Copenhagen and Climate: Going all-in

I have a column out today in the UMD newspaper The Diamondback about the upcoming Copenhagen negotiations, along with a call for the US to do more. It’s difficult to write about Copenhagen in only 550 words given the complexities, along with the reality that the readers don’t know a lot about the issue. A few of the takeaway points I wanted to hit on were

1. The planet is warming.

2. China is not an excuse for inaction.

3. We need to do more than we’re doing, and show leadership. Continue reading

The Story of Cap and Trade

The Story of Cap and Trade

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Climate & Consumption
November 30th, 2009, cross posted from story of stuff blog

If you’re like me, an increasing amount of your worries these days focus on the rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and the resulting potential for devastating climate chaos.

Years ago, when I first heard about climate change, I figured someone else would work all that out while I kept plodding away with my work on consumption, pollution and waste. Well, guess what? They didn’t work it out; in fact, the climate situation is far worse today than even recent scientific predictions. And guess what else? It turns out that climate and consumption are actually the same issue.

You see, most of the greenhouse gases countries emit come from our materials economy: the way we make, use, transport, and throw away all the stuff in our lives. As Boston College professor (and one of my favorite authors) Juliet Schor said “Global consumerism devours resources like there’s no tomorrow. And unless we address how much we consume, we won’t succeed in averting disastrous climate change.”

A majority of scientists now say we need to significantly reduce carbon levels in the atmosphere if we want the planet to resemble something close to what it is like today, supporting the kind of life that it does today. To do this, we simply have to use less Stuff

Stopping Coal-Powered Transmission Lines

This is my second post on the need for the Maryland Public Service Commission to reject transmission lines that would take coal burned in West Virginia, and transfer it into my state of Maryland as a source of power. You can find part 1 here. Today I have a column out in the Diamondback making the case against MAPP and PATH, and for offshore wind power. I also want to be sure to plug the rally against the power lines on December 1st at 1pm in Baltimore. You can find out additional information about the MAPP and PATH issue on the Maryland Sierra Club’s website.

MAPP and PATH: Time to draw the line
By Matt Dernoga

I have a minor suggestion for the utility companies. If you’re going to try to portray your attempts to build gigantic interstate transmission lines as a way to transfer renewable energy, don’t connect them to coal plants. Continue reading

UMD for Clean Energy Makes Waves on City Council

UMD for Clean Energy, student group I’m Campaign Director of, has another article out about us in The Diamondback about our efforts during the College Park City Council elections, which culminated in a march to the polls, and got some pretty positive reaction. This new article also chronicles our presentation at a city council work session, where we put forth a proposal about tax breaks for green businesses.

UMD for Clean Energy makes waves on city council

By Brady Holt

Many of College Park’s longtime residents paint the university’s student body as a group that doesn’t care about the city.

But those residents may be surprised at where their city council is getting some innovative environmental policy ideas: the UMD for Clean Energy student group. Continue reading

Picture(s) of the Week

This week, two pictures made it into most inspiring picture of the week category, although I can only show you one on this blog. The first is from Avaaz Climate Action Factory, which pulls together some of the most creative and timely actions in my opinion.

Tuesday evening, while President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao, dozens of activists with Avaaz.org released a hundred Chinese flying lanterns and a floating balloon banner just south of the White House.

According to Morgan at Avaaz’s Climate Action Factory in DC:

Chinese flying lanterns are a symbol of hope traditionally released to celebrate the new year. The Avaaz action highlighted China’s proactive domestic climate commitments as a source of inspiration for the UN climate summit in Copenhagen this December.

The other picture I can’t find online unfortunately. But if you check out B2 of today’s Washington Post, you’ll see a picture of Matt Means and Ed Bush busy installing what will be the largest solar-energy system in the Washington area at Catholic University. More than 1,000 panels will be installed on four buildings this fall.

Save Ice Hockey. Enough with the Nukes, eh!

