Your Brain On Climate Change

Why your brain doesn’t register the words ‘climate change’

Kate Yoder, April 29, 2019 (Grist)

"…According to recent neuroscience research, people will respond more if the terms “global warming” and “climate change” with the term “climate crisis,” which] got a 60 percent greater emotional response from listeners…[The widely-regarded SPARK Neuro found, from a bipartisan focus group, that “global warming” and “climate change” performed the worst of six] terms of emotional engagement and audience attention…[More response came to] climate crisis, environmental destruction, weather destabilization, and environmental collapse…It’s the latest sign that climate change communicators have a whole lot to learn from cognitive science…

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[It is thought “global warming” and “climate change” performed poorly because they have been overexposed and are] neutral phrases…[People who care about the climate crisis] are starting to realize the power of words…The two phrases that caused the strongest emotional reaction overall were “climate crisis” and “environmental destruction…” [But a strong emotional response like that evoked by “environmental destruction” can] have a “backfiring effect…” [“Climate crisis”] was the Goldilocks of the study — not too weak, not too strong. Among Democrats, Republicans, and independents, it caused a strong emotional reaction…[It allows] people to pay more attention and encourages a sense of urgency…” click here for more

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New Energy Moves Ahead Of Coal

America's renewable energy set to surpass coal for the first month ever

Matt Egan, April 29, 2019 (CNN)

“…The renewable energy sector is projected to [for the first time] generate more electricity than coal during the month of April, according to a recent report…[Coal was already replaced as the power sector leader by] natural gas, a much cleaner burning fossil fuel…[A decade ago, U.S. New Energy] had little presence other than hydro power. But a wave of investment — first into wind, and then solar — has made these new technologies far cheaper…At the same time, increased awareness about climate change has led many American businesses, households and state legislatures to demand cleaner energy…

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[U.S. Energy Information Administration statistics project New Energy (hydro, biomass, wind, solar and geothermal) to] sporadically exceed coal in 2019 and 2020…[The shift will initially be when hydro and wind increase in the spring and] coal plants shut down for maintenance…[New Energy is projected to be the fastest-growing source for power generation for at least the next two years and will pass] coal on an annual basis…Coal's share of total power generation tumbled from 45% in 2010 to 28% in 2018…[and is] expected to dip to just 24% in 2020…The problem for coal is economics…[Energy Innovation found wind and solar costs] have plunged so drastically that 74% of the US coal fleet could be replaced by renewable energy and still save customers money…” click here for more

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Climate Changes Militaries To Greenies

Militaries go green, rethink operations in face of climate change; “Militaries are great planning organizations, we need to utilize that great planning capability to get further ahead of the climate threat than we have.”

Linda Givetash, April 27, 2019 (NBC News)

“…[North American Treaty Organization (NATO)] military officials from 29 countries — including the United States — will test whether energy efficient equipment and hybrid diesel-solar power systems can be easily integrated into their operations in [military exercises in] Poland this June…[This new focus] on energy efficiency and reduced fuel consumption is indicative of a wider [adaptation by militaries] to environments reshaped by climate change and intensifying natural disasters…Lightweight equipment that can be powered by renewables rather than fuels that need to be imported are better for responding to natural disasters such as floods and wildfires…NATO provided support when Sweden faced historic wildfires last summer…The war games will come amid a global movement — from school strikes and protests to debates in Congress over the proposed Green New Deal — that is placing response to climate change at the center of the political agenda…

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Experts warn that climate change is poised to not only cause more extreme weather events but also spark conflicts from the Arctic, where disappearing ice is sparking a geopolitical race for dominance, to Africa's Sahel region which is grappling with increased water scarcity and extremist groups…These conditions also drive migration, already being seen in Central America…Armed forces help launch humanitarian relief after a disaster, yet those operations don’t get the same level of foresight applied to other threats such as nuclear war or terrorism…A more recent report the Department of Defense released in January highlighted numerous Air Force, Army and Navy infrastructure currently at risk of damage due to flooding, drought, desertification and wildfires…” click here for more

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Contract Certainty Backs EU Solar Boom

European solar comes of PPAge; From scorching Seville to rainy Rostock, investors claim that power purchase agreements (PPAs) have made European solar farms bankable without government subsidies. By providing lower risk for cheaper capital, they are powering a renaissance in established PV markets and lowering the cost of solar electricity in Europe.

