Parenthood In A Time Of Climate Change

War, famine and drought: More women say they won't have children because of climate change

Elizabeth Weise, March 26, 2019 (USA Today)

“…Is the future simply too horrific to bring children into? Some couples, frightened by the prospect of droughts, wars, famines and extinctions brought on by climate change, are making that decision…A Facebook group for women to discuss the idea launched this month, and [#Birthstrike is adding 70 supporters daily] in Europe and the United States…Conceivable Future, a U.S.-based group, has held more than 50 house parties in 16 states in recent years where women worried about global warming discuss forgoing motherhood…[P]eople in 13 of 26 countries polled by the Pew Research Center last month [said] it is the top international threat…And women more than men are worried…[with 66 percent of women and 51 percent of men citing] global climate change as a major threat…

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[The latest UN report showed even the least impacts will include] more wildfires, more droughts, more floods, rising sea levels and the loss of almost all coral reefs…Whether that’s affecting women's family planning isn’t known. The U.S. birthrate has been falling for years, and in 2017 was [the lowest since record-keeping began in 1909 at] just 60.3 births per 1,000 women…[American women have not been polled but] 22 percent of 6.500 Australian women in their 30s said that because of climate change] they were considering having [no children] or no more children…To be sure, the decision to not have children isn’t a full-on movement; it's more a discussion that’s beginning to bubble up…The goal isn’t to get women and men to pledge not to have children, but instead to provide a place to talk about a topic that most people don’t want to discuss even as humanity barrels into what they believe will be a dark and dystopian future…” click here for more

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Study Shows New Energy The Cheapest Buy

More bad news for coal: Wind and solar are getting cheaper

Matt Egan, March 25, 2019 (CNN)

“The simple laws of economics threaten to doom America's remaining coal power plants. Wind and solar costs have plunged so rapidly that 74% of the US coal fleet could be phased out for renewable energy -- and still save customers money…[According to an Energy Innovation report, 86% U.S. coal plants are at risk] by 2025 as solar and wind costs continue to plunge…[The report shows it is] increasingly more expensive to operate existing coal plants than build clean energy alternatives…[Despite the White promise to revive the beleaguered coal industry, 211 gigawatts of existing US coal capacity -- or 74% of America's fleet -- was at risk [in 2018] from local wind or solar [within 35 miles of plant locations] that could more cheaply churn out just as much electricity…

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North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Texas are the US states that have the greatest amount of coal plants at risk…By 2025, Midwestern states including Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin are expected to have high amounts of coal capacity under pressure from renewable energy…[Though it may be economically feasible to shut down a coal plant and replace it with wind or solar, state] regulators must sign off on such decisions. And many power plants will decide to pass the extra costs on to customers…[And] coal is still a major employer in parts of Appalachia, making any shutdown potentially damaging to the local economy…[But] the share of total power generation from coal-fired power plants plunged from 48% in 2008 to just 28% last year…” click here for more

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Big Oil Millions Block Climate Action

Oil And Gas Giants Spend Millions Lobbying To Block Climate Change Policies

Niall McCarthy, March 25, 2019 (Forbes)

“Every year, the world's five largest publicly owned oil and gas companies spend approximately $200 million on lobbying designed to control, delay or block binding climate-motivated policy. This has caused problems for governments seeking to implement policies in the wake of the Paris Agreement which are vital in meeting climate change targets. Companies are generally reluctant to disclose such lobbying expenditure…[but the best available records suggest] BP has the highest annual expenditure on climate lobbying at $53 million, followed by Shell with $49 million and ExxonMobil with $41 million. Chevron and Total each spend around $29 million…

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…[Part of the spend] goes towards sophisticated efforts to engage politicians and the general public on environmental policies that could impact fossil fuel usage…[A recent example is BP campaign] to reframe the climate crisis as a ‘dual’ energy challenge…[The five companies] support their lobbying expenditures with a financial outlay of $195 million annually for focused branding activities which suggest they support action against climate change…[by] drawing attention to low carbon, positioning the company as a climate expert and acknowledging climate concern while ignoring solutions…[Only 3% of spending is] directed to low carbon projects…” click here for more

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Three Ways New Energy Is A Good Bet

3 Trends to Watch in Renewable Energy in 2019; Wind and solar power will continue to elbow their way onto the electric grid this year, but that's just the beginning.

