Green New Deal

[mspohr]

I have 2.3 acres (about 1 hectare) or about 1 million sq. ft. Local regulations restrict my coverage to about 90,000 sq. ft. (buildings, paving, decks, patios, walkways and even my ground mount solar count as "coverage"). The rest is "natural" trees and brush. No problem. I like living in a natural area.

 

[ohmman]

I have 2.3 acres (about 1 hectare) or about 1 million sq. ft. Local regulations restrict my coverage to about 90,000 sq. ft. (buildings, paving, decks, patios, walkways and even my ground mount solar count as "coverage"). The rest is "natural" trees and brush. No problem. I like living in a natural area.

I'm on the board of an NGO in my area and we are working on an initiative to protect 50% of our local area. Part of that is public lands, obviously, but part is also title agreements with private property owners, effectively dedicating some reasonable portion of their property to stay "wild" and unfenced. We hope that the model works and can be replicated elsewhere.

 

[mspohr]

I'm on the board of an NGO in my area and we are working on an initiative to protect 50% of our local area. Part of that is public lands, obviously, but part is also title agreements with private property owners, effectively dedicating some reasonable portion of their property to stay "wild" and unfenced. We hope that the model works and can be replicated elsewhere.

Where I live we have the "Tahoe Regional Planning Agency" which is a CA/NV joint agency with broad powers to dictate land use. This is done primarily to protect the environment. It is controversial when you tell people what the can and can't do with their land but the TRPA has persevered, controlled development and benefited the environment. Everyone finds it frustrating at times to jump through all of their hoops and follow the rules but it does work.

 

[mspohr]

Saul Griffith wants to electrify everything and rewire America

That’s going to take a lot of jobs, which is great news at a time when we have more unemployment in America since the Depression. Oil and gas interests would have us believe that the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy will mean a lot of people will be out of work. But we’ve done the math, and in fact we will gain 25 million good-paying new jobs over the next 15 years by building clean energy infrastructure.

From those numbers we can estimate how many batteries, heat pumps, induction stoves, electric cars, water heaters that will need to be manufactured and installed. Then we add the jobs we’ll need education, training, regulations, and other areas to accomplish this transition. All told, it’s 25 million jobs, including the “induced” jobs that are created when people with jobs, say, installing solar panels spend their money in the communities, employing butchers, bakers, and LED make

 

[mspohr]

Aggregate green growth is a mirage: we need to take a more scientific approach to societal wellbeing - Resilience

The authors take care to point out many of the well-known shortcomings of GDP growth as a measure of progress. So the issue here is not whether or not GDP growth is an unreliable measure of progress; it looks as though we can (almost) all agree on that, these days.

The issue, rather, is that at present levels of production, it is simply not possible for the global – and Irish – economy to continue expanding in the aggregate without doing irreversible and dangerous harm to the environment.

In other words, it is impossible, within the time constraints that we are now facing, to decouple GDP growth from environmental damage strongly and deeply enough to be able to adequately repair that damage.

The problem is that these are just individual sectors, not the whole economy. In the aggregate, the economies of industrialised, energy-intensive countries such as Ireland are going to need to shrink in order to become able to fit within the limits of our biosphere.

One such possible substitute is the National Well-being Index that Feasta’s Well-being Group have been working on for some years, in collaboration with the German academic institution FEST. Such an index is already being employed in several German states. An Irish NWI would be a work in progress that would probably be regularly reviewed and fine-tuned, but it already seems more accurate than GDP in measuring genuine economic well-being. It could be employed along with a suite of non-monetised measurements relating to society and the environment, similar to those that are used by the OECD and New Zealand.

If you’re stuck in a desert and feeling uncomfortably overheated, you may find yourself being lured by mirages into dangerous territory. If we want our economy to deliver well-being, we’ll need to steer clear of mirages of ‘green growth’ and instead orientate our economic planning towards goals that not only focus on well-being, but are realistically attainable.

 

[mspohr]

Ecocide – Kill The Corporation Before It Kills Us: Review - Resilience

Not all too long ago it was clear: If we stopped using plastic bags and straws, while sorting our recycling waste assiduously, then all would be well with the environment and it was implied that we would overcome climate change. More radical voices were calling for a reduction in the amount of flying we are doing. All of these measures have two things in common. They are in the bigger picture hardly relevant in fighting climate change. More important, it was us who had to change, not the economic system that profits from environmental degradation. The political class and mainstream media have given exceptional effort to reinforce this message.

This requires a complete rethink on our part. Thus David Whyte’s book “Ecocide – Kill The Corporation Before It Kills Us” is a timely and valuable contribution to this process. Capitalism’s imperative of inexorably increasing profits is unsustainable on a planet with limited resources. But as Whyte explains in his book, this is more than an economic or environmental issue, it is also a question of class conflict: Ecocide and elite power are two sides of the same coin. As he documents, this has always been the case with corporations, who on the other side of the ledger from their profits have left a trail of death and destruction, which the ruling class was happy to ignore or even glorify. This recently became obvious with the pulling down of statues of slave traders who for centuries had been held up as paragons of enterprise.

