The November 1, 2014 Synthesis Report for Policymakers of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) leaves no doubt that climate change is real, caused by human action, and that time is running out for our illustrious leaders to take action commensurate with the scope and gravity of the monstrous … Continue reading
Category Archives: Environment
Better Than Grid Parity
Electricity in Hawaii costs $0.38 per kilowatt hour, almost treble the national average of around $0.13, which incidentally does not factor in the damage to the environment caused by using fossil fuels to generate electricity. Solar power, which can cost $0.30 per KWH, is now actually cheaper than grid electricity. … Continue reading
Solar Power Economics
October 24, 2014 Here’s an example –albeit of limited scope- of how solar power could be used to reduce unemployment. An Arizona-based private company will build a 60-megawatt solar power plant on 600 acres of dry, vacant land near Mendota, California, a drought-stricken community with near 30% unemployment about 25 … Continue reading
The Conquest of Drought
Speaking at Brookings on the economics of climate change, Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew remarked that “the cost of inaction or delay is far greater than the cost of action.” The fact of the matter is that there is no national or international consensus among leaders on what, if … Continue reading
Consequences of Climate Change Assessment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Excerpted from the full report August 2012 Executive Summary The 2010 Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment is the fifth report prepared in response to the mandate in the 1974 Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act (Public Law 93–378, 88 Stat 475, as amended). This report summarizes findings about the … Continue reading
Remarks Of Secretary Jacob J. Lew On The Economics Of Climate Change
Editor’s note: does not offer a solution to drought. Excerpt of the full transcript …The need for action is clear. The world can either choose to ignore the challenge today and be forced to take more drastic action at greater cost down the road. Or we can make sensible, modest … Continue reading
Another Perspective to Secretary John Kerry’s Comments on Climate Change
October 12, 2014 Secretary Kerry is of course correct in his understanding that climate change must be quickly addressed. However, his prescription –clean energy- the equivalent of a vaccine, is not a remedy for the full blown disease our planet is suffering from. No doubt it might have helped 45 … Continue reading
Secretary John Kerry on Climate Change
October 9, 2014 (Excerpt of his complete remarks) …the gathering storm that Sir Winston also warned about. And there is no element of that gathering storm more critical than climate change. Together, both of our countries recognize that never before has a threat like climate change found in its solution … Continue reading
Southern Oceans Warmer Than First Thought
The world is warming faster than we thought October 2014 by Michael Slezak New Scientist It’s worse than we thought. Scientists may have hugely underestimated the extent of global warming because temperature readings from southern hemisphere seas were inaccurate. Comparisons of direct measurements with satellite data and climate models suggest … Continue reading
New Solar Tracking System Improves Production by 22 to 28%
Mass Megawatts recently announced the company’s entry into the $12 billion, US solar power market with the development of a new solar tracking technology that significantly increases the level of energy produced by solar power systems. This innovative design, combined with substantial government incentives, has created an unprecedented opportunity … Continue reading