Maxx Chatsko, March 23, 2019 (The Motley Fool)

“…[For the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, the U.S. agreed to voluntarily cut total carbon emissions at least 26% from 2005 levels by 2025. By the end of last year it had reduced energy-related carbon emissions -- the great majority of total emissions -- 13% from that benchmark…The bulk of the reduction to date has come from retiring coal-fired power plants and replacing the generation with [New Energy and] natural gas…The decarbonization gains should continue for the foreseeable future thanks to the flood of electric vehicles that are about to hit the market and a nearly insatiable appetite for renewable energy projects among electric utilities…The United States counted over 96,000 megawatts of installed wind power and 64,000 megawatts of solar power at the end of 2018. That generated close to 10% of the country's total electricity production, but the U.S. Energy Information Administration expects the share of modern renewables in the grid to accelerate going forward.

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Wind and solar could reach 11% of total electric output in 2019 and 13% in 2020…[E]nergy storage markets are developing virtually overnight…[T]he United States installed a record 311 megawatts of energy storage in 2018, which should double in 2019 and triple in 2020…[Most forecasts] fail to include two next-generation renewable power sources likely to emerge by 2030: offshore wind power and enhanced geothermal systems (EGS)…The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reports that over 23,000 megawatts of offshore wind projects could be put into production by 2030, enough to generate about 3% to 4% of the country's total electricity…EGS is still in the earliest stages of development…[but] DOE thinks the United States has at least 100,000 megawatts of next-generation geothermal potential…” click here for more

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Climate Change On The Campaign Trail

America Cares About Climate Change Again; For the first time in years, a broad spectrum of climate advocates is playing offense.

Robinson Meyer, March 19, 2019 (The Atlantic)

“…[T]he loose alliance of politicians, activists, and organizations concerned about climate change is mobilizing…[and] deploying a new set of strategies…[They have not yet agreed] on an ideal federal policy or even how to talk about the problem. They do not always coordinate or communicate with one another…[and it is] too early to say whether they will result in the kind of national legislative victories that have eluded the movement…[but they are] playing offense…[Washington State Governor Jay Inslee’s newly announced presidential run is based] entirely on his decades-long climate focus…[Michael Bloomberg is not running but will fund a new campaign called Beyond Carbon for the Sierra Club…

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…[At the state level, New Mexico will join California, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia with its] goal for 100 percent carbon-free electricity…Twelve more Democratic governors have promised to mandate the same 100 percent target…[On March 15, there was] a worldwide student strike for climate action. The Sunrise Movement, a youth-led group that brought national attention to the Green New Deal in November, plans to hold 100 town-hall meetings in support of the plan across the country…[But the views of the country’s most powerful Republican] seem extremely unlikely to change…[but] environmental groups and their allies are feeling whiplash at how far the conversation has come…” click here for more

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A Year Of Distributed Solar Growth

The State(s) of Distributed Solar — 2018 Update

Marie Donahue, 12 Mar 2019 (Institute for Local Self-Reliance)

“…[The expansion of New Energy in 2018] complements a growing number of states, utilities, and cities that have set ambitious goals to transition to 100 percent renewable and carbon-free power generation…New solar photovoltaic capacity, including from small-scale distributed solar systems (such as arrays on the rooftop of a home or business), shared community solar gardens, as well as larger utility-scale systems, has played a significant role in the overall transition…A growing number of states are making investments in solar a priority…[These investments help] build wealth locally and allow individuals and communities to take greater ownership over their energy future…

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As of 2018, 11 states now claim more than 1000 megawatts of total solar capacity, and 37 have more than 100 megawatts (states shown in yellow, orange, and red)…[Of the 11 states, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York] have shares of distributed generation greater than 50 percent…Burgeoning distributed solar markets in Midwestern states like Ohio and Illinois have also benefited from policies that support greater access and more local control of energy infrastructure…Unfortunately, [states that rely more heavily on larger and utility-scale solar systems do not] have policies in place that make it easy to invest in distributed and shared solar systems…[Larger scale solar projects require more capital upfront, more time to construct, and are typically left to investor-owned utilities to operate and manage…” click here for more

