same time, we could
get twice as many jobs.<br>
<br>
Imagine what it will feel like in 2035, looking back on this moment
15 years from now. If we act now, all of us — everyday people,
utility executives, and senators alike — can reflect on this moment
and know that when we were called to act, we answered. Solving the
climate crisis is possible, if only we are brave enough to see it,
if only we are brave enough to do it.<br>
<br>
Leah Stokes (@leahstokes) is an assistant professor at UC Santa
Barbara, author of Short Circuiting Policy, co-host of the podcast A
Matter of Degrees, and a member of the advisory board of Evergreen.<br>
<br>
Sam Ricketts (@samtricketts) is a co-founder of Evergreen Action,
and a former longtime climate adviser to Gov. Jay Inslee. He is also
a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.vox.com/22265119/biden-climate-change-renewable-energy-clean-electricity-standard-congress">https://www.vox.com/22265119/biden-climate-change-renewable-energy-clean-electricity-standard-congress</a>
<p>- -<br>
</p>
[new site]<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.endclimatesilence.org/">https://www.endclimatesilence.org/</a><br>
<br>
<p><br>
[video review with Paul Beckwith]<br>
<b>Monitor Global Climate Change in Real-Time with Climate Change
Indicator Dashboards</b><br>
Feb 2, 2021<br>
Paul Beckwith<br>
Recently I Tweeted out links so some excellent climate change
“dashboards” that are chock full of information on our climate
system. Here are some of the best:<br>
<br>
UK Met Office:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/monitoring/dashboard.html">https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/monitoring/dashboard.html</a><br>
<br>
Bloomberg Green site:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/climate-change-data-green/">https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/climate-change-data-green/</a><br>
<br>
NOAA Climate site: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.climate.gov/">https://www.climate.gov/</a><br>
<br>
NASA Climate site: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://climate.nasa.gov/">https://climate.nasa.gov/</a><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
[Russia]<br>
<b>Softening of environmental law paves way for big oil push into
pristine Arctic lands</b><br>
A lobby offensive by Russia's biggest oil companies is followed by
more relaxed eco-regulations for the far northern region.<br>
By Atle Staalesen -- February 01, 2021<br>
Companies Rosneft, Gazprom Neft and Lukoil have been pushing on the
federal government for softer environmental regulations in the
Arctic. New industrial projects can not be completed in time unless
a more relaxed environmental regime is introduced, they argue.<br>
<br>
The companies especially call on the abolishment of a required
environmental expert assessment, a mandatory part of new project
development since August 2020.<br>
<br>
In a joint letter to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the company
leaders say that new projects might experience significant delays
unless the required expert assessment is dumped.<br>
<br>
This “excessive” demand might ultimately hamper social-economical
development in the Arctic, the companies argue. Furthermore, at risk
is the ambition to ship 80 million tons of goods on the Northern Sea
Route by year 2024...<br>
- -<br>
According to Kommersant, the federal Ministry of Natural Resources
is ready to introduce liberalizations that will facilitate the
industrial activities. That reportedly also includes Rosneft’s
Vostok Oil project.<br>
<br>
Paradoxically, the stronger pressure from the oil companies
coincides with the Ministry’s announcement that it is abolishing its
Department on the Arctic, Antarctic and World Seas. From now on, the
activities on Arctic resources and nature protection will be managed
by the Ministry’s remaining 11 departments, the announcement reads.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/climate-crisis/2021/02/softening-environmental-legislation-paves-way-big-oil-push-pristine-arctic">https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/climate-crisis/2021/02/softening-environmental-legislation-paves-way-big-oil-push-pristine-arctic</a><br>
<br>
<p><br>
</p>
<br>
[Economics video]<br>
<b>Nothing Can Grow Forever - Bill Shireman & Trammelll Crow</b><br>
Feb 3, 2021<br>
Facing Future<br>
Trammell Crow & Bill Shireman join Dale and Stuart for a lively
exploration of where we agree and disagree concerning the
political-economics of the climate and ecological mess humanity is
making of the Earth. The clearest agreement that emerged from this
lively and pertinent chat was that #NothingCanGrowForever. We were
mostly in agreement, despite our differing political affiliations,
which relates back to the concept in their book and Part 1, that
we're all #InThisTogether.<br>
<br>
This portends 'trouble' in a modern civilization based upon a
defective economic system and its marketplace, both of which
presuppose and teach 'limitless, exponential growth' in nearly every
business school. Eventually there's got to be a 'reckoning' of
aiming for the impossible... limitless economic growth, called
'uneconomic growth' in Ecological Economics. <br>
<br>
That reckoning is the current 'showdown' between Nature and
humanity, a confrontation that will culminate either in a
#Collapse, either of human population or Nature.... or both.<br>
Part 1 of this conversation is at <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://youtu.be/V9ZV46DBiGA">https://youtu.be/V9ZV46DBiGA</a><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnteemQdZrU">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnteemQdZrU</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
[Sweden]<br>
<b>Iron ore miner takes lead in development of all-electric heavy
truck for Arctic roads</b><br>
If you thought a battery-powered heavy truck can’t work at -44°C
below zero, think again. A unique pilot project takes place in
northern Sweden this winter.<br>
ByThomas Nilsen -- January 31, 2021<br>
“If the technology works here, it will probably work everywhere,”
said Lars Wallgren, logistic manager with Kaunis Iron, a recently
re-started iron ore mine outside Pajala, north of the Arctic Circle.<br>
<br>
Kaunis Iron has teamed up with Swedish power company Vattenfall,
Volvo Trucks, ABB and Wist Last & Bus in a pilot project aimed
to prove that battery-power is well suited for long-distance
transport of ore, even in extreme cold.<br>
<br>
The Kaunis mine is located a stone’s throw from Sweden’s northern
border to Finland, but the nearest railway is 150 kilometers away.
