Climate Break (Berkeley Law)

What are “Resilience Hotspots”?

Technology and high-tech solutions are not the only responses to climate change. Nature can also be a powerful form of climate resilience. Resilience hotspots are small pockets of nature that, when restored and maintained, act as barriers to climate impacts. For instance, wetlands can insulate shores from storm surges and trees can provide shade in urban heat islands. In this way, climate adaptation can go hand-in-hand with integrating nature into our cities. 

The Science of Nature-Based Solutions

While many natural areas can have climate benefits, wetlands and urban green spaces are particularly significant ecosystems in terms of climate adaptation. How do these natural protections from climate change work in the first place? 

Wetlands are areas where the soil is saturated with water either seasonally or year-round. They often provide crucial protection from the heavy rainfall and storms, which are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change. Acting as a sort of sponge, wetlands have the ability to absorb and temporarily store the excess water from these events. When a storm hits, wetlands are a “speed bump” to floodwaters, slowing and holding back storm surge and flooding that otherwise  causes damage to nearby cities and towns. According to NOAA, such protection by wetlands saves US coastal communities a whopping $23 billion a year. In many areas of the US, wetlands have been degraded by nearby urbanization or drained for development, leaving these areas more vulnerable to storm surge and flooding. As a result, restoring wetlands has become a priority as a strategy to increase climate resilience in these areas.

Urban green spaces protect against a different climate impact: extreme heat. Because urban surfaces tend to be densely covered in heat-absorbing materials like asphalt or concrete, cities absorb a greater proportion of heat from the sun’s rays. This, combined with greater concentrations of greenhouse gasses in cities, leads to a situation where cities can be up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than nearby green spaces, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. With the temperature increases associated with climate change, the heat island effect poses great risks for heat-related illness and death. Urban green spaces break up the dense cover of manmade material with parks, green roofs, and shade-providing trees, creating natural areas that reflect sunlight, take up greenhouse gas emissions and provide aesthetic and mental health benefits. 

How to Build Resilience Hotspots

So how can we implement these nature-based climate solutions into our cities? The resilience hotspots approach uses a patchwork of crucial sites integrated into towns and communities. By focusing on places with great potential to mitigate climate damage, this approach promotes the benefits of nature-based solutions while working with the existing urban infrastructure. 

In the San Francisco Bay Area of California, for example, existing wetlands have the potential to store water and reduce storm surge during storm events if they are enhanced, thereby protecting a great number of low-lying urban places. Greenbelt Alliance has identified eighteen key areas across the Bay Area that have great natural potential to mitigate climate damages and are located in or near communities that will bear greater impacts from climate change. Working with community partners, they plan and implement restoration projects that enhance the ecosystem and increase resilience.  

Equity also plays an important role in designing resilience hotspots. A process that involves community organizations in the restoration of their environment integrates local expertise and insights and can promote equitable outcomes. By combining science and equity, restoration, equity and resilience can operate collectively. Resilience hotspots can be a natural tool for mitigating climate damages and for advancing climate justice.

About our Guest 

Sadie Wilson is the Director of Planning and Research at Greenbelt Alliance, where she manages resilience hotspots work and advocates for climate smart planning and policy. During her Masters in City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley, she contributed to research at many Bay-Area focused institutions including the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, The Center for Cities and Schools, and The Terner Center. 

Further Reading

• Greenbelt Alliance, About the Resilience Hotspots
• NOAA, Coastal Wetland Benefits
• CBS News, Quick Explainer on Urban Heat Islands
• EPA, How Inequity affects Heat Islands
• Quaranta, Dorati & Pistocchi, Economic Benefits of Urban Greening (Scientific Reports, 2021)
• Greenbelt Alliance, Read some of Sadie’s work

For a full transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/resilience-hotspots-natures-role-in-urban-climate-adaptation/

Advanced Clean Car II Rule

The Advanced Clean Car II proposal requires that all new passenger vehicles, trucks, and SUVs sold in California be zero emissions by 2035. The rule will begin with 2026 through 2035 vehicle models and will also require more aggressive tailpipe emission standards for gasoline vehicles. The proposal has two parts: first, it amends the low-emission vehicle regulation, which enact stricter standards on gasoline cars and trucks to reduce smog emissions. Second, the rule relies on advancing zero-emission technologies for hydrogen fuel cell electric, battery-electric, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Today, California has the largest zero-emission vehicle market in the country, and more than 16% of all new vehicles sold in the state are currently zero-emission or hybrid cars. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) estimates that by 2025 there will be 179 models of zero-emission and plug-in-hybrid cars.

CARB believes that  this proposal will reduce air pollutants, protect public health and fight climate change. CARB estimated the public health benefits of this regulation will be at least $12 billion by 2035, and will reduce premature death, hospitalizations, and lost work days from exposure to harmful air pollutants. CARB also anticipates that the rule will help meet  environmental justice goals by reducing impacts on  disadvantaged, poor, and marginalized communities which disproportionately bear the burden of exposure to some of the worst air and vehicular pollution in the state. A study by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that in California, African Americans and Latinos breathe in 40% more particulate matter from vehicular air pollution compared to white communities. The transportation sector is also responsible for 50% of California's greenhouse gas emissions and 80% of the state’s smog-causing pollutants. By increasing the number of zero-emission vehicles and cleaning up conventional internal combustion vehicles, these regulations could help reduce the exposure and harm faced by these vulnerable communities. 

The proposal also includes vehicle assurance measures, including setting a minimum warranty, durability requirements, increasing serviceability, and facilitating battery charging. These assurance measures aim to broaden the electric vehicle market. The rule also seeks to broaden access to the zero-emission market by providing reduced-price vehicles for community mobility programs, supporting the production of affordable vehicles, and retaining used electric vehicles in California. In addition, CARB is providing $2.4 billion of incentives for consumers to switch to electric vehicles and other forms of clean transportation. These funds  will cover the costs of more charging infrastructure and increased public outreach. 

This proposal also faces criticism due to some of the innate challenges with electric vehicles. One concern is the driving range of electric vehicles as the average zero-emission car in California is only capable of traveling 150 miles without a recharge, which will create a demand for hundreds of new charging stations across the state, although range is expanding rapidly. Affordability and equitable access are also a critique as the average zero-emission vehicle costs $30,000 and the used electric vehicle market is limited. The increased demand on California’s electric grid is also a challenge as the state is already struggling to meet current electricity demands as it phases out gas-fired generators. Electric vehicles, and particularly the materials in their batteries, also pose many environmental and human rights concerns. Increased demand for electric vehicles has dramatically increased the mining of raw earth elements such as cobalt and lithium. Mining these elements can produce hazardous waste that can leach into the environment and lead to toxic exposure for nearby communities. Many of these minerals are also found in developing countries, where corruption and lack of environmental regulations continue to exacerbate the negative impacts of the mining needed to produce zero-emission vehicles.

Despite these challenges, California’s new proposal is setting the standard for national adoption of zero-emission vehicles. Seventeen states have adopted part or all of California's low and zero-emission regulations. By setting the most stringent emission standards in the country, California regulations are forcing auto manufacturers to change their production to comply with California law. As auto manufacturers not only produce specific vehicles for California, they are greening the vehicle market across the country. As a result, CARB estimates that more than 35% of the nation's new light-duty vehicles will meet California emission standards. 

Dr. Steve Cliff

Dr. Steve Cliff is the Executive Officer of the California Air and Resource Board (CARB). Cliff began his appointment in the Summer of 2022 and works with the board to enact programs to reduce air and climate pollution within the state. In his role, Cliff oversees over 1,800 employees and a budget of $2.7 billion. 

Before serving as Executive Officer Cliff worked as the 16th Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and was appointed by President Biden in January 2021. At NHTSA Cliff oversaw the nation’s vehicle safety agency, where he helped advance vehicle technologies and established fuel economy regulations. Dr. Cliff also has an extensive history working with CARB as he first joined as an Air Pollution Specialist in 2008, served as Deputy Executive Officer overseeing the board’s climate program, and was appointed by Governor Brown in 2016 as senior advisor to CARB’s Chair. Governor Brown also appointed Dr. Cliff as Assistant Director for Sustainability to the California Department of Transportation, where he served in this role from 2014 to 2016. 

Sources

• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/podcasts/the-daily/california-electric-vehicles.html?showTranscript=1
• https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/california-moves-accelerate-100-new-zero-emission-vehicle-sales-2035
• https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-cars-program/advanced-clean-cars-ii
• https://www.calhealthreport.org/2019/02/08/people-of-color-and-the-poor-disproportionately-exposed-to-air-pollution-study-finds/
• https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/about/leadership/hon-steven-s-cliff
• https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/climate/electric-vehicles-environment.html?

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/what-advanced-clean-cars-ii-means-for-zero-emission-vehicles-with-dr-steve-cliff/

What is CRISPR?

DNA contains the fundamental information about an organism, and is used as an instruction manual to guide organism structure and function. Until CRISPR (short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology was developed by Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, editing DNA sequences was very difficult. Here’s the short version of the CRISPR process. First, a CRISPR enzyme is guided by an RNA strand to a DNA strand researchers want to edit. The RNA strand guides the enzyme to a specific point, and the enzyme cuts the DNA molecule. This CRISPR process can be used to eliminate DNA strands, as well as to replace DNA strands using other “repair” enzymes. It is a direct way for human beings to alter the planet’s biological blueprint, and, accordingly, its impact can be a strong force for change, positive or negative. 