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What Students Striking About Climate Change Want

Global Climate Strike: Students around the world protest climate inaction; Here's why these young climate activists are striking

Harmeet Kaur and Madison Park, March 15, 2019 (CNN)

“Young climate activists are hoping to spark a widespread dialogue about climate change…And they're concerned about the inaction on this front…If human-generated greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate, the planet will reach 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels as soon as 2030…[According to a 2018 report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), warming] at that temperature would put the planet at a greater risk of events like extreme drought, wildfires, floods and food shortages for hundreds of millions of people…

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The common demand among students, although they vary country-to-country, is for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions…[According to the Youth Climate Strike website, U.S. students want] a national embrace of the Green New Deal…an end to fossil fuel infrastructure projects…[and] a national emergency declaration on climate change…

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…[They are also calling for a] mandatory education on climate change and its effects from K-8…a clean water supply…preservation of public lands and wildlife…[and for] all government decisions to be tied to scientific research…” click here for more

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Clean Versus Renewable In The New Energy Transition

The devil's in the details: Policy implications of 'clean' vs. 'renewable' energy

Lee Beck and Jennifer T. Gordon, March 14, 2019 (Utility Dive)

“…Many of the proposed plans for confronting the climate crisis stress the imperative of decreasing emissions by transitioning to 100% "clean" or "renewable" sources of energy…The terms "clean" and "renewable" are often thought to be interchangeable…[but renewable] energy is derived from sources that can naturally replenish themselves — wind and sun are the two most obvious examples — while clean energy encompasses all zero-carbon energy sources…The clean energy or zero-carbon energy tent is wider; it not only leaves the door open to 100% renewables, but it also includes nuclear energy and the carbon-neutralizing impact of technologies like carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)…

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Hydrogen can be renewable if it is produced through electrolysis using renewables and water, or it can be produced from natural gas, coal, biomass and oil…Critics have pointed to a host of issues with some forms of clean energy; namely, questions abound regarding slow deployment of carbon capture technologies at a commercial level. Additionally, nuclear energy raises a number of concerns, from spent fuel storage and safety to non-proliferation…The differences between clean and renewable energy can have meaningful policy impacts…In the U.S., 38 states as well as the District of Columbia have some type of renewable portfolio standard (RPS)…If the standard includes other sources of clean energy, especially nuclear power to varying degrees, it can also be referred to as a Clean Energy Standard.” click here for more

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The Green New Deal's Success

Republicans who believe in climate change seek alternative to Green New Deal; "We have a voice in this, too," Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., said.

Allan Smith, March 10, 2019 (NBC News)

“…[Since Democrats introduced the Green New Deal] to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and create a renewable energy economy…[Most Republicans have denounced it] as unrealistic, unaffordable and ill-conceived…[But] a growing number of House GOP lawmakers have been increasingly willing to say those four little words: "Climate change is real." And they're warning the rest of their party that Republicans must push for alternative solutions before it's too late…

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...[It is also “an extremely important subject" and "is real" and "something that we have to address." according to] Reps. John Shimkus, R-Ill., the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce's Environment and Climate Change subcommittee, Billy Long, R-Mo., Bill Flores, R-Texas, Buddy Carter, R-Ga., and Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, among others…[In direct opposition to the White House, they are calling for] “sensible, realistic, and effective policies to tackle climate change"…[in response to a new poll that shows] the Republican Party's aversion to acknowledging climate change is increasingly falling out of favor…[Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., and other Republicans are proponents of] a carbon tax — a fee on the carbon contents of fossil fuels…” click here for more

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The Best Way To Support New Energy

Charging With the Sun

Severin Borenstein, March 11, 2019 (UC Berkeley Energy Institute)

…[There are three types of views about the value of shifting energy usage away from peak demand to when New Energy is abundant on the power system, views that are] naïve, glib, and correct…[It is naïve to think more New Energy is used if usage is shifted to midday because the system’s] generation changes incrementally (what economists call “on the margin”) as demand changes…[P]production on the margin is typically dirtier than the overall average and much dirtier than 100% wind or solar…[It is glib to think that a shift in usage increases New Energy usage because] the grid operator adjusts production from a controllable power plant, which is almost never wind or solar…

