Why am I a climate activist? Because I love modern convenience and energy.

“U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry...blast[ed] the 2015 agreement to limit global warming. Perry said it was ‘immoral’ to say people should live without fossil fuels.”

Not quite.  It is immoral to deny people access to energy.  To modern medicine. To transport to their work. To jobs. To food. To water. 

I worry about my children's futures.  Will they have a warm home, with food, with light and heat?  Will they have jobs that give them fulfillment while putting food on the table?  Will they enjoy the traditions we share, like coffee and chocolate, with their children?  Will they have security, free of war and strife?

To do all of that, they need access to reliable energy.  And they need people across the globe to access reliable energy.

This past week, the kids and I experienced a week without energy.  Storm Riley cut us off from the grid.  No power, no heat, no WiFi, no lights, no computers, no running water.

We were lucky.  We have resources in a nation full of resources.  The roads were cleared by snow plows, our neighbors helped us clear our driveway, we made our way to the local gym for showers, and the local town for food.  We slept together in a warm bed, made warmer with our loving pets.  We melted snow with our gas stove and had water and food.

Everything I want for my kids, I can provide.  Here, in a nation dependent on fossil fuels.

But those very fossil fuels are driving that which we fear the most...the loss of the security and stability of the energy we currently enjoy.  We had no power.  We had no water.  We had no heat.  Because of extreme weather.  (The local measurements clocked wind speed at 109 mph amidst a snow storm made worse by a melting Arctic).  Our entire town closed down.  No school, no grocery store, no gas station.  We ground to a halt.  

Climate change denied us our energy.  

Utility Poles Destroyed by Hurricane Maria

We have already burned enough fossil fuels to make our week without energy much more likely.  Weeks without energy are going to get even more likely for us all as we burn even more fossil fuels.  And we are not alone.  People world round have been denied access to energy because of escalating climate impacts and our energy vulnerability increases.   Look no further than poor Puerto Rico, still struggling to get basic energy six months after Hurricane Maria.

Immoral?  Immoral is pretending that action on climate will deny people access to reliable energy.  Immoral is pretending that fossil fuels don't endanger access to reliable energy.

Misguided folks on left and right continue to frame the climate debate as "environment versus economy" or "climate action versus energy."  Nothing can be further from the truth.  Climate action is about ensuring energy reliability.  Climate action is about ensuring that we continue to have heat, water, food, security while transitioning our energy infrastructure from fossil fuels to carbon free sources.

As a climate activist, I have ZERO interest in halting all fossil fuels tomorrow.  They are what kept my children safe and warm this past week.  To do otherwise would be immoral.

As a climate activist, I know that we need to transition from fossil fuels to the energy sources that will not harm our children.  We need to do that in a predictable, sustainable way that ensures we all continue to have heat, lights, food, water, jobs and security, before climate change robs us of all that we have built for our children with all of our energy.

There are many ways we can transition from fossil fuels to carbon free energy and we can debate the best ways.  But it is immoral to insist that fossil fuels are necessary to modern convenience.  It is quite the opposite.

Rick Perry's words signal that the upcoming elections will likely reinstitute the old "Energy Voters" messaging that worked so successfully in the past.  It is high time that we make it plain that WE are the energy voters.  Demanding carbon free energy is the demand for access to reliable energy.  And it is the only moral stance.

What Does the Russian Attack Really Look Like? A Word from None Other Than the Enemy.

It isn't often that I will cite a report authored by the GOP members of the committee headed up by Lamar Smith.  But this blog post is entirely based on its report "United States House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Majority Staff Report:  Russian Attempts to Influence U.S. Domestic Energy Markets by Exploiting Social Media."

Their conclusions, while couched in a heavily pro-fossil fuels language, are basically sound. The Russian attacks on our democracy included a great deal of manipulation of our national discourse on energy.  Putin has a lot to gain from both injecting vitriol into our discourse, generally, and into manipulating our energy decisions, in particular.

I quote their more salient conclusions here.  Please read them.  And then take a long hard look at the ads that Russians posted to inflame our discourse on energy. They have everything to gain from us believing that other Americans are "idiots," or worse.  These ads consistently make us FEEL others are wrong, and we have to FIGHT.  None of these ads explore the difficult challenges of policy, compromise, transition.  They each push for extremism and visceral, gut reactions.  Indeed, there were one or two ads here that I didn't want to include in this post because I agree with them...and I don't want them maligned as Russian and I don't want to admit that I am susceptible to manipulation, too.  

It is clear, we ALL have some soul-searching to do if we want a nation of laws and a democracy that represents our interests, not those of a petroligarch in Moscow.