How can CRISPR be used to fight climate change?

CRISPR can be used to edit the genetic sequences of plants so that they capture more carbon during photosynthesis, and store it in the ground long-term. Since around a third of the Earth’s land is cropland, CRISPR-modified agriculture could potentially sequester billions of tons of carbon each year. Professor Kris Niyogi at UC Berkeley studies how CRISPR can be used to increase the efficiency of sunlight utilization in plants during photosynthesis. Photosynthesis captures carbon dioxide, and requires sunlight to do so. By not letting any sunlight go to waste, the plant can capture more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. CRISPR can also be used to create plants with deeper roots, enabling carbon to be stored deeper in the ground. UC Berkeley Professor Peggy Lamaux studies sorghum plants, searching for the genes responsible for sorghum’s deep roots. Related genes in rice and wheat could be altered to have deeper roots, like the sorghum plant. And UC Berkeley Professor Jill Banfield studies how plant-microbe interactions can be altered by CRISPR to store more carbon in soil. Soil microbes secrete sticky biopolymers, which can take soil humic substances and lock them with minerals to create long-lasting associations (potentially up to 100 years) that hold carbon. The Banfield lab aims to CRISPR-modify plants so that they chemically “talk” to microbes, emitting chemicals that encourage the microbes to create more “sticky” carbon, rather than carbon that would be emitted into the atmosphere. 

Who is Kris Niyogi?

Kris Niyogi is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, a professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a faculty scientist in the Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The Niyogi Lab studies photosynthetic energy conversion and its regulation in algae and plants. The lab's long-term research goals are to understand how photosynthesis operates, how it is regulated, and how it might be improved to help meet the world's needs for food and fuel. Dr. Niyogi earned his biology PhD from MIT. 

Further Reading

In 10 years, CRISPR transformed medicine. Can it now help us deal with climate change? | University of California

This scientist thinks she has the key to curb climate change: super plants

Supercharging Plants and Soils to Remove Carbon from the Atmosphere

CRISPR-Cas Can Help Reduce Climate Change

Can we hack DNA in plants to help fight climate change?

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/using-crispr-to-fight-climate-change-with-professor-kris-niyogi/

AYR is the world’s first virtual digital platform that provides users with credits for carbon emissions saved. Created  by the Center for Engineering and Product Development (CEiiA), the AYR app works to reward users with “eco-tokens” for every kilometer traveled using sustainable forms of transportation, such as public transportation, biking, or walking. The goal of AYR is to accelerate individuals, businesses, and local communities' transition to carbon neutrality. AYR is currently operating in the Municipality of Matosinhos, in the Metropolitan Area of Porto, Portugal where CEiiA is based. The municipality hopes to be part of the European Union's Horizon Europe Program’s mission to create 100 carbon-neutral cities by 2030, and Matoshino is using AYR to help achieve this goal. 

The app quantifies carbon emissions in real-time and utilizes blockchain technology to reward users in “tokens [that] circulate in the city ecosystem as a ‘local sustainability coin’”. Users of AYR receive crypto-tokens in their digital wallet that can be exchanged for green goods, mobility, and municipal services in the local economy. The crypto-tokens can also be used to offset carbon emissions in a local voluntary carbon market. One example of AYR’s success is in “six months, a group of bike and scooter sharing services in the city of Matosinhos, Portugal, helped avoid 18.1t CO2 and generated 181,000 digital credits that users could spend on other city services.” AYR extends beyond individual users to local businesses, which can receive crypto-tokens and other financial benefits that can be used to fund green projects. The data collected with AYR is also used in the local decision and policy-making process. 

Many carbon mitigation programs charge a tax or fee for carbon emissions emitted, but AYR instead rewards and pays users for carbon emissions avoided. AYR was designed to help remove cars from the road and take back public spaces to transform and enhance neighborhoods to be more environmentally friendly. CEiiA is also currently testing the platform in Itajaí, Brazil, and hopes to expand to ten more cities in Northern Portugal, Brazil, Europe, and Latin America in the next two years. AYR received the New European Beaches (NEB) Prize for Products and Lifestyles in September 2021 and the platform is backed by Google Impact Challenge on Climate. 

Paulo Humanes

Paulo Humanes is the Director of Mobility, Automotive, and Cities at CEiiA where he works as an engineer to innovate the mobility sector. Humanes received a Master’s in Transport Engineering at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and now works as a visiting professor there. Humanes also received the title of fellow from the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation and served as the chairman of the institute in 2009. In his role at CEiiA, Humanes works with institutional partners such as the World Resource Institute, World Bank, and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, to build zero-emission mobility solutions. Humanes also works with local cities and government partnerships, through projects such as AYR, to build capacity for new transportation and mobility climate solutions. 

Sources:

• https://www.themayor.eu/en/a/view/catarina-selada-on-the-first-ever-platform-that-assigns-credits-for-saved-carbon-emissions-10339
• https://new-european-bauhaus-festival.eu/fair/72wsc7zCKmGVMpoQsLy20J
• https://www.ceiia.com/about-us
• https://www.ceiia.com/ayr
• https://2022.itf-oecd.org/speaker/paulo-humanes
• https://impactchallenge.withgoogle.com/climate2020/charities/ceiia
• https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/eu-missions-horizon-europe/climate-neutral-and-smart-cities_en#:~:text=EU%20missions%20are%20commitments%20to,ensuring%20soil%20health%20and%20food.

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/using-cryptocurrency-to-reward-sustainable-transportation-with-paulo-humanes/

What is a cool surface?

Cool surfaces are roofs, walls, or pavements that are generally light-colored and highly reflective. When sunlight hits a white surface, its rays bounce off the surface rather than being absorbed, and are reflected back into space. Darker surfaces tend to absorb sunlight, trapping heat. Cool surfaces release this heat back into the atmosphere and space. 

What are the benefits of switching to a cool surface?

Something as simple as painting the roof white has the potential to create major benefits for our planet and its people: 

Potential cons of cool surfaces

• Sun reflecting off of cool surfaces could cause uncomfortable glare and brightness.
• Because they are white, cool surfaces can have a dirtier appearance, requiring greater upkeep.
• Some research indicates that reflected sunlight from cool pavements could increase heat levels for pedestrians.

Despite these issues, cool surfaces have a large set of potential benefits overall. 

About our Guest

Dr. Ronnen Levinson is leader of the Heat Island Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The Heat Island Group develops cooling strategies for roofs, pavements, and cars to cool buildings, cities, and the planet. This work involves developing cool roof, wall, and pavement materials, improving methods for the measurement of solar reflectance, and quantifying the energy and environmental benefits of cool surfaces. Levinson advises policymakers, code officials, utilities, and building rating programs about cool surfaces. He earned a B.S. in engineering physics from Cornell University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley. 

Further Reading

Cool Roofs and Cool Pavements Toolkit from the Global Cool Cities Alliance

Shickman: US Perspectives on Cool Surfaces

Hot Enough For You? Cooling The Worsening Urban Heat Island

On-the-ground guidance for L.A.’s far-reaching climate strategy | UCLA

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/cool-surfaces-reflecting-heat-and-reducing-emissions-with-ronnen-levinson/

What is Community Choice Aggregation?

Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) is a system that allows local governments to purchase power directly from an energy supplier other than the existing utility. This means that while the existing utility continues to deliver the power, the CCA buys and generates the power itself, potentially from renewable sources. CCAs continue to pay fees to the existing utility for energy transmission and backup power.        

While not required, CCAs can set ambitious climate goals that exceed state-mandated targets and drive decarbonization efforts by investing in emerging clean energy technologies. CCAs can take risks to transform their energy sources and grid in ways that traditional investor-owned utilities may be reluctant to try. When successful, CCAs can reduce electric rates for consumers and drive investment in local energy programs. But CCAs without sufficient capital may face financial and operational challenges.    

CCA programs are authorized in various states, including California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Virginia. 

How does it work?

In states with enabling legislation, local governments can create a CCA by holding public hearings and passing a law authorizing CCAs. Participation in CCAs is voluntary, with most programs having opt-out provisions. This means customers are automatically enrolled in the program unless they choose to opt out and continue receiving electricity from their current supplier. Some CCAs may have opt-in provisions, requiring customers to actively enroll in the program. Customers under CCAs continue to receive delivery and maintenance services from their existing utility and receive a single utility bill reflecting the change in electricity generation sources and prices.

What are the pros and cons?

Advantages of CCAs include the potential for retail electric rate reductions, the ability to shift to greener power resources quickly, local control over electricity generation aligned with local goals, expanded consumer choices, and the potential to stimulate local job creation and renewable energy development. However, there are also challenges associated with CCAs, including dependence on enabling state legislation, navigating CCA regulations and ordinances, administrative costs, consumer confusion over opt-in and opt-out clauses, and potential resistance from utilities in traditionally regulated electricity states facing new competition from CCAs.

What is Central Coast Community Energy?

Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) is a CCA program that has procured and provided electricity to residents and businesses in Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and Santa Barbara counties in California since 2018. It is governed by board members who represent each community served by the agency.