Last week I had a blast at a Washington Capitol’s ice hockey game in DC. I was just enjoying a nice break from a busy week of climate activism when I see something on the wall behind the goalie-box that almost ruined my night. A billboard advertisement for nuclear energy that read: “Nuclear: The Clean Air Energy” solution. Come on! You would think a sport like ice hockey that will literally not exist if we allow global warming to accelerate wouldn’t be so quick to take money from a false solution like the nuclear industry. *Sigh*

Then on Monday Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Sen. Webb (D-VA) released a new bill that would be a huge give-away of $20 billion taxpayer dollars to the nuclear industry. It’s no surprise that this money will come from the government because Wall Street won’t touch nuclear power with a ten foot pole. Plain and simple: it’s a BAD INVESTMENT. Conservatives are irked about the expansion of federal government spending and yet their brilliant solution to the energy crisis? Sink billions into the expensive, unsafe nuclear power. (Read more at CCAN member, Matt Dernoga’s excellent Letter to Editor).

Every new nuclear power plant built would be a step backwards when it comes to solving global warming. Investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency is a safer, faster and less expensive alternative to nuclear energy. Tapping into Maryland’s abundant renewable energy sources would create far more jobs for far less money than investing in unsafe nuclear energy. That’s why yesterday I was pleased to join our friends at Environment Maryland to release a new report: “Generating Failure: How Building Nuclear Power Plants Would Set America Back in the Race Against Global Warming”. You can read the full report here.

Here an excerpt about the press conference that was printed in the Annapolis Capitol:

“Maryland has charted a course to put us on the stage of national leadership” when it comes to combating climate change, said Ethan Nuss, Maryland campaign coordinator with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. And with good reason. Maryland is incredibly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, Nuss said. Sea level rise would affect the state’s natural resources and fishing and tourism economy. “We owe it to our children and grandchildren to act in the most decisive manner to solve the climate crisis,” said Nuss. “Nuclear power is not that solution.”

At the end of the day there is a litany of reasons to oppose nuclear power. But the thing that I can’t get over is the wasteful complexity of the entire nuclear fuel cycle. From when uranium is mined on Native American lands, then refined-processesed, put through a complicated atom-splitting reactor, to heat water, to generate steam, which turns a turbine

Nuclear energy: Don't believe the sticker price

I have an op-ed column out today that attacks the threat of a nuclear power plant in Maryland by looking at recent fruitless attempts to build plants, and the cost born by ratepayers.

Nuclear energy: Don’t believe the sticker price

By Matt Dernoga

A common perception of nuclear power is that it’s an affordable, carbon-free energy source that could meet a lot of America’s demand for electricity, if only those darn environmentalists would get out of the way. Unfortunately for nuclear power advocates and Maryland ratepayers, this statement crumbles upon contact with reality. Continue reading

Virginia Students: Join the "No Coal Day," Nov. 18th

Of the many amazing things I get to do as CCAN’s Virginia campus organizer, one extra bit of inspiration is how often I find myself driving along a beautiful back road and am struck by the incredible views all around me. To think that in areas of Virginia those mountains and the communities surrounding them are directly threatened only makes me more anxious to reach my destination because I know that the work we’re doing around this state is going to help make the switch and create a clean energy economy here in Virginia and beyond.

I just got back from Wise County where I joined the Rrnew Collective and others from around the Southeast for “Weekend in Wise” a weekend of discussion, brainstorming and planning (plus a little dancing) about creating sustainable economic development in Appalachia. While it was the first time I saw mountaintop removal and ‘reclamation,’ the sense of determination from everyone there left me energized. Together, we’re going to create a better future for all of us.

That’s why young people from around the state have set November 18th was set as a statewide No Coal Day. It’s a Day of Action for a clean energy future because young people know it’s time for Virginia to make the switch. Join in! Email me at katherine[at]chesapeakeclimate.org