Environment

by ELLEN BROWN Solid-waste power plant, Keizer, Oregon. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. The Green New Deal resolution that was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives in February hit a wall in the Senate, where it was called unrealistic and unaffordable. In a Washington Post article titled “The Green New Deal Sets Us Up for Failure. We Need a Better Approach,” former Colorado governor and Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper framed the problem like this: The resolution sets unachievable goals. We do not yet have the technology needed to reach “net-zero greenhouse gas emissions” in 10 years. That’s why many wind and solar companies don’t support it. There is no clean substitute for jet fuel. Electric vehicles are growing quickly, yet are still in ...

by STEPHEN CORRY Photograph Source: Nathaniel St. Clair The road to perdition has ever been accompanied by lip service to an ideal.– Einstein Could some of the most talked of solutions to climate chaos have the reverse effect and make things worse? Some critics think so, and they aren’t “deniers” who think climate change isn’t real. The concept of “net zero” carbon emissions, for example, might actually help industry pollute, because one of the commonest ways to reach for it is through “carbon offsets.” This means that if a corporation is responsible for a ton of carbon dioxide emissions – which is bad – but at the same time it funds a project which “captures” (or “sequesters”) a ton of carbon – which is good – then the “net emissions” come to zero, as one is subtracted from, or ...

by LOUISA WILLCOX In part one of this essay, I laid out the ingredients for successful coexistence with grizzly bears, and why we need more resources.  Here I delve into the costs and some ideas for meeting funding needs.   Now more than ever, we need to be innovative in thinking about how to meet the need for funds to support grizzly bear coexistence work. Even with strong laws such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and public support for reducing conflicts, recovery efforts will fail if resources are lacking. During my decades of experience with grizzly bear conservation, I have found that people with different values and perspectives can agree on the need for more funding for bear-resistant dumpsters, electric fence, education, and more. Since the onus ...

by ROBERT HUNZIKER Drawing by Nathaniel St. Clair Five years ago: Nations of the world met in Paris to draft a climate agreement that was subsequently accepted by nearly every country in the world, stating that global temperatures must not exceed +2C pre-industrial. Global emissions must be cut! Fossil fuel usage must be cut! Today: Following Paris ’15, global banks have invested $1.9 trillion in fossil fuel projects. Not only that, global governments plan to increase fossil fuels by 120% by 2030, including the US, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, India, Canada, and Australia. Additionally, over that past 18 months China has added enough new coal-based power generation (43GW) to power 31 million new homes. China plans on adding another 148GW of coal-based power, which will equal ...

by VIJAY PRASHAD Mill and power plant, West Linn, Oregon. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. In Madrid, Spain, the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference—known as COP25—began on December 2. Representatives of the world’s countries gathered to discuss what is decidedly a serious problem for the planet; no one, except dangerous political forces in the neofascist right, denies the reality of climate change. What prevents a transfer from carbon-based fuel to other fuels is not the stubbornness of this or that country. The main problems are three: 1) The right wing that denies climate change;2) Sections of the energy industry that have a vested interest in the continuation of the use of carbon-based fuels;3) The refusal by the Western advanced countries to admit both that they have caused the ...