3CE recently approved a contract to build the world's largest Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) facility, which will provide 500 megawatts of energy storage. 3CE will reserve 200 megawatts of that capacity to help achieve its goal of serving 100% clean and renewable energy to its customers in Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara counties by 2030. The CAES technology uses underground caverns to store compressed air, which is later released to generate electricity, offering long-duration storage beyond the capabilities of lithium-ion batteries, and supporting grids reliant on intermittent renewable energy.

Further Reading

EPA, Community Choice Aggregation

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Community Choice Aggregation: Challenges, Opportunities, and Impacts on Renewable Energy Markets (2019)

CalCCA, Community Choice Aggregation (CCA): What is it?

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Helping Communities Reach Renewable Energy Goals (Mow 2017)

Local Energy Aggregation Network (LEAN), CCA by State

Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Boston, MA), Start a Community Choice Aggregation Program (2014)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Status and Trends in the Voluntary Market (2020 data), presentation materials (Heeter 2021)

Central Coast Community Energy (3CE), 3CE to Purchase 200MW of Long Duration Energy Storage from Hydrostor (2023)

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/municipal-investment-in-clean-energy-tech-through-community-choice-aggregation-with-rob-shaw/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/intergovernmental-pressure-on-climate-finance-with-mary-mary-robinson-california-china-climate-institute/

Why Community?

It’s easy to feel despair about climate change and environmental destruction. But despair can make it hard to forge connections and take action. According to emotion researchers, hope means believing that you have the power to improve problems, rather than ignoring them. One possible source of hope? Community building events, where diverse groups of activists can find common ground.

What is Bioneers?

Climate Break spoke with Teo Grossman, Senior Director of Programs and Research for the longstanding environmental conference Bioneers, about how community building events like the Bioneers conference foster hope and catalyze action. Now in its 34th year, Bioneers is an interdisciplinary environmental organization whose annual conference brings together environmental advocates and innovators from a wide variety of disciplines to share stories and brainstorm solutions. Grossman joined Bioneers in 2014 but first spoke there while still a college student in the early 2000s. He says his time at Bioneers has convinced him that community events and storytelling are powerful tools for change. 

Bioneers’s History

Throughout its history, Bioneers has been home to new ways of thinking about environmental activism.The annual conference helped spawn major climate organizations like 350.org and inspired some of Michael Pollan’s early work on the food system. Grossman also highlights its role in advancing the Rights of Nature legal movement. Rights of Nature seeks to recognize nature itself – like bodies of water and endangered species – as having legal rights. In 2008, Bolivia became the first country to include explicit rights for nature in their constitution. Other countries have since followed suit. 

Bioneers Today

Bioneers has expanded since its inception, and now includes year round media and educational programming in addition to its annual conference. Grossman says they’re especially proud of their Native-led Indigeneity Program, which includes youth leadership scholarships and forums. 

This year's conference includes speakers from throughout the world of climate and environmental justice, including political scientist Leah Stokes, clean-tech entrepreneur Danny Kennedy, and One Fair Wage President Saru Jayaraman. Also on the agenda? Conversations about the role fiction writing and narrative can play in restoring hope to the environmental movement, hosted by science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson and essayist Rebecca Solnit.  Bioneers is holding its annual conference April 6-8 in Berkeley. You can learn more about the conference on their website.

Other Resources for Finding Community

In addition to Bioneers, there are plenty of other ways to find hope and connect with the environmental movement. Interested in making decarbonization your job? Resources like Climatebase and Work on Climate offer centralized job listings and career support. You can also seek workshops and seminars to hear new perspectives on environmental issues. International organizations like Resources for the Future host lectures and workshops to highlight ongoing research, while in the Bay Area, local groups like the SF Federal Reserve and the Commonwealth Club’s Climate One host lectures both in person and online. 

Looking for ways to take direct action? Databases like the CA Climate Action Portal map climate action by local government. Research the climate action – or inaction – your local government is doing to find ways to get involved. You may be able to attend public meetings for your energy providers, where you can meet other constituents and advocate for just and renewable energy. For example, San Francisco CCA Clean Power SF holds regular meetings over zoom that are welcome to the public. To go even bigger, attend public meetings by statewide regulatory agencies like the CPUC, which oversees the rates and investments of California utilities like PG&E. 

About the Guest

Teo Grossman is Senior Director of Programs and Research for Bioneers, where he helps lead both conference development and Bioneers’s year-round media production. He studied environmental science and management as a Doris Duke Conservation Fellow at UC Santa Barbara and first began working with Bioneers as a Program Manager in the early 2000s. 

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/community-as-antidote-to-climate-despair-with-teo-grossman/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/gov-jerry-brown-on-president-elect-biden-and-climate-equity/

What are the problems with current beer production methods?

Beer is primarily composed of water—making up about 90 percent of its content. Annually, over 100 billion gallons of beer are produced and shipped, meaning nearly 90 billion gallons of water are being transported in the form of beer. This is significant because approximately 20 percent of a beer’s carbon footprint is attributed to transportation. In response, Sustainable Beverage Technologies (SBT) has proposed a new type of beer that can reduce transportation costs, material use, and overall emissions. 

A Sustainable Solution

SBT’s approach allows beer to travel through the supply chain as a concentrated liquid, reducing its water content to one-sixth that of conventional beer. In practical terms, one 13-pound bag of concentrated beer can yield the equivalent of 48 pints of fully hydrated beer. The condensed form of the beer significantly decreases the weight and physical size of the beer as it moves through the supply chain, which in turn reduces between 450 and 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions for every 48 pints produced. 

Additionally, the only packaging that is not recyclable is the bag of beer itself. All of the boxes used in transportation are recyclable, which significantly reduces the waste from beer production and transportation. Current partnerships allow SBT to ship this concentrated beer formula to various vendors, who then rehydrate the beer before selling it to consumers. SBT is actively working to expand these partnerships to further reduce emissions in the beer industry. 

Effect on Consumers

This new beer will have minimal effect on the end consumer and will mainly influence partners and suppliers. SBT’s beer requires rehydration at its final destination; SBT is developing specialized technology to facilitate this. This beer allows consumers to keep enjoying their drinks while knowing they are contributing to a sustainable solution. 

About Gary Tickle 

Gary Tickle serves as the CEO of Sustainable Beverage Technologies.Alongside his partner, the original founder, he leads a team of innovators focused on crafting sustainable solutions for the beer industry while maintaining the beer flavor and feel. 

For a transcript of this episode, please visit: https://climatebreak.org/raising-the-bar-brewing-a-greener-future-with-concentrated-beer-with-gary-tickle/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/the-american-conservation-coalition-with-karly-matthews/

Background on Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a tiny country in Western Europe wedged between Belgium, France, and Germany. It has one of the highest vehicle densities in the EU, with nine out of ten people relying on personal vehicles. The country is currently facing rapid population growth, stressing its mobility infrastructure and complicating efforts to meet emission goals in line with the European Green New Deal. Luxembourg’s green mobility goals include increasing the number of EVs on the road, expanding public transit, and decarbonizing air travel. 

Electric Vehicle Subsidies

Luxembourg is taking a more European-style top-down approach to its electric vehicle problem. The government is first creating a market for electric vehicles through subsidizing EV purchases and financing charging networks. Free market action follows government subsidies, accelerating the development of more affordable and desirable EVs. The United States recently moved in this direction with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, though the federal government still lags far behind most European governments on climate action. 

Public Transit

Key to Luxembourg’s approach to green mobility is reducing the large number of cars on its roads. Since 2020, public transit has been completely free in Luxembourg. This has had mixed results; the Covid-19 pandemic discouraged public transport riding. Luxembourg has also developed an app/GPS service integrating different transit options onto one platform and allowing for easy comparison of different mobility options. 

Aviation

Luxembourg invests in green aviation, holding shares in Norsk e-Fuel– a Norwegian industry consortium focused on the production of what is known as SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel). Eventually, Luxembourg envisions planes running purely on green hydrogen, but this is a dream that will likely take years to come true. For now, “synthetic aviation fuel”, which uses captured carbon along with green hydrogen, is a low-carbon solution. Luxembourg is working with its Norwegian partners to build a green-hydrogen factory, necessary for any kind of SAF. 

Who is Minister François Bausch?

Minister Bausch is the Second Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg and Minister of Mobility and Public Works. He is the leader of the Green Party in Luxembourg. Prior to his political career, Minister Bausch was an officer with Luxembourg National Railways, and has seen the rapid expansion of railway transport throughout his tenure in government. 

Learn More About Luxembourg and Green Mobility

European Parliament Briefing – Climate Action in Luxembourg

The Luxembourg Government (Press Release) – Luxembourg In Transition–Towards a zero-carbon, resilient and sustainable territory

Sustainability Journal – Characterizing the Theory of Energy Transition in Luxembourg

IEA – Luxembourg climate resilience policy indicator

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/learning-from-luxembourgs-approach-to-evs-with-minister-of-mobility-francois-bausch/

For a transcript, please visit the episode's webpage: https://climatebreak.org/climate-101-s1e1-lessons-from-california-where-weve-gone-wrong-that-other-states-can-learn-from-as-well-as-where-weve-gone-right/

Carbon-Free Trucks

The European Green Deal, passed in 2020, sets policy initiatives approved by the European Commission to boost efficient use of resources to green, clean, circular economy and stop climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Reducing emissions from the transportation sector is an important part of the EU’s 2050 zero-emission goal, as the transportation sector accounts for 25% of emissions in the EU.