Benedict O’Donnell, April 20, 2019 (PV Magazine)

“…[S]olar PPA activity in Europe grew from 360 MW in 2017 to more than 2.4 GW in 2018…There are various sources for funding new PV capacity with PPAs becoming a more relevant one as grid parity evolves…The news offers timely respite to Europe’s battered solar sector as governments across the region phase out financial incentives for renewable energy…[N]ew European photovoltaic parks have attracted investment on the back of falling costs for solar technology, relatively high electricity rates, and – usually – excellent irradiation. But the final ingredient that has brought these projects into existence has been the security of a long-term buyer for their electricity…As long as the probability of default of the offtaker is low and PPA terms and conditions are reasonable, funding should not be an issue at all…[T]he cost of generating electricity from renewables dropped below wholesale electricity rates on Southern European electricity exchanges over a year ago…

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…[I]n principle it should no longer be necessary to sign a PPA but guarantees of price stability entice investors, lowering interest rates…[G]overnment incentives like feed-in-tariffs, net metering schemes, and auctions were necessary to roll out renewable energy technologies on electricity markets until their cost dropped below that of incumbent energy sources. Since this transition, the second challenge has been to remove the subsidies…Every time a government says that it will hold an auction or feed in a new incentive for renewable energy, international investors paralyze capital flows until they know what will happen…That slows down the roll-out of PV and forces unnecessary costs onto consumers. Today, the largest and fastest moving solar projects in Europe are unsubsidized. They produce the same environmental benefits for the grid but cost nothing to their users… Dealing with risk is exactly where PPAs can help…” click here for more

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Nuclear’s Scam On New Energy’s Incentives

How nuclear plants are gaming climate-change rules; In state after state, operators have figured out how turn green-power incentives into sweetheart deals.

Travis Kavulla, April 23. 2019 (Politico)

“…[Procurement mandates requiring a share of electricity needs to be supplied by solar, wind and other renewable technologies] are in force in 29 states…[T]hese laws have been so effective at reducing the cost of renewables that it is not readily apparent that such mandates are a necessary driver for decarbonization…[T]hree-quarters of the U.S. coal fleet could be replaced today by renewables solely for economic reasons…[but in] numerous states, companies with large investments in nuclear energy — including Exelon, First Energy, Dominion and PSEG — have lobbied states to reconfigure their clean-power incentives to subsidize existing nuclear plants, rather than the emergent technologies that the laws were intended for…

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…[It] started in Democratic states like Illinois and New York in 2016, spread to Connecticut in 2017 and New Jersey in 2018. Bills to this effect are now being considered by Republican-led chambers in Ohio and Pennsylvania…[The proposals] take advantage of green-sounding energy incentives, and they share a basic outline intended to avoid the appearance of being a naked subsidy…[Instead of spurring competition between emissions-reducing power sources, like a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade program, the] nuclear subsidy schemes are an elaborate greenwashing that neither returns money to the public nor further reduces carbon emissions…[These programs] billions of dollars…[Some say the costs are necessary to prevent an emissions] spike if nuclear units are replaced by abundant and cheap natural gas…[But most of these nuclear plants would not shut down. And propping up older technologies risks] harm to innovative technologies looking to break into the market…[Nuclear energy] should compete fairly against other electricity sources…” click here for more

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The Minerals In New Energy

New research exposes extent of mineral demand for renewable energy technologies

April 18, 2019 (PhysOrg)