From the Pitkäjärvi re-loading terminal near Svappavaara, the
electrified Iron Ore Line brings the ore by train to the port of
Narvik, on Norway’s coast to the North-Atlantic.<br>
<br>
The goal of Kaunis Iron is to electrify also the first leg of the
route, the transportation by heavy trucks. Five years from now, all
trucks on the route will be battery-powered. <br>
<br>
“This type of challenge cannot be solved by any single stakeholder.
Industrial innovation calls for collaboration between experts. It is
therefore pleasing that we have managed to assemble such a strong
team to challenge the Arctic climate with electrically powered heavy
vehicles,” said Lars Wallgren.<br>
<br>
Ebba Bergbom Wallin with Volvo Trucks Sweden is excited about the
truck’s driving performances in Arctic environment.<br>
<br>
“It will help us assess how battery-electric trucks can be used to
increase efficiency and reduce climate impact in extremely cold
conditions. The test of the Volvo truck this winter will give
real-life experiences aimed to further improve the technology,” she
said.<br>
<br>
- -<br>
Previously, Vattenfall and Kaunis Iron entered partnership to
develop solutions for electrification of rock- and passenger
transport in the mine itself and at other parts of the company’s
operations.<br>
<br>
“The Swedish mining industry is facing major changes to reduce
dependence on fossil fuels and develop climate-efficient and
responsible mining operations. This is a prerequisite for the
transition to a sustainable society, and contributing to local
development with a minimal climate impact. Kaunis Iron wants to take
active responsibility for this development, and that is why this
collaboration with Vattenfall is very important,” said Klas
Dagertun, CEO, Kaunis Iron.<br>
<br>
Others in northern Sweden that are implementing zero-emission heavy
vehicles running on battery-power include iron ore miner LKAB,
Boliden’s Aitik copper mine outside Gällivare and city busses in
both Luleå and Umeå.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/new-energy/2021/01/arctic-iron-ore-miner-takes-lead-development-all-electric-heavy-truck">https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/new-energy/2021/01/arctic-iron-ore-miner-takes-lead-development-all-electric-heavy-truck</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
[New wind power manufacturer seeks investors]<br>
<b>The wind turbine you want to live and work next to</b><br>
We make the most beautiful and efficient small wind turbines
advanced aerodynamics combined with low noise, a pleasure to live
next to and look at.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://flowerturbines.com/">https://flowerturbines.com/</a><br>
<p><br>
</p>
<br>
[Digging back into the internet news archive]<br>
<font size="+1"><b>On this day in the history of global warming -
February 5, !990 </b></font><br>
<p>Addressing a special IPCC gathering in Washington, D.C.,
President George H. W. Bush acknowledges the reality of
human-caused climate change, but says that solutions to the
problem of a warming planet must not inhibit worldwide economic
growth.<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100811144431/http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/public_papers.php?id=1514&year=1990&month=all">http://web.archive.org/web/20100811144431/http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/public_papers.php?id=1514&year=1990&month=all</a>
<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://c-spanvideo.org/program/PresidentialAddress28">http://c-spanvideo.org/program/PresidentialAddress28</a> <br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://articles.latimes.com/1990-02-05/news/mn-275_1_global-warming">http://articles.latimes.com/1990-02-05/news/mn-275_1_global-warming</a> <br>
<br>
<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
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