 

[rays427]

Saul Griffith wants to electrify everything and rewire America

That’s going to take a lot of jobs, which is great news at a time when we have more unemployment in America since the Depression. Oil and gas interests would have us believe that the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy will mean a lot of people will be out of work. But we’ve done the math, and in fact we will gain 25 million good-paying new jobs over the next 15 years by building clean energy infrastructure.

From those numbers we can estimate how many batteries, heat pumps, induction stoves, electric cars, water heaters that will need to be manufactured and installed. Then we add the jobs we’ll need education, training, regulations, and other areas to accomplish this transition. All told, it’s 25 million jobs, including the “induced” jobs that are created when people with jobs, say, installing solar panels spend their money in the communities, employing butchers, bakers, and LED make

The number of jobs is at it's lowest level because of the pandemic. If you look at most other countries they are in even worse shape.

As far as electrifying everything it will raise the cost of our energy. This will make the cost of whatever we produce to go up. If other countries continue to use cheap fossil fuels then they will be more competitive and the jobs will go to them. So we would end up with higher costs with fewer jobs.

 

[nwdiver]

I'm on the board of an NGO in my area and we are working on an initiative to protect 50% of our local area. Part of that is public lands, obviously, but part is also title agreements with private property owners, effectively dedicating some reasonable portion of their property to stay "wild" and unfenced. We hope that the model works and can be replicated elsewhere.

I have friends that bought property in WA. Part of the requirements to own the land was that 95% of it had to remain 'working forest'. Done correctly I think logging can be a good thing. Timber is probably one of the more sustainable building materials. Turning a forest into homes also makes room for a new forest to grow. The carbon in the timber that was harvested is also probably more safely sequestered than it would be in a tree vulnerable to fire.

Just need to make sure we're not logging any forest that hasn't been logged in the last 200 years. Leave them alone.

 

[JRP3]

As far as electrifying everything it will raise the cost of our energy.

How will changing to a more efficient system based on renewables raise costs? Switching autos from ICE to EV's lowers the operating costs.

 

[jerry33]

As far as electrifying everything it will raise the cost of our energy. This will make the cost of whatever we produce to go up. If other countries continue to use cheap fossil fuels then they will be more competitive and the jobs will go to them. So we would end up with higher costs with fewer jobs.

How?
1. Since renewables are less expensive than fossil fuels, the cost should lower.
2. Since renewables add jobs, there should be a net gain in jobs.

 

[rays427]

How?
1. Since renewables are less expensive than fossil fuels, the cost should lower.
2. Since renewables add jobs, there should be a net gain in jobs.

If this was really true you wouldn't need the government to subsidize renewables. Once you start shifting to electric heating, etc the costs will go up exponentially. Because of the intermittent nature of wind and solar you will need extensive backup provided by fossil fuels or a combination of batteries, and greatly overbuilding of wind and solar facilities.

 

[jerry33]

If this was really true you wouldn't need the government to subsidize renewables. Once you start shifting to electric heating, etc the costs will go up exponentially. Because of the intermittent nature of wind and solar you will need extensive backup provided by fossil fuels or a combination of batteries, and greatly overbuilding of wind and solar facilities.

If that were true, then Texas (a home of fossil fuels) wouldn't be going to renewables in such a big way. Almost no planned construction is for anything other than solar and wind. And Texas doesn't give any subsidies (some of the electrical providers do). They're doing it because renewables make more economic sense. Australia is (another fossil fuel country) is doing it for the same reason. Basically you're saying that cars will never replace horses.

 

[Merrill]

Yes, anyone who watched the Tony Seba lecture on disruptive technology would understand what is happening with green energy.

 

[JRP3]

Once you start shifting to electric heating, etc the costs will go up exponentially.

You should look into the efficiencies of heat pumps. Also look up insulation.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

9 Things the Biden Administration Could Do Quickly on the Environment 9 Things the Biden Administration Could Do Quickly on the Environment

Here are nine things Mr. Biden may do early on to put the United States back on a path to addressing climate change.

1. Rejoin the Paris Agreement
Mr. Biden has pledged throughout the campaign, and again this week, that on the day he takes office he will recommit the United States to the global agreement on climate change. That would only require a letter to the United Nations and would take effect 30 days later.

2. Convene global leaders
Mr. Biden has said he intends to assemble a “climate world summit” to press leaders of the big industrial nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions more aggressively.

3. Reverse energy rollbacks
Expect the Biden administration to immediately rescind a large number of President Trump’s executive orders on energy, particularly a March 2017 order calling on every federal agency to dismantle their climate policies. Several experts said he is likely to replace it with one declaring his administration’s intention to cut greenhouse gases and instructing all government agencies to look for ways to do so.

4. Make climate part of coronavirus relief
The Biden administration will very likely push to include clean energy provisions in any new economic stimulus measures Congress considers. That could include things like research and development funding for clean energy, money for states to continue their renewable energy expansion, and an extension of tax credits for renewable energy industries.