“The growing demand for minerals and metals to build the electric vehicles, solar arrays, wind turbines and other renewable energy infrastructure necessary to meet the ambitious goals of the Paris Climate Agreement could outstrip current production rates for key metals by as early as 2022, according to new research…[The study] shows that as demand for minerals such as lithium and rare earths skyrockets, the already significant environmental and human impacts of hardrock mining are likely to rise steeply as well…[It calls] for a broad shift in the clean technologies sector towards more responsible minerals sourcing…Doing so will require a concerted commitment from businesses and governments…Under a 100 percent renewable energy scenario, metal requirements could rise dramatically, requiring new primary and recycled sources…

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Clean technologies rely on a variety of minerals, principally cobalt, nickel, lithium, copper, aluminum, silver and rare earths. Cobalt, lithium and rare earths are the metals of most concern for increasing demand and supply risks…Batteries for electric vehicles are the most significant driver of accelerated minerals demand…Recycled sources can significantly reduce primary demand, but new mining is likely to take place and new mining developments linked to renewable energy are already underway…Responsible sourcing is needed when supply cannot be met by recycled sources…Minerals extraction already exacts significant costs on people and the environment, fuelling conflict and human rights violations, massive water pollution and wildlife and forest destruction…” click here for more

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Putting The Earth In Earth Day

Earth Day 2019: High temperatures, rising waters, wild weather – who is to blame? We are.

Doyle Rice and Elizabeth Weise, April 21, 2019 (USA Today)

“…There's a 99.9999% chance that humans are the cause of global warming… Humans burn fossil fuels…[That releases] carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and other gases into the Earth's atmosphere and oceans….Based on five separate data sets that keep track of the Earth's climate, the global average temperature for the first 10 months of 2018 was about 1.8 degrees above what it was in the late 1800s. That was when industry started to emit large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere…Increasing amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases being released into the atmosphere by industry, transportation and energy production from burning fossil fuels are enhancing what's known as the planet's natural greenhouse effect.

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The atmospheric carbon dioxide level for March was 411.97 parts per million and continue to rise. It has now reached levels in the atmosphere not seen in 3 million years…That's an increase of 46% from just before the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s, when CO2 levels were around 280 parts per million…Scientists say to keep a livable planet, we need to cut the level to 350 parts per million…Extreme weather events exacerbated in part by climate change killed almost 250 Americans and cost the nation at least $91 billion in 2018, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration…[W]estern states endured their costliest wildfire season on record: $24 billion in damage…Hurricanes Michael, resulting in $25 billion damages, and Florence, with $24 billion in costs, were the other two big weather disasters in 2018…” click here for more

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The Clean Energy Jobs Boom

Renewable Energy Job Boom Creates Economic Opportunity As Coal Industry Slumps

Silvio Marcacci, April 22, 2019 (Forbes)

“Renewable energy jobs are booming across America, creating stable and high-wage employment for blue-collar workers in some of the country’s most fossil fuel-heavy states, just as the coal industry is poised for another downturn…Economics are driving both sides of this equation: Building new renewable energy is cheaper than running existing coal plants and prices get cheaper every year. By 2025, almost every existing coal plant in the United States will cost more to operate than building replacement wind and solar within 35 miles of each plant…Multiple states and utilities are setting 100% clean energy goals, creating new demand for workers to build solar panels and wind turbines. Planning for the inevitable coal-to-clean economic transition can create new economic opportunities in every corner of the country…

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The renewable energy industry has become a major U.S. employer. E2’s recent Clean Jobs America report found nearly 3.3 million Americans working in clean energy – outnumbering fossil fuel workers by 3-to-1. Nearly 335,000 people work in the solar industry and more than 111,000 work in the wind industry, compared to 211,000 working in coal mining or other fossil fuel extraction. Clean energy employment grew 3.6% in 2018, adding 110,000 net new jobs (4.2% of all jobs added nationally in 2018), and employers expect 6% job growth in 2019…U.S. coal consumption fell 4% in 2018 to its lowest point in 39 years due to accelerating coal plant closures and reduced coal plant utilization…Several states are responding with smart policy, including coal securitization legislation signed into law in New Mexico and introduced in Colorado’s state legislature to help utilities retire uneconomic coal generation and begin economic transitions in coal-dependent communities…” click here for more