New carbon emission reduction targets approved by the European Commission set an emissions reduction goal of 90%, compared to 2019 levels, for new trucks by 2040. The reduction pathway includes a series of five year incremental targets, starting with a 4% reduction by 2030. This will require the majority of heavy-duty vehicles to switch to electric power, while allowing some to continue using combustion power. Currently, there are 6.2 million trucks in the EU and 99% of them are powered by fossil fuels, with an average lifespan of 14 years. The commission also estimates 70% of newly sold trucks by 2030 will be diesel powered.

Challenges and Push Backs to the New Targets

These new targets face numerous challenges and considerable pushback from the fossil fuel and traditional trucking industries. Because some European regions will be hard to electrify, some parts of Europe may be excluded from the regulation.  Other concerns include  range insecurity for long-distance trucking, the lack of sufficient EV charging infrastructure,  high electricity prices and tariffs,  electricity grid congestion which limits installation of charging points,  and uneven distribution of charging stations (half of all public EV charging points in the EU are located in the Netherlands and Germany). To combat this problem the EU adopted the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation requiring electric charging infrastructure with a minimum output of 350 kW every 60 km along the TEN-T core network, and charging points every 100 km on the larger TEN-T comprehensive network starting in 2025, and aiming for complete network coverage by 2030.  This regulation also requires charging points to be installed in urban areas for delivery vehicles and in safe and secure parking areas for overnight recharging. 

While truck manufacturers have argued that  the transition is happening too quickly, the European Commission considered but did not adopt  a 100% emissions reduction target.  Environmentalists also raised concerns with the regulations as new carbon emitting trucks built in 2040, will still be on the road in 2050 inhibiting the ability for the EU to reach net zero targets for 2050. One manufacturing company leading the way, is the Swedish truck manufacturer AB Volvo which began producing a series of electric trucks in 2022, and aims for half of its global truck deliveries to be electric by 2030.

About Our Guest

Sofie Defour is the freight director at Transport and Environment, an international secretariat and European advisory agency based in Brussels with a vision for a zero-emission mobility system. Defour leads the road freight team and acts as the clean trucks director. Defour also worked as policy coordinator for climate, energy and environment at the Flemish socialist party and holds a master degree in international politics. Defour sits on the board of the Flemish just transition NGO (Reset.Vlaanderen), as well as on the Sounding Board of the Belgian network for companies with Science Based Targets (Belgian Alliance for Climate Action). 

Resources

European Commission, A European Green New Deal

Reuters, Sweden's AB Volvo starts series production of heavy electric trucks (2022) 

Reuters, EU proposes 90% CO2 emissions cut by 2040 for trucks (2023) 

Chemistry Views, EU Emission Reduction for New Trucks and City Buses: Zero Emissions Target for New City Buses by 2030 And 90 % Emissions Reduction for New Trucks by 2040 (2023) 

KPMG, Charging ahead: Addressing EV charging infrastructure challenges in Europe

Transport and Environment, E-truck charging infrastructure

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/carbon-free-trucks-on-the-road-to-zero-emissions/

Induction-Range Stoves:

Gas stoves have recently been in the news as a source of harmful pollutants in the home and generators of greenhouse gas. The adoption of energy-efficient induction-range stovetops could offer a solution. Induction cooktops use electromagnetism to generate heat from directly within cookware, preventing the levels of energy loss seen in conventional gas or electric cooktops. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is not coming for anybody’s gas stove, despite a recent frenzy over concerns of bans on gas stovetops, so cooks around the country can pick the stove tops of their choosing. But as a handful of journalists have pointed out, the notion that gas stove tops are better for cooking than electric, really a matter of opinion, could have something to do with advertising investments by the American Gas Association. In fact, many chefs actually prefer induction cooktops to gas, and their environmental benefits are substantial. 

Induction stoves contain an electromagnetic coil that generates a magnetic field when turned on. That magnetic field creates metallic resistance from compatible cookware, generating heat from within itself. Conversely, conventional gas and electric stoves transfer heat to pots and pans through a flame or electric coil. In that heat transfer, energy is lost. Induction has an energy efficiency of 85%. Electric stoves and gas stoves are 75-80% and 32% energy efficient, respectively, making gas the least energy efficient stove type. Across the United States, only about 32% of households use gas ranges, but in some states, like California, the number is closer to 70%. Energy Star estimates that a widespread shift to induction ranges would collectively save the United States over $125 million in energy costs and over 1000 GWh of energy.

Plug-in Induction-Range Stoves:

While Induction stoves are highly energy efficient, and can save consumers money on their energy bills, the upfront cost can be significant. According to Consumer Reports, a typical induction stove can range from roughly $1000 to $4000. Their installation can sometimes require upgrades to the home’s electrical wiring, which can add additional cost and complicates the process. Battery-powered induction-ranges like those in production by Channing Street Copper Company can be plugged in directly to standard electrical outlets. Plug-ins remove the complication of updating electrical panels or installing special high-voltage outlets, but they can be more expensive, costing consumers roughly $6000. However, a purchase of a standard induction or plug-in induction range may qualify consumers for rebates at federal and local levels. 

Sam Calisch is an engineer and scientist working on decarbonization and electrification. He is the co-founder of Channing Street Copper, where he leads technology development.

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/an-induction-range-no-rewiring-required/

Mobilizing Investors to Build a More Sustainable Global Economy

As the effects of climate change rise in prevalence, all facets of the global economy will be affected. In order to address many of the global environmental crises of today, such as biodiversity loss and extreme drought, entrepreneurs are looking into sustainable investment initiatives as a tool for change. Sustainable investing is a process that directs investment capital to companies and businesses actively working to prevent environmental destruction. Sustainable investments often follow an Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) framework, which seeks to promote socially conscious investments. Similar to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which refers to a company’s commitment to operating ethically, ESG goes one step further in providing an assessable outcome of a company’s overall sustainability performance. Thus, ESG lays a foundation for investors in determining which corporations operate sustainably. 

Current Climate of Sustainable Investment

From 2021 to 2026, institutional investment in ESG projects is expected to increase by 84%. The World Economic Forum recently published a report noting that over $200 billion is required annually in order to meet adaptation and resilience investment targets, which is three times the current funding. Such investing in adaptation and resilience could reduce exposure to climate risks and yield financial benefits for stakeholders involved. Although climate financing is slowly on the rise, there remains minimal progress in climate-vulnerable and high-emission countries. 

There are various types of sustainable investing, operating through registered investment companies, alternative investment funds and community investments. The US Sustainable Investment Forum identified 645 registered investment companies with $1.2 trillion sustainable investment AUM in 2022. Not only does sustainable investment cover private equity investments, but also cash, fixed income, and alternative investments. Sustainable investments, like conventional investing, receive a return on their investments. Reports from the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing found no financial trade-off between sustainable investing compared to traditional investment initiatives. 

Does sustainable investing provide hope for the future?

Investing in sustainable industry, infrastructure, and business has the potential to provide a more climate-proof economy for all. For private investors, effective investments in areas vulnerable to climate change could reduce disruptions in the supply chain, thereby boosting labor productivity and lowering operational costs. As such, companies will have the tools in place to be able to respond to vulnerabilities when they arise while still maintaining a profit. Additionally, ESG investing has been proven to provide downside protection during social or economic crises according to the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. Such protection may be pertinent in a world more susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change. Many studies corroborate such findings; a meta-study conducted by Oxford University in 2015 revealed that 88% of companies with robust sustainability practices demonstrate better operational performance, translating into higher cash flows and positive effects on investment performance.

Greenwashing and ESG Concerns

One concern within the world of sustainable investment is largely centered around the question of whether organizations will be willing to take more or less risk to achieve an impact. Companies that prioritize sustainability may be more volatile than traditional companies, creating fear around the uncertainty of consistent returns. Further, there is often confusion on how to make a good return on investment when choosing to invest in more socially responsible companies. 

The rise of sustainable investment has brought about potential concerns related to greenwashing, in which a company’s ESG credentials or potential sustainability initiatives may be over-embellished, leading to falsified information. On the other hand, many investors prioritizing sustainable investment initiatives have received a surge in backlash against their new initiatives, mainly from Republican politicians. A recent study by The Conference Board revealed that 48% of surveyed businesses have experienced backlash to their ESG policies or activities, potentially deterring companies from further pursuing such initiatives. An increase in educational awareness is vital to inform investors of the benefits of sustainable investing and ways to do so responsibly amidst criticism. 

Who is our guest?

Kirsten Spalding leads the nonprofit Ceres Investor Network, which supports global investor initiatives such as Paris Aligned Asset Owners, Climate Action 100+, and Net Zero Asset Managers. Nonprofit advocacy organizations like Ceres Investor Network are at the forefront of promoting sustainable business practices through mobilizing investors to build a more sustainable economy. Kirsten holds a B.A. from Yale College in music, a J.D. from Hastings College of Law, and an M.Div. from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. For six years, she chaired the Center for Labor Research and Education, UC Berkeley and taught at the School of Law. She is an Episcopal priest, rector of the Church of the Nativity in San Rafael, CA, and an avid backpacker. 

