Germany: Merkel - The Climate Chancellor
Is it a fact that Germany's long serving leader, Angela Merkel, has lived up to her reputation as the "Climate Chancellor"?
December 31, 2020
December 30, 2020
Made In NY
A NY architect uses NY funding to help an old NY apartment building excel in energy efficiency with an innovative approach
December 29, 2020
Biden's Climate Team Leaders
Joe Biden's top advisors have a track record of climate dedication. Stay tuned in for what they'll be able to accomplish
A Time For Climate Science Heros
Hats off to the scientists who took up the cudgels of research findings to resist the Trump Administration's assault on American health, safety + climate security
December 28, 2020
2020: Very Weird Weather
2020's weather shattered records, on to 2021
Relaunching Superfund
Are there any challenges to a Biden Administration climate upgrade + relaunch of the EPA's venerable Superfund toxics clean up program?
When It Comes To Energy Efficiency, NYC's No Star
Now, with a law requiring larger NYC buildings to publicly post their Energy Star efficiency letter grades, there are lots of C's + D's around
December 25, 2020
Cli-Fi Review
Bill McKibben has a lot to say about The Ministry for the Future, the new climate-crisis novel by Kim Stanley Robinson
December 24, 2020
Climate-Friendlier Congress
Assuming it becomes law, the COVID relief bill Congress passed by wide margins advances a broad array of clean energy/climate friendly provisions. Here's your primer
December 23, 2020
Deep Geothermal
Drill deep down into the potential for geothermal energy to play a key role in a renewable energy world
Weird Weather, Natural Disasters
Predicting a rise in natural disasters based on the rising climate crisis
December 22, 2020
Process Matters
This isn’t to minimize anyone’s work, but please don’t report on the relief package as providing $35 billion for energy R&D. It authorizes such funds over several years but doesn’t appropriate it.
— Tyler Norris (@tylerhnorris) December 22, 2020
Yes We Can -- Save Our Cities
The coronavirus does not have to kill cities, just the stale, old idea of what cities are, how they work + who they're for
December 21, 2020
I Love New York
The glorious glass roof of the Surrogates Court building in lower Manhattan has been restored
December 18, 2020
China: Fossil Fuel Force Could Sink Climate Pledge
China's promise to achieve net-zero carbon pollution by 2060 could be undermined by utilities + industries seeking economic growth now
Forget Gold, Pave NYC Streets With Innovation
The pandemic showed that New Yorkers welcomed Open Streets + Open Restaurants, an emerging healthy city should both learn from + accelerate them
December 17, 2020
Mayor's Race 2021
NYC Mayoral hopeful Shaun Donovan lays down his marker on climate + greener cities
Better Building Ventilation
Admit it, before COVID, who was nerdy enough to think about residential building ventilation systems? But now...
Hydrogen Goes Boom
Investors are placing their bets on hydrogen as a star in the renewable energy universe
The Energy Storage Battery Revolution Is Just Beginning
Batteries are better and cheaper than they've ever been. They’ve already transformed consumer electronics, but the bigger changes are yet to come, says @NatBullardhttps://t.co/MRmYU63SQG pic.twitter.com/8ljA2ftCRN
— Stuart Wallace (@StuartLWallace) December 17, 2020
NY Utilities Should Disclose Climate Financial Risks
The Public Service Commission, which regulates NY's utilities, seeks disclosure of financial risks facing utilities due to the climate crisis. This would help the financial sector interpret what utilities are or are not doing + adjust accordingly
December 16, 2020
Capitalizing On The Climate Crisis
Russia is one of the only countries that could come out ahead in the global climate crisis. Why's that?
EV Battery Prices Plunge
In just 10 years, the price of electric vehicle batteries has dropped by 89%
China: Renewable Energy Goals Energize Tech Developers
Energy storage companies see big opportunities in China's renewable energy commitments
Something's Fishy
Who can explain a December recurrence of the great fish die off of summer 2020 in the Hudson River?