"By posting content that supports positions held by both liberals and conservatives alike, the Russians used social media to instigate and inflame discord in the United States. Russian social media manipulators intentionally injected foreign propaganda into American political discourse. These Russian agents are only interested in creating discord in America while hiding behind an anonymous and misleading social media pseudonym, as demonstrated by the highly divisive, often contradictory posts provided in this report.
...
Based upon the findings detailed above, it is clear that Russian agents are using social media to influence and impact U.S. energy markets. Regardless of one’s political or ideological views surrounding U.S. energy policy and climate change, the American people deserve to be free from foreign political interference. As such, the Committee will continue to work with social media companies, which have taken positive steps to bring transparency to the online debate. Americans have a right to know that much of what they view online is being disseminated by foreign agents in an effort to disrupt U.S. energy policies. The goal of these foreign agents is to shape Americans’ perceptions of energy and of climate change issues."

 

 

 

 

 

At this moment in time, it is clear that the people we have elected to office are there because they represent Russian interests.  We need to remove them.  The question is...will we do it by falling prey to the same attacks, or will we do it in the best interests of our nation?

It comes to us.  Will we do the hard work of listening to others, digging through compromises, and supporting real policy that will address reality?

I leave you with one very reasonable answer to this question:  Fights Worth Having, Brett Stephens.  Please take some time to formulate your own.  Our nation's welfare depends upon it.

And I leave you with this perspective from Retrospective.

"For What It's Worth"

There's something happening here

But what it is ain't exactly clear

There's a man with a gun over there

Telling me I got to beware

I think it's time we stop

Children, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

There's battle lines being drawn

Nobody's right if everybody's wrong

Young people speaking' their minds

Getting so much resistance from behind

It's time we stop

Hey, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

What a field day for the heat

A thousand people in the street

Singing songs and carrying signs

Mostly saying, "hooray for our side"

It's time we stop

Hey, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

Paranoia strikes deep

Into your life it will creep

It starts when you're always afraid

Step out of line, the men come and take you away

We better stop

Hey, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

We better stop

Hey, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

We better stop

Now, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

We better stop

Children, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

Tipping Points and the Leaking Roof: There is No Better Time to Act than Now.

Levee Breach in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina 2005

Tipping points are an important concept in climate change. There are thresholds of warming that, once passed, create changes that are not readily undone. Some of these cannot be undone in years, some in decades and some in centuries or millennia.

One type of shorter term tipping point is inherent in the limitations of our infrastructure. We have constructed our roads, bridges and buildings to withstand a certain range of conditions. When we cross the upper threshold of what they can withstand, suddenly, we experience destruction. The levees overcome during Hurricane Katrina is an example of infrastructure overwhelmed and then resulting floodwaters doing devastating damage all at once. We are crossing infrastructure tipping points left and right.

Arctic Ice Melt 2017, NASA

Longer term tipping points are more scary and their threshold points are less easily identified. An example of this is that as we warm the Arctic, we may warm it enough to release huge amounts of methane that will quickly speed warming (this tipping point is also a positive feedback-warming reinforcing more warming). Exactly how much warming will put us past that point is not certain.

Complicate all of this with the fact that warming is delayed. We are experiencing the warming locked in decades ago, now. What we are doing now is committing us to warming in the future. Knowing just how much carbon emissions we can withstand is a bit like shooting a target blindfolded and dizzy.

There are many tipping points. We’ve passed some and others are in front of us.

As each day passes, we face a steeper and steeper climb.

It’s like a leaky roof. If you replace the roof before it starts to wear badly, it’s best.

If you wait until there are peeling tiles and moss growing, you may have to replace some of the sheeting.

If you wait until water starts to seep in, you have damage to the ceiling Sheetrock to repair.

If you wait until the water is flowing, you will have a lot more to repair.

It’s a long time until the house becomes condemned.

Unfortunately, the term, “tipping point,” while useful, can be fear-inducing without commensurate action-engaging. 

We cannot worry about "passing the tipping points" so much as fixing the leaking roof.  The sooner the better.

The Power of Incrementalism, Revisited, Yet Again; EV Batteries, Government Budgets and Agencies with Horrible Names

Today, for the first time in what seems a lifetime, the Democrats and the Republicans in the Senate agreed to something.  They agreed on something big...the federal budget.  As I scanned the news headlines, there was a lot of talk of important concerns.  The GOP, it turns out, doesn't really mind ridiculously large deficits, the GOP may not really need to placate Trump all the time, and the Democrats are not all necessarily on the same page as Pelosi threatens to send the budget off the rails in an effort to protect Dreamers and DACA.