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Extinction Rebellion Joins The Climate Fight

Extinction Rebellion want to get arrested to fight climate change

Stephanie Bailey, April 15, 2019 (CNN)

“…Extinction Rebellion, a grassroots environmental group based in the UK, is responsible for a series of stunts that deliberately break the law to highlight the threat of climate change…[They stripped to underwear in the House of Commons' public gallery and held] a ‘Funeral for our Future’ outside Buckingham Palace…[It has provoked 222 arrests] and thousands have declared they are willing to be arrested, or even go to prison, to demand action on climate change…Extinction Rebellion claims their actions are based on research into how to use ‘non-violent civil disobedience to achieve radical change’ …[which includes] declaring a climate change emergency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025 and starting a citizen's assembly…

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According to the group, research shows that non-violent uprisings involving 3.5% of the public participating in acts of civil disobedience force a political response because they cannot be ignored…Almost 10,000 people worldwide have signed up as ‘willing to get arrested,’ as of April 8, 2019…[O]ver 80% are also ‘willing to go to prison’…[T]he UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned last year that the planet only has 11 years before it reaches disastrous levels of global warming…[Extinction Rebellion next plans to shut down London by blocking traffic at five locations and] playing music, hosting discussions and refusing to move from the street…” click here for more

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Beating Climate Change With A New Energy Grid

New Study Confirms Benefits of Electrifying CA Buildings

Pierre Delforge, April 15, 2019 (Natural Resources Defense Council)

“…About half the pollution from California's buildings comes from burning [natural gas], primarily for heating and hot water…[Moving to heating and water with electricity generated by New Energy can] slash greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from California's single-family homes by up to 90 percent within the next three decades, save consumers money in the process, and support the] state's ability to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2045 [according to a new study from Energy+Environmental Economics]…That means outfitting new homes with high-efficiency, electric-powered heating systems and water heaters, and retrofitting existing homes when the old gas equipment needs replacing…

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…[New Energy] is getting cheaper than electricity from gas power plants…[Sustainably-produced renewable gas can play a role but it is in limited supply and has a higher] cost…[Full electrification would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in single-family homes by about 30 percent to 60 percent as soon as next year. As the carbon intensity of the grid decreases over time, the savings increase to about 80 percent to 90 percent by 2050…[For new construction, going all-electric will save] $130 to $540 per year…[87% of existing homes can save] by switching from a gas furnace and air conditioner to an electric heat pump system that provides both heating in winter and cooling in summer…[To achieve the state’s GHG reduction goals,] at least half of existing residential buildings, or more than 7 million homes, will require retrofits…[Policy drivers will be needed because that] is a huge task…” click here for more

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Climate Change’s “Extreme Pollen” Ups Allergy Struggles

Allergy Season Is Getting Worse, Thanks To Climate Change

Steven Salzberg, April 15, 2019 (Forbes)

“Allergy sufferers are having a rough time of it this spring…and climate change is at least partly to blame…[Airborne pollen data from 17 locations, spanning the entire globe, and stretching back an average of 26 years, shows increases in] both pollen loads and pollen season duration over time…The NY Times reported that North Carolina is facing “extreme pollen” which has turned the air yellowish…

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[O]ver-the-counter antihistamines help, although they only treat the symptoms. Allergy shots can provide long-term relief, if you have the time to go through the months-long regimen. Other than these options, the best you can do is stay inside and wait for pollen season to end…” click here for more

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Solar Breaking Through In The Southeast

Solar In the Southeast; Second Annual Report Highlights Corporate Leadership Driving Solar Expansion Throughout the Region

April 11, 2019 (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)

