writeaboutwarming

May 12, 2019 What do wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and hydro power all have in common? You're right - they're all forms of renewable energy. Better than that, taken together they all put the kibosh on coal-produced energy this past April. Expectations are that they'll do the same thing in May. Best of all, this is the first time that's ever happened, and it won't be the last. According to Dennis Wamsted, of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), "Five years ago this never would have been close to happening. The transition that's going on in the electric sector in the United States has been phenomenal." Renewable forms of energy are expected to enjoy sporadic dominance over coal during the rest of 2019 and 2020.The IEEFA is a non-profit organization that supports the transition to renewable energy.  Their analysis indicates that renewables will surpass the roughly 2000 to 2200 thousand megawatt hours per day generated ...

January 22, 2014 -   Business leaders are catching on, even in the United States.   Yesterday, a report authored, in part, by over 100   academics, energy experts, government officials, and business leaders called upon the President to address climate change by taking measures that do not require congressional approval. Spear-headed by the Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) at Colorado State University, the report grew out of a meeting convened last March, attended by the President and 14 corporate and private sector leaders.   They spoke for hundreds of like-minded individuals who want to reshape the country’s energy policy. The resulting 207-page report contains around 200 recommendations regarding the use of executive authority to enact the climate change action plan the President announced last June.   Former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter released the report, briefing cabinet officials and senior policy staff whose focus is ene...

February 15 – A couple of interesting articles in the February 9 edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer . The first one, on page A4, headlined “New agency to report on climate risks.” The article, written by the Associated Press (no authors’ names provided), begins by enumerating the various threats posed by climate change, and then states that Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and NOAA’s Jane Lubchenco announced the formation of the innocuously named Climate Service. Talk about bland. The reason the Commerce Department is involved is that they regulate the wind power industry and coastal fisheries, both of which will rely upon the new agency for long-range forecasts. Other sectors of the economy that will benefit from the new agency’s formation include farming and public health, according to the article. Coastal community planning was also listed. There is then a reiteration of the recently released finding that the last decade has been the warmest since the government beg...

February 1, 2010 – It’s been a cold January this time around. Cincinnati never gets all that much snow, and that’s holding true this year, too. Cincy is, however, a terribly gloomy place during the winter – I really don’t think Seattle has got us beat by much – and it’s easy to see there are lots of us who are badly in need of increased sunshine! When yours truly goes out for a walk in 25-degree weather just to inhale a little fresh air and get an occasional peak at the sun, it’s bad. So what’s the topic du jour? I was thinking we’d take a close look at natural gas, with the help of the Worldwatch Institute and the American Clean Skies Foundation (ACSF). On December 12, Worldwatch, the ACSF, and the UN Foundation sponsored a forum at the Copenhagen Climate Conference. Entitled “Natural Gas, Renewables and Efficiency: Pathways to a Low-Carbon Economy,” the audience attending the forum listened to a distinguished panel of speakers. Aubrey McClendon, Board Chairman of Chesapeake Ener...