Governor Healy began her administration by working to align the state’s roadmap efforts. The wind industry undergoes some growing pains, and we discuss why fusion would be great but not relevant to our current needs. The reading list: Climate lead via Executive Order from Governor Healey https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/healey-signs-executive-order-on-climate/ Rep Roy video on wind turbine blade testing visit https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/01/museum-of-science-visit-mass-clean.html CodCast episode with Rep Roy and Senator Barrett https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/01 ..read more

The clean energy transition means jobs, especially here in Massachusetts. Vineyard Wind is preparing to start construction of a wind farm off the coast. These will be ‘green jobs’ and so it is interesting to find out more specifics. In mid- January, Vineyard Wind held a job fair in New Bedford MA to find workers for the task. We interviewed some of the employers. The reading list: Vineyard Wind American Off-shore Services IBEW 223 New Bedford Ocean Cluster Browning the Green Space Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility ..read more

A small start-up company offers to inject dust into the sky to reflect sunlight and thus stop global warming. What could possibly go wrong? The reading list: MIT on Making Sunsets MakeSunsets The Climate MInute on SAI from March of '22 The Climate Minute on carbon dioxide removal Solar radiation management Guardian on Geoengineering CNBC shills for SAI SAI and Ozone Academic paper on SAI and Ozone WIkipedia on "Ministry for the Future" Did SAI play a part in the famous "Scream" painting? Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept respons ..read more

Over the past year, the movie “Don’t Look Up” has been a streaming hit, logging hundreds of millions of viewing hours. What is it about the movie that made it big? With twelve months perspective, we watch again. The reading list: Finding "Don't Look Up" on Netflix Wikipedia on DLU Home site for Don't Look Up Wen Stephenson's article from 2013 republished on Desmog blog Adam McKay dissects key scenes DLU has 209.4 million 'viewing hours' on streaming. Are activists more interested in not being fooled than in taking action? The Climate MInute's original discussion of Don't Look Up from January ..read more

The ‘oil and gas’ industry works to delay the adoption of climate friendly options for energy. Listen in as we discuss recent news on climate and what it all means. In this episode we covered the following topics: East Boston Olmsted park now part of airport NY Times mapping impacts University study funding questioned Texas oil funding objections to New England wind efforts Activists and ISO New England NY Times interactive survey fosters discussion -------------- The Boston Globe article on the former Olmsted Park in East Boston https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/05/metro/transformative-d ..read more

ISO-NE is an important but poorly understood institution that controls the market for electricity. It needs to respond more effectively to the climate crisis. Recently, a group of activists were elected to ISO’s ‘Consumer Liaison Group.’ This is a good result, potentially turning an otherwise docile committee to a voice for public input. We speak with one of the activists recently elected to the CLG. The reading list: The "NoCoal/No Gas" blog discussing the CLG election A longtime observer describes the CLG election. ISO-NE's description of the CLG Scroll to the bottom to see an Organization ..read more

With the ominous threat of climate catastrophe clouding our future, it is easy to forget that the use of nuclear weapons could bring about immediate destruction on an unimaginable scale. The current ‘casual’ discussion of the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine brings home the reality of our risk. Dr Helen Caldicott is an iconic figure of the effort to abolish nuclear weapons. We speak with her about the issue and its relationship to the climate crisis. The reading list: Dr Caldicott's Movie, recent interview and other information is here WaPo on the parallels of climate and ..read more

After more than a year and a half of calling on the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to do their job and conduct a Comprehensive Health Impact Assessment (CHIA), MCAN took matters into its own hands and conducted a preliminary assessment of the health outcomes of communities that live near the proposed site of the Peabody Peaker.  We talk to the author! The results from the study were deeply concerning and highlight the need for additional analysis on the impact the proposed Peabody Peaker will have on neighboring communities that are already overburdened. The rea ..read more

As we head into the new year, we are joined by State Representative Jeffrey Roy to discuss prospect for state level climate work next year. In this episode we covered the following topics: Green banking, what is it? Smart metering, better able to manage use by knowing what and when it is being used; rebate potential for off-peak use Grimsby, England and video segment on 60 Minutes; Franklin Sheet Metal part of the developing ecosystem being built to support green energy Building net zero stretch code opt in, pilot with 10 communities to gain lessons learned; Clean Heat Report due Nov 2022 Ho ..read more

There are more climate stories than we can discuss. In true Post-Thanksgiving fashion, we discuss the ‘left over” stories that happened in November. Thanks to DR Tucker for his research! The reading list: https://www.axios.com/2022/11/30/mauna-loa-volcano-eruption-keeling-curve https://www.danielharper.org/yauu/2015/12/macomber-turnip/ COP27 https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/11/08/egypt-cop27-alaa-hunger-strike/ https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/final-week-cop27-climate-talks-success-hinges-loss-damage-2022-11-14/ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov ..read more