“…[Solar energy development in the Southeast reached over] 8,000 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity in 2018…[and the annual report from the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy] has increased its forecast to 17,000 MW by 2021 and nearing 20,000 MW for 2022…Corporate leadership is playing a big role in driving new solar capacity, with major project announcements from corporations including Facebook, Google, Target, Walmart, and Johnson & Johnson…Florida is emerging as a regional leader, now forecast to surpass North Carolina in solar capacity by 2022…

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Tennessee and Alabama continue to lag behind other states in the Southeast with less than half the average forecast solar ratio, even with several new solar project announcements, largely driven by corporate solar demand…There are some new entrants on this list of solar leaders - Walton EMC, FPL, and Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) join four returning "SunRisers" demonstrating leading levels of planned solar growth over the next four years…There are also some repeat offenders - Santee Cooper, Seminole Electric Cooperative, and TVA remain on the list of “SunBlocker” utilities whose forecast solar ratio for 2022 will remain below the regional average from 2018…” click here for more

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The Climate Change Security Risk

Climate change poses security risks, according to decades of intelligence reports Intelligence analysts have agreed since the late 80s that climate change poses serious security risks

Dena Nuccitelli, April 8, 2019 (Yale Climate Connections)

“A series of authoritative governmental and nongovernmental analyses over more than three decades lays a strong foundation for concern over climate change implications for national security…[The January 2019 annual ‘Worldwide Threat Assessment’ found] ‘climate change is an urgent and growing threat to our national security, contributing to increased natural disasters, refugee flows, and conflicts over basic resources such as food and water. These impacts are already occurring, and the scope, scale, and intensity of these impacts are projected to increase over time.’ That report from National Intelligence Director Daniel R. Coats, a former U.S. Republican senator from Indiana, was just the most recent in a long string of analyses…clearly are at odds with the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine and reverse federal climate policies…

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“…[A recent review of more than 100 national security documents addressing climate change assessed] decades of official national security strategy documents prepared to guide Democratic and Republican administrations on national defense priorities and military strategy. Those analyses began warning about threats to U.S. national security from environmental factors in the late 1980s, and in 1990, a U.S. Naval War College Report warned of potential climate change hazards…President George H.W. Bush’s national security strategy in August 1991 acknowledged climate change as a security issue…[Reports from military leaders in 2003, 2007, 2010, and 2014 affirmed the finding and the 2019 Department of Defense report documented] vulnerabilities of 79 military installations to events exacerbated by climate change impacts such as floods, droughts, and wildfires…” click here for more

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New Energy In Industry

The Role of Renewable Energy in the Manufacturing Sector

Emily Folk, 8 April 2019 (Renewable Energy Magazine)

“…The Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative (CEMI) is rallying] talent from across the industry to design and deploy more efficient technologies and find less wasteful ways to meet consumer material demands…Turning raw materials into usable products are some of the costliest and most energy-intensive activities within manufacturing…In 2017, bulk chemical, refining and mining were the three most energy-intensive industries in the United States. Industrial entities use vast amounts of electricity to operate heavy equipment, run heating and cooling systems and keep offices and other facilities lit and climate-controlled…[Powering operations] with solar arrays and wind turbines is an increasingly attractive alternative…

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Electric car maker Tesla appears on track to make good on their promise of powering their [10 million square foot] ‘Gigafactory’ with 100 percent renewable energy by the end of 2019…As a result of harnessing solar, wind and geothermal technologies to power factories like this one, the company expects to slash the prices of some of their products by up to $3,000…[Moving manufacturing and other industries to renewables can provide price] stability and security over the long term…[It is] likely ‘pennies wise’ and ‘pounds foolish’ for heavy industries like manufacturing to invest in fossil fuel-powered equipment and infrastructure today…[Solar installed today] will likely still be producing electricity 30 years from now…[T]he long view says we'll see dwindling returns if we cling to fossil fuels…” click here for more

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What Human Greenhouse Gases Are Doing

Humans Have Caused the Most Dramatic Climate Change in 3 Million Years

Stephanie Pappas, April 3, 2019 (LiveScience)