5. Sign executive orders to cut emissions
Developing and finalizing new regulations will take time, and, if challenged, they may ultimately be struck down by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court. But Mr. Biden has indicated that, early in his administration, he will sign executive orders instructing agencies to develop new methane limits for oil and gas wells, to reinstate and strengthen fuel economy standards, and to tighten efficiency standards for appliances and buildings.

6. Create new financial regulations
Mr. Biden has also said he will, on the first day of his administration, sign an executive order requiring public companies to disclose climate change-related financial risks and greenhouse gas emissions in their operations.

7. Revise rules on fossil fuel production
Mr. Biden is expected to cancel a 2017 executive order to lift restrictions on offshore energy exploration and production. He also could stop the Trump administration’s expedited reviews of pipelines and other fossil fuel projects.

8. Prioritize environmental justice
Mr. Biden has made addressing the effects of pollution and global warming in low-income communities a central element of his climate plan. In the near term, a Biden administration could create an environmental justice advisory board to coordinate policies across agencies and take concrete steps like increasing pollution monitoring in vulnerable communities and creating mapping tools to better understand disparities.

9. Restore wildlife areas
Mr. Biden has pledged to take “immediate steps to reverse the Trump assault on America’s national treasures” including major cuts in 2017 to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, as well as opening parts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration. He has said on the first day of his administration he will sign an executive order to conserve 30 percent of United States land and waters by 2030.

10. No longer allow the purchase of internal combustion engine vehicles by any federal agency.

 

[mspohr]

Deutsche Bank’s pandemic solution? To make you pay for your privilege

The pandemic “is a portal”, Arundhati Roy wrote in a beautiful essay earlier this year. “We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.”

Arundhati Roy: ‘The pandemic is a portal’ | Free to read

 

[mspohr]

What Biden Can Do About Climate Change Opinion | ‘There Is a Real Opportunity Here That I Think Biden Is Capturing’

Mr. Biden, by contrast, has said he will accomplish his unavoidable short-term priorities — controlling the coronavirus and restarting the economy — in significant part by fighting climate change.

He has proposed spending $2 trillion on clean energy over the next four years to put people back to work, a sum that’s almost 20 times larger than the clean-energy spending in Mr. Obama’s 2009 economic-recovery package. Embedding clean-energy measures into other policy areas is likely to be a theme of the Biden presidency. His advisers have told me that during almost every policy discussion, they ask themselves how to incorporate climate.

Having learned this lesson, many progressives changed their strategy. They have moved away from a carbon price and now focus on the two other major ways that a government can address climate change. The first is to subsidize clean energy so it becomes cheaper and, in turn, more widely used. The second is put in place rules — often called standards — that simply mandate less pollution, leaving utilities and other companies to work out the details of how they will emit less carbon.

These two approaches are the core of the Biden agenda. And the creation of standards will be the most important one if Democrats fail to win both Senate races in Georgia.

Crucially, a president already has the legal authority to enact standards in the sectors that emit the most carbon, like utilities and transportation. Mr. Biden will not need new legislation to do so. In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Air Act applied to carbon emissions, allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to restrict them. Mr. Obama used this power, and Mr. Biden will probably be even more aggressive.

 

[mspohr]

UK expected to ban sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030

Boris Johnson is understood to be planning to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars within a decade, with reports that the ban will be brought forward by five years.

It follows the prime minister moving the cut-off date from 2040 to 2035 in February.

Johnson has been reportedly putting together a 10-point plan to jump-start the low-carbon economy and set the country on track to meet the target of net zero emissions by 2050, amid international pressure to produce a detailed plan as host of the next UN summit on the climate crisis, Cop26, which was postponed to next November.

Meanwhile, following Joe Biden’s electoral victory in the US, the Labour party has been pressing the government to intensify Britain’s efforts to tackle the climate emergency by bringing forward a multibillion pound “green recovery” plan.

 

[mspohr]

http://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/143WWSCountries.pdf

This paper evaluates Green New Deal solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy insecurity for 143 countries. The solutions involve transitioning all energy to 100% clean, renewable windwater-solar (WWS) energy, efficiency, and storage. WWS reduces global energy needs by 57.1%, energy costs by 61%, and social (private plus health plus climate) costs by 91% while avoiding blackouts, creating millions more jobs than lost and requiring little land. Thus, 100% WWS needs less energy, costs less, and creates more jobs than current energy.

 

[SageBrush]

I'm on the board of an NGO in my area and we are working on an initiative to protect 50% of our local area. Part of that is public lands, obviously, but part is also title agreements with private property owners, effectively dedicating some reasonable portion of their property to stay "wild" and unfenced. We hope that the model works and can be replicated elsewhere.

The covenants in my neighborhood do not allow fencing between properties, and most homes sit on about 1 acre. These two things do wonders for the livability, and of course the wildlife walk around undisturbed. It's a wonderful thing to observe deer curious about humans and house pets. I also kinda/sorta like it when bobcats visit to stare through a window. It is obvious they treat us like a zoo.