2020: Hot, Hot, Hot
2020 is on track to tie with 2016 as the hottest year on record
McCarthy — Biden Climate Pick
Gina McCarthy is tapped by Joe Biden to be his domestic climate coordinator. In 2018, she keynoted the Sallan panel Fighting Back Against Attacks on Climate Change
December 15, 2020
Buying "Earth Friendly" Stuff
Does MoMA cross the line from exhibiting green design to encouraging unneeded consumption?
Seeing Through The Exxon Spin
What's the substance behind Exxon's headline-grabbing announcement about cutting its GHG emissions?
The Banking Times They Are a Changin'
The Federal Reserve announces that it is joining a climate -focused central bankers' network
December 14, 2020
You Can't Make This Stuff Up
This Women For Natural Gas campaign is real, but the ladies who profess their love aren't
December 11, 2020
I Love Paris In The Winter
A district geothermal heat system keeps Paris warm in the winter without carbon pollution
Don't Inhale
How do these recommendations hold up in the COVID era where poor indoor ventilation is a critical disease vector? https://t.co/n34sYssZH4
— Sallan Foundation (@Sallan_Found) December 10, 2020
December 10, 2020
Good Actuary News For Renewables
End time for fossil fuel power plants by 2035 + the era of clean energy as the new normal are realistic if you calculate like an actuary
December 09, 2020
Protecting NYC From Sea Level Rise: Take 2
Congress may soon pass a law to require the Army Corps of Engineers to rethink + fix flaws in its stalled plan to defend NYC from sea level rise + flooding
Weekly Climate Recap + Read
Starting On January 20, 2021
NY Greens Its Pension Fund
NY Comptroller DiNapoli commits the state's $226.4 billion pension fund investments to carbon neutrality by 2040. Bill McKibben hails this as a 'huge win' for climate action
Moral Money 101
The International Capital Markets Association has developed Green Bond Principles, Social Bond Principles, Sustainability Bond Guidelines + Sustainability-Linked Bond Principles that establish a global framework for sustainable bond issuance
December 08, 2020
Congestion Query
Is Trump holding congestion pricing in NYC hostage? Does bear poop in the woods?
December 07, 2020
Environmental Health On The Biden Agenda
With the nomination of Xavier Becerra as head of the Health + Human Services Department, environmental health justice gets spotlighted for the Biden Administration
Expanding Decarbonizaion Options
What's the point of a geothermal microgrid? Two Massachusetts pilot projects will answer that question
Much-Disputed Gas Pipeline Nears Completion
A fracked-gas pipeline project is almost complete in North Brooklyn, but the final phase is delayed. Is local project opposition the cause?
NYC Comptroller Stringer: Biking By the Numbers
"The bicycling boom that began in June continued through October...During the month of October, bike volume on the four East River bridges in DOT’s count totaled 638,042, an increase of more than 173,000 from last year.
The number of bikes crossing the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge rose 50% to nearly 174,000 this October, as volume rose 40% on the Williamsburg Bridge and 36% on the Manhattan Bridge.
Volume was up by 7% on the Brooklyn Bridge in October, reversing year-over-year declines in the prior three months."
December 04, 2020
Holiday Season, Virus-Safe Musical Interlude
Bach + Paul Simon, as melded by The Knights of NYC
Electrify Everything
To act on the mantra "electrify everything", its costs must be made affordable for all homes, but how?
A Not-Quite-Yet-There Renewable Energy Supply
Isn't it time to wave hello to tide power?
December 03, 2020
Rx For NIMBY
Are there pathways toward changing hearts + minds in communities opposed to hosting renewable energy facilities?
Our Climate Future
The Obama way is not the way for Biden to undo Trump's climate chaos
December 01, 2020
Quebec: From All-Hydro To Zero-Carbon
What's the fastest track to economy-wide decarbonization for Quebec, a province that already gets its electricity from carbon-free hydropower?