“The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today is likely higher than it has been anytime in the past 3 million years…[and] could bring temperatures not seen over that entire timespan…[Computer modeling of the Quaternary period, which started around 2.59 million years ago and continues into today, show] Earth has undergone a number of changes, but none so rapid as those seen today…[The Quaternary period began with a period of glaciation, but] between 1.25 million and 0.7 million years ago, these glacial and interglacial cycles stretched out, re-occurring every 100,000 years or so, a phenomenon called the mid-Pleistocene transition…[It was apparently caused by volcanic and weathering changes that led to carbon dioxide declines and] less heat being trapped…

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[The climate would have cooled to the point where large ice sheets could form more easily… These resilient ice sheets, plus a cooler climate, resulted in the longer glacial cycles seen after about a million years ago…[The modeling] suggests that carbon dioxide was below 400 parts per million for the entire Quaternary period. Today, the global average is 405 parts per million and rising…[Around 2.5 million years ago, average global temperatures were temporarily about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degree Celsius) higher than average before the widespread use of fossil fuels…[But] the globe is 2.1 degrees F (1.2 degrees C) warmer than the pre-industrial average…” click here for more

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The Global Potential Of Pumped Hydro Storage

Huge Global Study Just Smashed One of The Last Major Arguments Against Renewables

David Nield, 31 March 2019 (Science Alert)

“…[S]cientists have identified 530,000 sites worldwide suitable for pumped-hydro energy storage, capable of storing more than enough energy to power the entire planet…Pumped-hydro is one of the best technologies we have for storing intermittent renewable energy, such as solar power, which means these sites could act as giant batteries, helping to support cheap, fully renewable power grids…[Further on-the-ground research needs to be done…[to verify previous assumptions that sites were too limited] to store enough renewable energy for high-demand times…[T]hese hundreds of thousands of sites have the potential to store around 22 million Gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy…

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[Only a small fraction of the sites identified by algorithmic studies would] support a 100 percent renewable global electricity system…[by using mainly] solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power to pump water uphill when the renewables are plentiful…[so that the water could later] be released and pulled down by gravity to drive turbines and generate electricity…None of the potential sites are located inside national parks or urban areas, and each one has the potential capacity to hold 2-150 GWh of energy…What makes pumped-hydro energy storage so appealing is that it can be adapted as electricity demands change. Water stored in the reservoir can be discharged as and when it's needed…[and can operate fossil fuel-free] at maximum power for between 5 and 25 hours…” click here for more

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Customer Pushback Spurs Climate Fight

The Best Way to Fight Climate Change Comes From an Unlikely Place; Investors are pushing companies to reckon with their environmental impacts.

Carl Segerstrom, March 30, 2019 (High Country News via Mother Jones)

“…Methane leaking from oil and natural gas operations is [bad business practice] on a multi-million dollar level that also contributes to climate change…[Concerned shareholders are] trying to use the tools of capitalism to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate change…[Resistance from investors and shareholders] has a long history. During the Vietnam War, activist shareholders pushed Dow Chemical Company to stop producing napalm, throughout the 1980s investors pressured companies to divest in apartheid South Africa, and last year shareholders impelled McDonald’s to ditch polystyrene foam packaging and Costco to limit antibiotics in the meat it sells…Investors typically rely on three approaches to drive change…

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The carrot is a dialogue…If that doesn’t work, investors can turn to the metaphorical sticks—non-binding resolutions voted on at annual shareholder meetings pushing a company…[But in] February, ExxonMobil asked the SEC to nix a climate-oriented shareholder resolution…That could leave investors no choice but to pull out the ax: divestment. The divestment movement claims to have pulled more than $8.5 trillion out of fossil fuel companies…[and Goldman Sachs] analysts cite the divestment movement as a reason for fossil fuel companies to reduce emissions…[The White House] has shown its allegiance to fossil fuel interests...[and] is making it as comfortable as possible for fossil fuel companies and their financiers to continue to sow climate chaos…[But] some corporations are bending to their shareholders’ will…" click here for more