Resources

• Ceres Investor Network
• Adaptation and resilience investment: How do we get the capital it needs
• Sustainable Investing
• Sustainable Investing Basics

Further Reading

• CSR or ESG: Where Do Sustainability Frameworks Fit In?
• ESG and Financial Performance: Uncovering the Relationship by Aggregating Evidence from 1,000 Plus Studies Published between 2015 – 2020 
• Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2023
• Financial Performance With Sustainable Investing
• 3 hurdles to sustainable investing — and how to overcome them

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/sustainable-investing-for-a-climate-proof-economy-with-kirsten-spalding/

The Global Commercial Vehicle Drive to Zero Program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a world with zero-emission commercial vehicles. The Clean Energy Ministerial, a global forum to advance clean technology and policy, and CALSTART, a clean transportation non-profit, started the campaign. By 2025 the program hopes to achieve commercially competitive zero-emission technology and for this technology to be dominant by 2040. Drive to Zero’s mission utilizes a ‘Beachhead Strategy’ that works to target current commercial electrification markets, then from there drive growth in other regions. This beachhead strategy was developed in conjunction with CALSTART and the California Air and Resource Board (CARB) and has been incorporated into CARB’s three-year investment strategy plan. The program also works to connect with cities, national and regional government agencies, manufacturers, fleets, fuel/energy suppliers, and other organizations that support early markets for zero-emission commercial vehicles.

Drive to Zero goals for the next five years are to identify best practices, eliminate barriers, and share information among stakeholders to achieve success in their initial beachhead markets in China, India, Mexico, South America, Canada, the European Union, and the United States. The program plans to hold an annual global meeting to ensure all parties are working together to achieve their common goal set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. By supporting participants, coordinating activities, and sharing strategies and best practices Drive to Zero is working as an intermediary to support the growth of zero-emission commercial vehicles worldwide.  

CALSTART:

CALSTART is a nonprofit that works to develop clean, efficient transportation solutions. The organization, founded in 1992 and headquartered in Pasadena, California, works with governments and businesses across the globe to connect their clients with the clean energy sector. Their mission is to create a high-tech clean-transportation industry that will create jobs and fight climate change. CALSTART works with technology firms, transit operations, vehicle manufacturers, research institutions, and more to customize services, information, and programming to work towards sustainable transportation solutions. 

CALSTART focuses on the demonstration and development of new clean technologies, market acceleration, policy work, assessment, validation, and member support to help grow the zero-emission transportation sector. The organization's goals are to reduce barriers and promote innovation and progress in clean transportation technologies to accelerate the green transportation sector. The nonprofit specializes in four sectors: cars, trucks, buses, and fuels to promote economic and environmental improvement.

Christiano Facanha:

Christiano Facanha is a transportation and environmental engineer who leads CALSTART’s Commercial Vehicle Drive to Zero program. With over fifteen years of experience in the transportation sector and expertise in the design, modeling, and evaluation of transportation emissions strategies and reduction, Facanha’s mission is to reduce climate change by cleaning up air pollution in the transportation sector. Fancha holds a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, an MS in Transportation Management from the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, and a BS in Industrial Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Before working as Global Director at CALSTART, Cristiano led clean transportation activities related to sustainable freight, Brazil, and emission inventory tools at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).

Sources: 

• https://calstart.org/cristiano-facanha/
• https://globaldrivetozero.org/about/program/
• https://calstart.org/about/
• https://globaldrivetozero.org/about/pledge/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/how-to-think-about-the-transition-to-zero-emission-commercial-vehicles-with-calstarts-cristiano-facanha/

Lithium Batteries

While the use of lithium to power electric vehicle batteries has been around for close to a decade, and while car manufacturers and scientists have been on the hunt for a more efficient battery, today most manufacturers rely on lithium batteries as their primary go-to for power. This leads to a higher demand for lithium mining. Traditional alkaline batteries cannot be repeatedly recharged, while lithium batteries can be reused and recharged efficiently. Another traditional battery—lead-acid—while cheaper to manufacture than lithium batteries has a comparatively lower energy density, which results in a shorter battery life. 

History of Lithium Mining

When lithium was first discovered, it was retrieved through open-pit mining, a more energy- and resource-intensive method of extraction. In the late 1990s, companies began to extract lithium from brines drawn up from deep underground. The salt-filled groundwater brine is filled with lithium byproducts, and once the water evaporates, lithium salts can be extracted. The brine is screened and filtered, and the drying process itself can take upwards of a year. Large pools of brine are left to sit and evaporate after being pumped up from underground. 

In particular, the Salton Sea, located in Southern California, has been found to contain large amounts of lithium that can be extracted from the salts. If developers and scientists can secure a more efficient way of unearthing the lithium from that source, the Salton Sea could prove to be a major site for lithium production for the US. Currently, companies are focusing their efforts on developing new technology and chemical procedures to extract lithium from the deposits in a more sustainable manner. 

Pros and Cons of Lithium Mining

While lithium itself provides a more sustainable, cleaner energy source, the process of acquiring lithium through mining has severe environmental impacts. Lithium mining is very disruptive to ecosystems, requiring large land areas for extraction and evaporation. This often leads to impacts on habit and even food production depending on the location of the mine. Lithium mining can also impact the natural composition of the soil in which sites are located. The extraction process is also one that is extremely water-intensive; water is crucial in dissolving the brine and flushing out the lithium. Once extracted and integrated into batteries, lithium has proved to be reliable, efficient, and essential for powering several different renewable energy sources, namely solar and wind, as well as electric vehicles.  

About the guest

Patrick F. Dobson is the head staff scientist of the Geothermal Systems Program at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He is heavily involved in research surrounding geological and geochemical processes, more specifically his work focuses on the volcanic rocks and the reaction shared between water-rock relations. Dobson’s current work at the lab focuses on exploring methods to extract lithium from deposits deep in the Salton Sea. He and his team are devoted to understanding more about the rock composition at the Salton Sea and how establishing geothermal systems in the area could affect lithium production. Dobson has an extensive background in laboratory research and scholarly publications, much of which has largely focused on using geochemistry to record changes in rocks located at geothermal sites. His learnings have significantly contributed to a better understanding of geothermal systems as well as helped in deciding optimal sites for geothermal drilling. 

Resources & Further Reading

• Utilizing supercritical geothermal systems: a review of past ventures and ongoing research activities
• Salton Sea lithium deposits could help EV transition, support economically devastated area
• Geochemistry
• The Lithium Gold Rush: Inside the Race to Power Electric Vehicles

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/lithium-mining-in-salton-sea-geothermal-system/

The Carbon Cost of Aviation

Transportation is a leading contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, with air travel playing a significant role. In the United States, the transportation sector accounted for 29 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in 2021. Commercial airplanes and large business jets contributed ten percent of U.S. transportation emissions, and three percent of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. EPA. Despite reduced travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, air travel demand has rebounded and is expected to continue growing.      

Hydrogen’s Potential to Power Aviation

Hydrogen offers three times more energy per kilogram than jet fuel and emits no toxic fumes when combusted.  Its higher energy density and capacity for consistent electrical power make it a promising potential energy source for aircraft.  

Compared to aircraft powered by fossil fuels, there are many potential advantages to aircraft powered by hydrogen: zero emissions, increased efficiency, greater power, a longer operational lifespan, and benign byproducts (water and heat). For heavy transport in particular, hydrogen may be a promising option for reducing greenhouse gas emissions where the lower energy density (and accompanying lower range), high initial costs, and slow recharging performance of batteries are disadvantages.

While promising, hydrogen fuel cells are a relatively new technology. Current tests by companies like ZeroAvia suggest that commercial viability of hydrogen powered aircraft is years away. Because hydrogen fuel is difficult to transport, major infrastructure changes, including on-site hydrogen production at airports, are needed to make this technology practical and scalable; significant funding is needed to bolster research to support this transition. Moreover, the production of hydrogen fuel can itself be a carbon intensive process because it takes energy to produce hydrogen fuel. When that energy comes from fossil fuels, the hydrogen production process can result in significant carbon emissions. But when that energy comes from renewable sources, the process can be emission free.

About Val Miftakhov

Val Miftakhov, founder and CEO of ZeroAvia, started the company in 2018 with the goal of making the future of aviation more sustainable. Prior to ZeroAvia, Miftakhov founded eMotorWerks, an electric vehicle infrastructure company, where one of his many projects was creating high-tech EV charging models. He earned his PhD in physics at Princeton University.

Further Reading

ZeroAvia and Absolut Hydrogen Partner to Develop Liquid Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure for Aircraft Operations, ZeroAvia

The Growth in Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Commercial Aviation, Environmental and Energy Study Institute

Working to Build a Net-Zero Sustainable Aviation System by 2050, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration  

Aviation and global climate change in the 21st century, Atmos Environ 

Airplane Pollution, Transport & Environment  

Clean Energy 101: The Colors of Hydrogen, RMI

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/hydrogen-fuels-potential-to-decarbonize-aviation/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/gov-jerry-brown-on-president-elect-biden-and-climate-equity/

What are “Resilience Hotspots”?