Unfortunately, I noticed one thing seriously missing in all the budget news.  Just what does this mean for climate change?  The topic seems forgotten in the media coverage. Is it forgotten in the budget?

Now, I haven't seen an analysis of the bill yet, as it relates to climate.  But I did read portions of the bill and I would like to share with you here why the bill is important, why what legislators do is important, why insistence by the Dems that they get funding for more than just defense is important.

I raise to you a little known office within the Department of Energy.  Those that have followed my blog will recognize the office as one of my favorites:  ARPA-E (The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy--could anyone have dreamed up a less catchy title?).

BEEST: Just one of ARPA-E's projects,
BEEST funds research into EV energy storage

ARPA-E funds research projects into energy storage, transmission, efficiency.  They are making possible the research into battery improvements that will make electric vehicles more economically and practically viable, into grid efficiency in transport of electricity, into distributed energy production (think solar), into storage on microgrids, and so much more.
So much of what we need in order to remove carbon from our electricity production and electrify everything using this carbon-free grid depends on the kind of research ARPA-E makes possible.


You are probably wondering what any of this has to do with the budget.  Democrats pushed for more non-defense spending.  Why does that matter?  ARPA-E is just one small example of what that funding means.  In this bill, ARPA-E receives the same funding it received last year, which is the largest amount it's ever received after its initial inception.

ARPA-E's historical funding levels

Today's ARPA-E Funding in the Senate Budget Bill

If and when the budget passes the House, ARPA-E is going to continue to fund important research into clean energy innovation because the Democrats pushed to fund our government.  Not just our military, but the rest of our government.  There are a lot of good things that our government does, even if everyone wants to talk about how much government sucks.

The moral of this story?  Don't think that just because the Dems and Reps agreed on something that their battles don't matter, are more of the same old, same old or that there isn't a lot riding on the outcomes of these battles.  

Boring old bipartisan agreement to hard won budget battles may mean all the difference in carbon kept underground.

The Moral of the Climate Story; A Mother’s Version

I started to focus on climate action in earnest because I became afraid for my children. What world would they face if we don’t act?  I’ve done everything I can for them, facing scary medical issues, up long and repeated nights, working long days, chauffeuring and doing homework. How can I not also act to preserve a livable world for them too?

So I have immersed myself in climate science and policy. I’ve worked to cut my own emissions, methodically and in a way that supports others doing the same. I’ve developed a network of friends and allies that are doing the same. We support each other. I keep my kids lightly informed, not wanting to overwhelm them with what I know. All the while, raising them the best I can, as they make plans for lives of their own. 

And I encounter people who lightly and dismissively say it is “too late.”

Too late for what?

Too late to avoid warming?  Of course it is. We’ve already warmed 1C over preindustrial times. 

Too late to avoid 1.5C?  Yup. That’s locked in. 

Too late to avoid 2C?  Perhaps. But no one is sure of that yet. It might still be possible. 

Too late to avoid 2.5C? 3C? 3.5C? 6C?  Well, no. It’s not too late to avoid that. . 

What does “too late” mean?  

It’s easy to feel defeated. Year after year, we talk about climate change. We talk about projected impacts and what we must do to avoid them. And then we see them come to pass anyway. 

It’s daunting. 

But “too late” isn’t meaningful. And it most certainly isn’t action-engaging. 

It is essential that we understand how bad things are. And we prepare to adjust to the coming onslaught of change. 

But we also must recognize that our actions still matter. The pace at which we emit carbon over the next 30 years will impact generations. Faster means much faster and harsher impacts. Slower means more time to adjust, more opportunity to act with compassion with each other and less suffering. 

We must still fight for what we know is right. 

Thankfully, we are seeing avenues for action working.  Market disruptions are seeing the rise of solar and wind, married to battery storage and EVs, public transport and city planning that supports pedestrian and cycling. Coal is dying. Oil and gas are next, with the World Bank just announcing it will no longer invest in oil and gas, just as it did with coal some years ago. 

China is churning out solar panels and pricing carbon. India is looking to be a renewable maven. 

Things are hardly rosy. But we cannot fool ourselves into doom. We must focus on mitigating the damage, reducing suffering and increasing opportunities for compassion.

If we truly care about our children, then we are called upon to do the most difficult task of all. We must operate on the belief that love and compassion matter above all else.  

Even more than fear that it is for naught. 

After all my immersion in climate change, I’ve learned there is no “fixing” climate change. My initial journey to save the world for my kids has led me to a harder place that demands more of me. 