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The Way To 100% New Energy

Path to 100 Percent Renewable Energy Is Here

Monica Amarelo, March 26, 2019 (Energy Working Group

“…[A U.S. electricity grid powered entirely by renewable energy] can be achieved if Congress commits to investing in clean energy production and storage…[Environmental Working Group (EWG)] analysis of government data and expert studies shows…Solar capacity has almost tripled in recent years, from 19,000 megawatts in 2015 to 48,000 megawatts in 2018…Wind production has also almost tripled since 2009, from 35,000 megawatts in 2009 to more than 90,000 megawatts in 2018…

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Growth in wind and solar has lowered the cost of solar and wind by 88 percent and 69 percent, respectively, since 2009…There are now three times as many renewable energy jobs as coal, nuclear and natural gas jobs…The true cost of green energy sources is now less than the cost of coal, natural gas and nuclear…Total solar and wind potential is 14 times current electric power capacity. But rather than adopting policies to dramatically accelerate wind, solar and battery storage, Republicans are promoting policies to protect fossil fuels and slow the growth of renewable energy…” click here for more

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Young Republicans Advocate For Science

Young Republicans push party to drop climate change skepticism; Strategists warn that Trump’s anti-green rhetoric is alienating younger conservatives

Kiran Stacey and Courtney Weaver, April 1, 2019

“Senior Republicans are urging [the president] to curb his rhetoric on climate change ahead of next year’s election, as evidence emerges that young Republican voters are increasingly persuaded by the science behind climate change. Republicans in Congress and party strategists have told the White House that [the president] risks losing votes if he returns to his argument that climate change is a hoax promoted by China to undermine American manufacturing. Francis Rooney, a Republican congressman from Florida, said he had brought up the issue of climate change many times with the White House [because over 70 per cent of the people in his very conservative district] think the government needs to do something about climate change…

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…[For young Republicans, climate change is ‘an issue of science’ and not the older Republicans’ cultural or ideological question, according to] Carlos Curbelo, a former Republican congressman who co-founded the House of Representatives’ climate solutions caucus in 2016…Polls suggest that the Republican leadership, which has spent much of the last few weeks campaigning against the Democrats’ ‘Green New Deal,’ is out of touch with younger Republicans’ opinions on this issue…A recent letter urging the party to prioritise clean energy and the environment was signed by 41 out of 50 state chairpeople of the College Republican group…[This is a dilemma for the president because he won the 2016 election in part by performing well in industrial states, where he promised to bring in policies such as reopening coal mines…[Some allies] believe he can be persuaded to change his mind, especially if polling begins to show he could end up losing important states next year…” click here for more

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Big New Energy Buy-In From High Big Biz

Big Business Steps Up For Clean Energy, Even As Washington Stands Down

Ken Silverstein, April 1, 2019 (Forbes)

“…[Economic growth and environmental protection are no longer] at odds with one another because the levelized cost of wind has come down 60% while the levelized cost of solar has fallen 80% since 2010, often making the two the cheapest forms of energy available. Using clean energy technologies is resulting in more efficient operations as well as lower emissions and enhanced brands…[The Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA), made up of such companies as Google, Facebook, Walmart, General Motors, Disney and Salesforce, is] targeting 60,000 megawatts of non-utility renewables deployments by 2025.

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The group has multiple aims, namely to lower the barriers to entry and to step up and provide market signals that companies want clean energy, irrespective of Washington’s policies…Right now, 48% of the Fortune 500 and 63% of the Fortune 100 are vowing to cut their greenhouse gases, up their use of green energy or improve their energy efficiencies…[and] corporate America signed 6,500 megawatts of renewable energy contracts in 2018… [The business community and the power sector often appear before utility regulators to advocate for transmission expansion because companies] will locate where they have access to green energy, which will be built where state regulators grant permission to build new wires…[They also are united in protecting incentives for renewables while other energy sectors receive] government support…” click here for more

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