Technology and high-tech solutions are not the only responses to climate change. Nature can also be a powerful form of climate resilience. Resilience hotspots are small pockets of nature that, when restored and maintained, act as barriers to climate impacts. For instance, wetlands can insulate shores from storm surges and trees can provide shade in urban heat islands. In this way, climate adaptation can go hand-in-hand with integrating nature into our cities. 

The Science of Nature-Based Solutions

While many natural areas can have climate benefits, wetlands and urban green spaces are particularly significant ecosystems in terms of climate adaptation. How do these natural protections from climate change work in the first place? 

Wetlands are areas where the soil is saturated with water either seasonally or year-round. They often provide crucial protection from the heavy rainfall and storms, which are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change. Acting as a sort of sponge, wetlands have the ability to absorb and temporarily store the excess water from these events. When a storm hits, wetlands are a “speed bump” to floodwaters, slowing and holding back storm surge and flooding that otherwise  causes damage to nearby cities and towns. According to NOAA, such protection by wetlands saves US coastal communities a whopping $23 billion a year. In many areas of the US, wetlands have been degraded by nearby urbanization or drained for development, leaving these areas more vulnerable to storm surge and flooding. As a result, restoring wetlands has become a priority as a strategy to increase climate resilience in these areas.

Urban green spaces protect against a different climate impact: extreme heat. Because urban surfaces tend to be densely covered in heat-absorbing materials like asphalt or concrete, cities absorb a greater proportion of heat from the sun’s rays. This, combined with greater concentrations of greenhouse gasses in cities, leads to a situation where cities can be up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than nearby green spaces, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. With the temperature increases associated with climate change, the heat island effect poses great risks for heat-related illness and death. Urban green spaces break up the dense cover of manmade material with parks, green roofs, and shade-providing trees, creating natural areas that reflect sunlight, take up greenhouse gas emissions and provide aesthetic and mental health benefits. 

How to Build Resilience Hotspots

So how can we implement these nature-based climate solutions into our cities? The resilience hotspots approach uses a patchwork of crucial sites integrated into towns and communities. By focusing on places with great potential to mitigate climate damage, this approach promotes the benefits of nature-based solutions while working with the existing urban infrastructure. 

In the San Francisco Bay Area of California, for example, existing wetlands have the potential to store water and reduce storm surge during storm events if they are enhanced, thereby protecting a great number of low-lying urban places. Greenbelt Alliance has identified eighteen key areas across the Bay Area that have great natural potential to mitigate climate damages and are located in or near communities that will bear greater impacts from climate change. Working with community partners, they plan and implement restoration projects that enhance the ecosystem and increase resilience.  

Equity also plays an important role in designing resilience hotspots. A process that involves community organizations in the restoration of their environment integrates local expertise and insights and can promote equitable outcomes. By combining science and equity, restoration, equity and resilience can operate collectively. Resilience hotspots can be a natural tool for mitigating climate damages and for advancing climate justice.

About our Guest 

Sadie Wilson is the Director of Planning and Research at Greenbelt Alliance, where she manages resilience hotspots work and advocates for climate smart planning and policy. During her Masters in City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley, she contributed to research at many Bay-Area focused institutions including the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, The Center for Cities and Schools, and The Terner Center. 

Further Reading

• Greenbelt Alliance, About the Resilience Hotspots
• NOAA, Coastal Wetland Benefits
• CBS News, Quick Explainer on Urban Heat Islands
• EPA, How Inequity affects Heat Islands
• Quaranta, Dorati & Pistocchi, Economic Benefits of Urban Greening (Scientific Reports, 2021)
• Greenbelt Alliance, Read some of Sadie’s work

For a full transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/resilience-hotspots-natures-role-in-urban-climate-adaptation/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/carbon-farming-with-ian-howell/

How does transitioning to renewable energy challenge the electric grid?

As of 2022, renewable and non-greenhouse gas emitting sources accounted for 52% of California's in-state electricity generation with the remaining 48% fueled by natural gas. Legislation passed in 2018 mandates that the state must reach at least 60% renewable energy by 2030 which California is quickly on its way to meet. The 60% goal adds ambition to the emissions reduction goals set by SB 32, the 2016 update to prior landmark climate legislation that required California to reduce its emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. 

Transitioning to reliance on renewable energy sources introduces new challenges to the electrical grid, which was designed primarily around gas-fired power plants that can operate 24 hours a day.  The majority of California's renewable energy comes from solar and wind. Such renewable energy generation varies depending on the time of day and season, among other factors. Compared to gas-fired power plants, solar and wind energy isn’t as predictable or transferable from one location to another.

With limited energy storage capacity, the US electrical grid lacks the infrastructure necessary to store large amounts of energy, so the variability of wind and solar energy makes it more challenging to balance energy supply and demand in real-time, which is an essential function of the energy system. As a result, the energy system design must evolve to meet the challenges of solar and wind variability, particularly during periods of peak demand, in order to ensure grid stability and sufficient energy support.  

At the same time, California’s energy grid has seen a large growth in demand due to the electrification of the transportation and residential sectors. Electric vehicle (EV) sales are 60 times higher than they were a decade ago and continue to rise, increasing by 85% from 2020 to 2021 alone. In 2023, EV sales in California account for 25% of EVs sold in the US. California has also enacted higher building energy efficiency standards to help accelerate the decarbonization movement. As of 2023, all new buildings must have at least one heat pump for heating or water heating, or they will face higher energy efficiency requirements. This growth in the prevalence of electric appliances and vehicles has increased the demands on the electric grid. This can be a particular problem if EV owners charge their cars or run their appliances at the same time that other electricity demand is at its peak. A California’s Public Utilities Commission report published in 2023 found the state needs to invest at least $50 billion by 2035 in order to accommodate high adoptions of distributed energy resources associated with transportation and building electrification. 

Energy Storage as a Solution

Improving solar battery storage is vital in accelerating a transition to clean energy as these batteries store solar energy during the day and deliver it back to the grid at night when power is more expensive and carbon-intensive to produce. As of October 2023, California has increased its energy battery storage capacity by 757% to 6,600 megawatts. The state still needs to continue increasing its capacity to 52,000 megawatts to meet clean electricity demands by 2045. These batteries are also especially vital as climate change is increasing the intensity of heatwaves and wildfire seasons leading to increased Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). During hazardous conditions, electricity companies turn off power circuits to reduce the risk of power lines falling and igniting a wildfire. Solar batteries are one tool to help alleviate the loss of power and can deliver electricity to areas prone to PSPS blackouts. However, large-scale batteries are not a perfect solution as they have considerable environmental costs and require many rare minerals in their production, which have significant associated sustainability and mining costs. Other energy storage technologies from green hydrogen to reservoir storage of hydropower can also help the state meet its energy demands.

About the Guest: Dr. Carla Peterman

As PG&E’s Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Dr. Carla Peterman directs the corporation’s sustainability and regulatory efforts. Previously, Dr. Peterman served as an energy official within the California government, including as CPUC commissioner, where she oversaw their $768 million EV charging infrastructure investment in 2018. Dr. Peterman received a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group in 2017, writing her dissertation on state policy for solar energy.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/balancing-the-grid-californias-shift-to-renewable-energy-sources/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/regenerating-food-systems-with-grizzly-corps/

What is Carbon Mineralization

Carbon mineralization is a naturally occurring chemical process that occurs when carbon dioxide becomes “mineralized” through a chemical reaction. The chemical reaction occurs when certain rocks, most often in deep underground igneous and metamorphic formations, are exposed to carbon dioxide. Carbon mineralization holds greater amounts of carbon than carbon storage in sedimentary reservoirs, as the chemical reactions in carbon mineralization create new carbonate minerals like calcium carbonate.

Carbon mineralization is potentially an important solution for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, as the mineralized carbon cannot escape to the atmosphere, so serves as long-term carbon storage. This process can be artificially sped up to sequester greater amounts of atmospheric carbon and prevent atmospheric warming. Mine waste and industrial sites also hold potential for fast carbon mineralization as crushed rocks can be more easily used for mineralization and at lower cost than injecting underground rocks. Surface carbon mineralization can also help mitigate onsite carbon emissions by reducing energy usage.

Carbon mineralization is not without risks, including the potential to trigger earthquakes or change the pressure profiles of rock formations.  Current methods also require significant water use. In the United States, the Pacific Northwest holds the greatest potential as it is abundant in basalt rocks. States such as Minnesota,Wisconsin, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, and Hawaii hold potential for deep underground infections. Crushed rock and mine sites all across the country also have the potential for carbon mineralization. 

Why Concrete is Attractive

Unlike other methods of carbon mineralization, storing carbon in concrete can serve a dual purpose by also reducing the emissions associated with the concrete and cement industries. Currently, the cement industry emits approximately eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. It also comes with less potential to disrupt rock formations.

For guest Dr. Erica Dodds, who sees financeability as key to the success of any carbon removal technology, the concrete industry’s size is an advantage, because companies bundling carbon removal with concrete can profit from an existing market with plenty of demand. Dodds says that state and local governments can go a long way towards supporting these approaches by establishing procurement plans that require government infrastructure projects to source concrete from carbon removing producers.