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…[But more demand for New Energy] in those hours means less curtailment; in other words, wind and solar are occasionally on the margin…[It is correct that shifting usage] from one hour to another causes prices to rise in hours that get more demand…[giving production from wind and solar] a larger share of the total revenues paid to producers without changing their production…That makes investment in a wind or solar plant more profitable, and that leads to more investment in these technologies…So, no, you’re not getting green electrons by charging your EV or heating water when the sun is shining. You are doing something more important: creating financial incentives for more renewable generation investment…” click here for more

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Childbearing In A Time Of Climate Change

More than a third of millennials share Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's worry about having kids while the threat of climate change looms

Eliza Relman and Walt Hickey, March 4, 2019 (Business Insider)

“…[A new informal] poll found that nearly a third of Americans — and about 38% of those between 18 and 29 years old — believe a couple should consider the negative effects of climate change when deciding whether or not to have children…[A December 2018 NY Times poll found 11% of respondents "didn't want children or weren't sure" because they were "worried about climate change," and 33% were having fewer children than they ideally wanted because of climate-change worries. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently made headlines] when she suggested that some young Americans are concerned about having children because of the threat that climate change could pose to future generations…[She said there is scientific consensus that climate change will make the lives of millennials’ children “very difficult" and said her peers] are grappling with the question: "Is it OK to still have children?"

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…[The informal SurveyMonkey Audience poll] found that nearly 30% of Americans either strongly agree, agree, or somewhat agree that a couple should consider the negative and potentially life-threatening effects of climate change when deciding whether or not to have children. Just more than 8% of Americans strongly agreed that climate change should be a consideration…About 18% of Americans strongly disagreed that the future impacts of climate change should be considered by would-be parents…[22%] said they neither agreed nor disagreed, and 7% said they did not know…Notably, younger people are much more likely to consider the threats of a planet more prone to extreme weather, droughts, floods, and wildfires when deciding whether to have kids…Agreement was also linked to the belief that climate change is man-made…” click here for more

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White House Budget Cuts New Energy 70%

Trump Again Seeks Deep Cuts in Renewable Energy Funding

Ari Natter, March 7, 2019 (Bloomberg News)

“…[The Trump White House’s opposition to New Energy is made clear in severe proposed budget] cuts to the U.S. Energy Department division charged with renewable energy and energy efficiency research…[According to an anonymous spokesperson, the] Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [EERE] would see its $2.3 billion budget slashed by about 70 percent, to $700 million…The request is unlikely to be granted by Congress, especially with Democrats in charge of the House, but the figure represents an opening bargaining position for negotiations by the White House…

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...[EERE, which] provides hundreds of millions of dollars a year in grants and other financial assistance for clean energy, has financed research into technologies ranging from electric vehicles to energy projects powered by ocean waves. It has been credited with financing research to help make the cost of wind power competitive with coal, and cutting the costs of LED lighting…[The White House] has tried to gut the program before, only to be rebuffed by Congress…[C]onservative groups like the Heritage Foundation have called for the office to be eliminated entirely, saying energy innovation is best left up to the private sector…” click here for more

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Climate Change Means Water Shortages

Population and Climate Change Point to Future Water Shortages; A new study suggests that reductions in agricultural water use will probably play the biggest role in limiting future water shortages.

28 February 2019 (Earth and Space Science News)

“Climate change plus population growth are setting the stage for water shortages in parts of the U.S. long before the end of the century…Even efforts to use water more efficiently in municipal and industrial sectors won’t be enough to stave off shortages…[According to new U.S. Forest Service research, reductions] in agricultural water use will probably play the biggest role in limiting future water shortages…[Researchers found serious challenges are likely] in some regions of the U.S., notably the central and southern Great Plains, the Southwest and central Rocky Mountain States, and California, and also some areas in the South and the Midwest…

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The heart of the new analysis is a comparison of future water supply versus estimated water demand in different water-using sectors, like industry and agriculture…[R]eductions in per-capita water use rates are likely in most water-use sectors, but will be insufficient to avoid impending water shortages…Increasing the size of reservoirs does not look promising for fending off water shortages…Further reductions in groundwater reserves and greater diversions of in-stream flows could help…but come with serious social and environmental costs. If those costs are to be avoided, improvements in irrigation efficiency will need to become a high priority, and further transfers of water from agriculture to other sectors will likely be essential…” click here for more