Like with a child with a serious illness, all we can do is hold our child and reassure them “it will be alright.”  And do our damndest to make it as alright as we can. All the while reducing their suffering by loving them. And loving them by reducing their suffering. 

In the end, we mourn what we’ve lost. But we rejoice in what we are blessed to have. 

Walk that difficult path. It’s the right thing to do. 

Anger on a Dark Morning-Putting it in Terms That People Seem to Get

Roaring Fork Baptist Church
in Gatlinburg, TN After the Fire

Climate change is the extremist that seeks to end our way of life.

Climate change is the trespasser that invades our private property and steals what is ours.

Climate change is the suicide bomber that kills thousands in fire.

Climate change is the vandal that destroys our statues, our cultural landmarks, our loved ones' tombs.

Roaring Fork Baptist Church
in Gatlinburg, TN Before the Fire

Climate change is the biological weapon that decimates by disease.

Climate change is the enemy soldier that bombs our roads and bridges.

Climate change is the aborter that kills unborn babies.

Climate change is the craven murderer that kills innocents.

Climate change is the kidnapper that steals our children.

Climate change is the ungodly that destroys creation.

Climate change is the stranger that steals our jobs and puts us out of work.

Those that know but continue to profit by it are laughing. The evil are destroying our way of life. They think we are weak. And they are laughing.

The great irony is that it's not terribly difficult to defend our way of life. It is simply a matter of committing to the fight.

To the cowards and traitors that refuse: fuck you.

So-Called Corporatists, the Leftist-Puritans and Getting Sh!t Done

It seems the left is gearing up to eat its own again. The Young Turks are focusing on Andrew Cuomo as corrupt corporatist running for POTUS in 2020.

Yes, in the midst of a GOP mercilessly throwing 24M off of healthcare without so much as a CBO score and a POTUS looking to dig up every spare atom of carbon, and nearly three and a half years in advance of the election, The Young Turks are preparing to bring down one of the likely candidates for the Democratic Party.  Apparently, Cuomo is the great scourge of our time.  Of particular note is his support for charter schools in the past and his less than stellar relationship with teachers’ unions.

I live in Cuomo’s NY. Not only that, I am a public school teacher in Cuomo’s NY.  I have watched in frustration as he has undermined teacher autonomy and input and supported policies that do not empower me as a teacher.  Having lived in Cuomo's NY, and dealt with the frustrations of policies I do not like and political games I've abhorred, I say this:  I would take him in a heartbeat as our nominee and campaign for him.

Corporatist? In the area of carbon emissions alone, that corporatist has overseen the banning of fracking, the push for solar, the implementation of an EV rebate, the goal of cutting emissions 80% by 2050, efficiency programs for appliances, green lending programs, home efficiency and more.

Was he responsible for these? No. The people of NY have built powerful political will and demanded it. When Zephyr Teachout ran against him in the 2014 primary and gave him a run for his money, HE SHIFTED LEFT. His latest move to make college tuition free for families earning under $125,000 would never have happened otherwise. Not only that, he has hobnobbed with the corporations in getting this done. Solar is about big money and the fracking ban was only doable because gas wasn’t as profitable as it once was.

But… Yes, BUT… He DID shift left and he DID bring corporations to the table to make money doing better things rather than worse.

There is a giant chasm between powerful people wielding power within the system and powerful people trampling the system. 

Democrats working for carbon emissions cuts and creating free college tuition?  BRING IT.

The left that booed Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders at the Democratic Convention and voted for Jill Stein in November weakened Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Without being able to demonstrate that they bring the left with them, they have less power. Yes. The purity left has helped to strengthen yet another “corporatist” Democrat-Chuck Schumer.

And you know what? BRING HIM ON TOO. Just this past week, his corporate focus helped bring us $15M increased funding to ARPA-E, despite the fact that Trump slated the clean energy research agency for total elimination. What might have driven “corporatist” Schumer? Saving a corporate interest in Long Island called Brookhaven that depends on ARPA-E funding. 3000 home town jobs.  In clean energy technology. BRING IT.

Bring on powerful people wielding power in the right direction.

We must speak up and out. Expertise, knowledge, and power are important. The left must stop shunning power and must stop demanding purity. We have a rapacious GOP to stop and we have Democrats who broker deals, bring diverse interests to the table and will be moved by our political will, if only we demonstrate that we will sit at the negotiation table rather than simply destroy that table.

The Schumers and the Cuomos of the world are not people I want to have over to dinner. But if they go wreak on the rest of the nation the terror of emissions cuts, fracking bans, free college tuition, and jobs in clean energy technology that they have wrought on New Yorkers, I say BRING IT.