Foundation for Climate Restoration 

The Foundation for Climate Restoration (F4CR) is a non-profit organization that works to restore Earth’s climate to pre-industrial levels. The organization's philosophy is to restore our atmosphere primarily through carbon removal to protect our planet for future generations. To fulfill this mission, F4CR works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while simultaneously building capacity for carbon dioxide removal. F4CR aims to remove 1,000 gigatons (Gt) of carbon by 2050, as “the IPCC recognizes that we will need 100-1,000 gigatons (Gt) of carbon removal by the end of the century just to meet 1.5 degree C warming goals.”

Who is Our Guest?

Dr. Erica Dodds serves as the Chief Operating Office at F4CR and is committed to climate activism and poverty reduction. Dodds believes that today’s climate youth activists are the key to the fight against climate change and restoring a safe and healthy world. She holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Evaluation, an M.A. in International Development Administration, and has experience working with NGOs across the world along with the Evaluation Office of the International Labor Organization in Geneva. 

Sources

• About - Foundation For Climate Restoration
• Making Minerals - How Growing Rocks Can Help Reduce Carbon Emissions
• CarbonCure

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/using-concrete-for-carbon-removal-with-dr-erica-dodds/

What is electric vehicle (EV) retrofitting and why does it matter? 

‘EV retrofitting’ refers to the process of converting a gas-powered vehicle into an electric vehicle by replacing its gas engine with a battery pack.  The battery pack is designed to fit within the vehicle’s chassis—the structural frame to which its wheels, suspension, engine, and other components are attached.  Typically, the battery pack fits in the space previously occupied by the gas engine and fuel tank; the available space generally varies by vehicle make and model.  The battery’s size and weight depend on the vehicle being retrofitted, as well as the desired range and performance.  

Despite these constraints, mass-producing battery packs for retrofitting a specific type of vehicle chassis with an electric powertrain is possible.  Using a standard-sized battery allows for high-volume retrofits of vehicles with a compatible chassis, which can lower costs and reduce the time required for the retrofit process. 

Policies promoting the adoption of new EVs, such as California’s Advanced Clean Cars II, can help increase the number of new EVs on the road. However, they do not address the existing vehicle fleet of gas-powered vehicles that continue to emit greenhouse gases and air pollutants. On average, these vehicles stay on the road for about 12 years in the US, and may be used even longer in low and middle income countries. Gas powered vehicles’ slow replacement rate delays the increase in the percentage of EVs on the road. Retrofitting’s supporters say a comprehensive approach to electrifying transportation that includes strategies for retrofitting existing gas-powered vehicles can help address the lag, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where the upfront cost of new EVs present a larger barrier to adoption.

What does EV Shift do, and who is Aly El Tayeb? 

EV Shift is an Egypt-based company that specializes in retrofitting commercial fleets with electric powertrains.  It focuses on vehicles that travel relatively short and predictable routes and return to a home base at night for charging.  To make electric transportation more accessible and feasible in middle-income and emerging economies, such as Egypt, the company has adopted a strategy of retrofitting the most popular vehicle models already on the road. 

Dr. El Tayeb, the co-founder and CEO of EV Shift, is a chemical engineer with previous experience at a battery startup in the United States.  He founded the company in response to the lack of accessible EV options in middle-income and emerging economies, such as Egypt. 

Sources:

• https://afdc.energy.gov/files/u/publication/afv_conversions_retrofits_repowers.pdf%5C
• https://www.oecd-forum.org/posts/retrofitting-a-frugal-circular-and-inclusive-solution-to-decarbonize-our-vehicle-fleet
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilwinton/2022/01/20/electric-cars-are-too-expensive-for-many-but-retrofitting-could-be-the-answer/?sh=5e81247e7583

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/electric-vehicle-retrofitting-with-dr-aly-el-tayeb/

Climate Change Exacerbates California’s Wildfires

Nearly all of California’s landscapes are naturally fire-dependent or fire-adapted, and this beneficial relationship with fire allows ecosystems to maintain healthy functions and promotes biodiversity. However, high-intensity wildfires disrupt this relationship and cause detrimental damage to these ecosystems as wildfires impact tree regeneration, soil erosion, and water quality. According to modeling by the California Air Resources Board, climate change makes the conditions for high-intensity wildfires – like hot, dry summers – more likely. 

Extreme Wildfires Hurt Wildlife

High-intensity wildfires impact wildlife. Many animals cannot move, so die in the fires. Those that can escape, by running or burrowing into the ground, face another challenge when they return: adapting to a new and changing environment. 

While directly measuring wildlife casualties isn’t possible, emergency vets and zoos across California report dramatic increases in their wildlife patients after severe wildfires. During the 2021 fire season, the Wildlife Disaster Network through UC Davis’s Veterinary Emergency Response Team cared for more than 2000 injured wildlife and pets. According to estimates by The Wildlife Society, fires the year before had killed between 300 to 600 cougars – 15% of California’s cougar population.

California’s Plan to Increase Fire Resiliency

In 2021, Governor Newsom signed SB 85, the $536 million Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan, into law to support early action and intervention against wildfires and measures to build resilient communities, restore ecological health, and fund wildfire suppression. 

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) manages over one million acres of land in the state – many of which are both fire-prone and vital habitats for wildlife. As a result, the CDFW plays a key role in implementing SB 85’s goals. 

As part of that effort, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) undertook “the largest wildfire protection and resilience efforts in its history.” This new support has helped not only safeguard CDFW property, but better protect surrounding homes, communities, and wildlife habitats, as well. SB 85 also allowed CFDW to hire additional staff, afford new equipment, and start over forty new fire control projects like creating fire breaks, removing wildfire fuel, thinning overgrown vegetation, expanding livestock grazing, and more. 

In January 2023, the U.S. Senate also introduced the Wildfire Emergency Act. This bill has bipartisan support and aims to reduce the risks of catastrophic wildfires faced in California and across the West of the country. The $250 million act would increase forest restoration and wildfire resilience projects.

Looking Forward 

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) in their 2023 Fire Season Outlook predicts a possible abnormal wildfire season due to mixed temperature and precipitation and flooding anomalies earlier in the year. As a result of these historic storms, critically dry fuel moisture alignments are not expected to be reached for the next four months. 

However, one concern is that the extreme precipitation may accelerate spring plant growth, which once the moisture disappears and heat sets in, will dry out and become additional fuel, accelerating wildfires. The impact of climate change also varies dramatically across different climates of the state with some regions expecting more extreme drier and hotter months. 

Wildfire season in California begins in early summer and runs through late fall. Although fire season has not officially begun, CAL FIRE has reported 196 incidents of wildfires resulting in 51 acres burnt already in 2023. As climate change intensifies California's wildfires, the work of the CDFW is even more critical because their efforts protect the health of California’s ecological reserves, wildlife, waterways, and communities from the devastating effects of wildfires. 

About the Guest

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly the California Department of Fish and Game, is focused on “improving and enhancing [its] capacity and effectiveness in fulfilling [its] public trust responsibilities for protecting and managing the state's fish and wildlife.” Chuck Bonham has served as the director of CDFW since 2011. Bonham is responsible for overseeing CDFW’s wide range of projects, from preventing illegal poaching to protecting California’s wildlife from human and environmental conflicts such as drought and fires.  

Sources:

• California Department of Fish and Wildlife Home Page
• CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham (ca.gov)
• Governor Newsom Signs Landmark $536 Million Wildfire Package Accelerating Projects to Protect High-Risk Communities | California Governor
• CDFW News | CDFW Initiates Massive Wildfire Protection Effort at Wildlife Areas, Ecological Reserves Statewide
• 2022 Fire Season Outlook (ca.gov)
• CA Department of Fish and Wildlife: Science: Wildfire Impacts
• National Geographic: What do wild animals do in wildfires?
• Sierra Club: California’s Wildest Wildfire Victims
• The Wildlife Society: California Wildfires may have killed hundreds of cougars
• https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/26/us/california-rain-wildfire-season-climate/index.html
• CNN: How California’s recent flooding could set the stage for a dangerous wildfire season
• US Senate: Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Increase Preparedness, Reduce Risk for Catastrophic Wildfires

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/state-wildlife-management-and-resilience-with-chuck-bonham/

Methane in the Atmosphere: A Serious Risk

Many of the solutions we often hear about when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions revolve around reducing carbon emissions, as carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas emitted by human activities. Methane, however, is the second most common greenhouse gas, emitted through agricultural practices, landfill waste, coal mining, and oil and gas operations. While methane generally receives less attention than carbon dioxide when it comes to climate solutions, recent studies have shown that it is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, methane has a global warming potential 28-34 times higher than CO2 upon emission, which increases to 84-86 times over a 20-year period. 

How does methane enter our skies?

The concentration of methane in the atmosphere has more than doubled over the past century. Both everyday infrastructure in older cities and major leaks at oil and gas fields add to the quantity of methane into the atmosphere. As for the source of these leaks, they are largely caused by equipment failures or faulty pipes and vessels. 2,595 gas incidents have been reported in the US from 2010 to 2021, adding up to 26.6 billion cubic feet of methane gas emitted. Methane impacts both the climate system and public health; breathing methane can cause damaged airways, lung diseases, asthma attacks, increased rates of preterm birth, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and heightened stroke risk.  

What can we do?

Mining operations can be improved to reduce methane leaks and oil and gas operations can greatly reduce emissions throughout the system. As our tools of measurement and technology improve, the world has realized the greater need to attack methane emissions, which led to the Global Methane Pledge in 2021. In this pledge, 158 countries and the EU pledged to make a distinct effort to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030. 