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New Energy To Keep Booming In 2019

New electric generating capacity in 2019 will come from renewables and natural gas

Cara Marcy, January 10, 2019 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

“…23.7 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity additions and 8.3 GW of capacity retirements are expected for the U.S. electric power sector in 2019. The utility-scale capacity additions consist primarily of wind (46%), natural gas (34%), and solar photovoltaics (18%), with the remaining 2% consisting primarily of other renewables and battery storage capacity…A total of 10.9 GW of wind capacity is currently scheduled to come online in 2019...Planned natural gas capacity additions are primarily in the form of combined-cycle plants (6.1 GW) and combustion-turbine plants (1.4 GW)…[Solar is scheduled to add 4.3 GW of utility-scale electric power sector solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity…[and] an additional 3.9 GW of small-scale solar PV capacity…

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…Scheduled capacity retirements for 2019 primarily consist of coal (53%), natural gas (27%), and nuclear (18%), with a single hydroelectric plant…and other smaller renewable and petroleum capacity accounting for the remaining 2%...Most of the coal retirements are scheduled to occur at the end of 2019. Half of the planned retirement capacity for coal is at a single plant, Navajo, located in Arizona…The scheduled natural gas retirements (2.2 GW) consist mostly (2.0 GW) of steam turbine plants…that came online in the 1950s or 1960s…Two nuclear plants totaling 1.5 GW are currently scheduled to retire in 2019…” click here for more

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Jay Inslee, The Climate Change Candidate For President

Can Jay Inslee make the 2020 election about climate change?

Paul Waldman, March 3, 2019 (Washington Post via Winston-Salem Journal)

“Single-issue presidential campaigns are not generally successful, but what if the issue in question is the survival of most life on Planet Earth?...[Washington governor Jay Inslee is making climate change the centerpiece of his] 2020…That kind of clear vision may not be enough to win, but it's something you can't win without…[Inslee has been] a state representative, had a lengthy term in Congress, and] then was elected and reelected as governor…[His vision] is an administration organized around the climate crisis, an entire federal government working in unison to decarbonize the economy and help save the planet…

…[Inslee also wants to get rid of the filibuster and the electoral college and] supports statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico…[With Inslee in the race and the practical realities of climate change becoming more evident on an almost daily basis,] it's going to become harder for the other candidates not to put out comprehensive climate plans and demonstrate that commitment…[Most other candidates] haven't yet made their purpose as clear…[but Inslee is] telling us exactly what his presidency would be about. We don't know yet how compelling his case will be and how primary voters will react…but the race is definitely better for having him in it.” click here for more

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State New Energy Mandates Work

Updated renewable portfolio standards will lead to more renewable electricity generation

Richard Bowers, February 27, 2019 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

As of the end of 2018, 29 states and the District of Columbia (DC) had renewable portfolio standards (RPS), polices that require electricity suppliers to supply a set share of their electricity from designated renewable resources or eligible technologies. Although no additional states have adopted an RPS policy since Vermont in 2015, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, and the District of Columbia extended their existing targets in 2018 or early 2019, continuing a trend in recent years across the United States…States with legally binding renewable portfolio standards collectively accounted for 63% of electricity retail sales in the United States in 2018…

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In addition to the 29 states with binding RPS policies, 8 states have nonbinding renewable portfolio goals…[In May 2018, Connecticut increased its overall RPS target in May 2018 to a 48% renewable generation share of electricity sales by 2030…[and] New Jersey increased its RPS target to 50% of eligible generation share of sales by 2030…In August 2018, Massachusetts increased its overall RPS target to 35% of sales by 2030…In September 2018, California increased its RPS target to a 60% renewable generation share of sales by 2030 and an additional 40% generation share of sales of carbon-free resources by 2045, for a total of 100% carbon-free power by 2045…In January 2019, the District of Columbia (DC) increased its RPS target to a 100% renewable share of sales by 2040…” click here for more

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