Part of reducing methane emissions involves switching from fossil fuels to electricity generated from renewable sources.  According to Environmental specialist and Stanford professor Dr. Rob Jackson, our skies will become cleaner once we switch to cleaner, electrical energy sources, including electric heat pumps to cool and heat our homes, electric water heaters, and especially electric stoves. According to the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, methane emissions from gas stoves in America—when scaled to the 20-year global warming potential of the gas—were “comparable to the carbon dioxide emissions of approximately 500,000 gas-powered cars.” Health-wise, a study conducted by Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability and PSE Healthy Energy found that “children who live in homes with gas stoves had a 24% higher risk of lifetime asthma and a 42% increased risk of having asthma currently.” Dr. Jackson says that making the switch to induction stoves is not only energetically cleaner and prevents the likelihood of gas leaks, but it also prevents us from being exposed to toxic pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and benzene gasses that come from gas stoves.

Some potential drawbacks: the cost of electricity

While induction stoves and a cleaner, electrical society sounds optimal, there are some challenges and barriers to making this a reality. First of all, not every person can afford to implement an induction stove and replace their functioning gas stove, as home renovations, rewirings, and big purchases such as a new stove cost a great deal of money. In this way, income inequality plays a major role in the way climate change impacts different people in society. Dr. Jackson uses the example of a person living in a lower-income community; surrounded by older, poorly-maintained appliances, people in these types of homes often breathe dirtier air indoors than outdoors. This is why Dr. Jackson proposes that the shift to clean energy be gradual; fueled by regulations and government support. Without social support, equal access to cleaner energy cannot be achieved.

In terms of major gas leaks, change is hard to make as an individual. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, the best thing we can do is to fight for national policy to repair and prevent leaks wherever they occur: whether at mining facilities or under our sidewalks. This is a difficult task, as all individuals can do is push for political action, however agreements such as the Global Methane Pledge seem to be steps in the right direction.

Who is our guest?

Dr. Rob Jackson is a professor and senior research fellow at Stanford University, and author of Into the Clear Blue Sky, a novel on climate solutions. His lab focuses on using scientific knowledge to shape climate policies and reduce the environmental footprint of human activities. Currently, he chairs the Global Carbon Project, an effort to measure and control greenhouse gas emissions.

Resources

• US Environmental Protection Agency: Overview of Greenhouse Gases
• UNECE: The Challenge
• MIT Technology Review: Methane leaks in the US are worse than we thought
• PIRG: Methane Gas Leaks
• Environmental Defense Fund: How Methane Impacts Health
• Global Methane Pledge: About the Global Methane Pledge
• Journal of Environmental Science and Technology: Methane and NOx Emissions from Natural Gas Stoves, Cooktops, and Ovens in Residential Homes
• American Chemical Society Publications: Gas and Propane Combustion from Stoves Emits Benzene and Increases Indoor Air Pollution
• Environmental Defense Fund: How to stop natural gas leaks

Further Reading

• The New York Times: Did I Turn Off the Stove? Yes, but Maybe Not the Gas

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/identifying-and-fixing-natural-gas-leaks-in-cities-with-dr-rob-jackson/

What’s interesting about urban rivers?

Urban rivers play many important roles in our cities. They maintain the health of coastal and estuarine ecosystems and they are part of larger catchment ecosystems that are nested within wider, interconnected systems. Urban rivers are also essential to the quality of our drinking water, playing central roles in cultural and traditional preservation. Urban rivers offer an ecological record of what was in place before excessive human impacts as they maintained and protected the local area. They act as reservoirs for biodiversity, enhance local economies, limit and control flooding, and serve as one of nature’s primary nutrient transportation systems. However, urban development often impacts urban waterways and can be quite detrimental to the health of urban rivers and their ability to support surrounding ecosystems.

Why do urban rivers need to be restored?

Human impacts, such as pollution, dams, and diversions have accelerated the deterioration of urban river ecology, and have led to the decline of larger coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Specific issues include the alteration of the physical structure of the river (channelization, artificial banks, dredging), water quality degradation (increase run-off, sewer discharge), removal of riparian vegetation, and the presence of invasive species. Increased intensity and frequency of storms induced by climate change can cause flood risks for communities, increase polluted stormwater runoff and contaminate the river habitat, and destabilize our watersheds. While rivers embody climate threats, they are also the source of powerful solutions. A healthy urban river can be a community’s first line of defense against climate change impacts, offering cost-effective flood protection, safeguarding clean water supplies, and reducing urban heat through the evaporation and transfer of sensible heat.

One effort to restore these natural sites involves floating gardens on pallets, which can increase ecosystem resilience and benefit biodiversity of the river bank. Not only will restoration of urban rivers nourish wildlife habitat, but it has the potential to restore life and economic prosperity for nearby human communities.

What is “urban river restoration” and what are its benefits?

Urban river restoration often involves the re-establishment of natural floodplains, helping to absorb and slow the flow of excess water during heavy rainfall, reducing the risk of urban flooding. By restoring the natural capacity of rivers to manage water flow, cities become more resilient to extreme weather events, such as storms and heavy precipitation, which are expected to increase in frequency and intensity due to climate change. Further, healthy river ecosystems act as effective carbon sinks by sequestering carbon through the growth of vegetation along riverbanks and riverbeds, as well as the trapping of organic matter in sediments. 

Restoring natural river systems can introduce cooling effects, moderating temperatures in urban areas. Trees and vegetation along riverbanks provide shade, and the presence of water bodies helps regulate local temperatures, mitigating the urban heat island effect exacerbated by climate change. Moreover, biodiversity increases as healthy river ecosystems provide breeding grounds for fish, support a variety of plant and animal life, and create corridors for wildlife movement. Biodiversity is essential for ecosystem resilience, ensuring that urban areas can adapt to changing environmental conditions. River restoration also increases water quality. Urbanization often leads to increased runoff of pollutants into rivers, negatively impacting water quality. Restoration projects involve the implementation of green infrastructure, such as wetlands and vegetated buffers, which act as natural filters. These measures help trap and filter pollutants, improving water quality and creating a healthier environment for aquatic life. Lastly, urban river restoration contributes to the reconnection of urban populations with nature. Revitalizing urban river spaces can help address historic environmental racism that eliminated green spaces from minority communities. Creating recreational spaces along restored urban rivers not only increases access to green spaces for residents but also fosters a sense of stewardship and community engagement in environmental conservation efforts.

How do floating gardens work?

Nick Wesley and the Urban Rivers of Chicago attempt this restoration of urban rivers through their floating gardens. Floating gardens prioritize wildlife when creating public green spaces. The Wild Mile, the floating eco-park in the Chicago River, is an accessible boardwalk with floating artificial habitats. The habitats mimic the local natural wetland ecosystem, one that could have been found in that area before the city was developed and they are pontoon-based which allows them to sit on the water and float. The flotation platforms are made of environmentally friendly materials that are built to last. These floating gardens allow the plant roots to grow through the physical framework to grab nutrients from the river

Young fish and other small river species benefit greatly from the habitat that the root system provides. Wetland plants are known to trap contaminants like heavy metals, therefore it also acts as a massive water filter. As the seasons change, these plants also aid in controlling the natural cycles of nitrogen and phosphorus. Additionally, there are submerged sections of the Wild Mile that showcase aquatic environments designed to replicate the natural riverbed. These floating gardens can rise and fall in response to variations in the water level because it is anchored to both the barrier and the riverbed. Even when the water has surged above the seawalls, the Wild Mile has withstood tremendous flooding. 

About our guest

Nick Wesley is the executive director and co-founder of Urban Rivers in Chicago. He has worked with his team in order to bring the first floating park to the Chicago River, the Wild Mile,  a mile-long floating eco-park, fit with floating walkways, floating gardens, and even floating forests.

Further Reading

• Urban Rivers Website
• Richardson and Soloviev, “The Urban River Syndrome: Achieving Sustainability Against a Backdrop of Accelerating Change” (Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022).
• The River Restoration Center, “River restoration in urban areas”
• American Rivers, Rivers and Climate Change
• Park et al, “Influence of urban form on the cooling effect of a small urban river” (Landscape and Urban Planning, 2019).
• Wild Mile Chicago
• Environmental Defense Fund, Climate Change Makes River Restoration More Important than Ever
• NOAA, ”Building Community Resilience Through Habitat Restoration” (2021)
• McClain, “Restoring Rivers to Protect Communities from Climate Change” (American Rivers)
• Public Policy Institute of California, “Preparing California’s Rivers for a Changing Climate”
• Schiffman, “Ecosystems as Infrastructure: A New Way of Looking at Climate Resilience” (Yale Environment 360, 2023)

For a transcript of this episode, please visit  https://climatebreak.org/restoring-urban-waterways-with-nick-wesley/ 

Increasing Sustainable Modes of Transportation

In 2022, global emissions from transportation reached nearly 8 gigatons of carbon. To achieve the Net Zero Scenario, transportation emissions need to drop by nearly 25% by 2030. Within the Global South, auto-centric planning, transport authorities’ structures, and alternatives to cars and buses are some of the challenges in sustainable transportation. 

Transforming transportation is Mayor Manuel de Araújo’s vision for his city, Quelimane, Mozambique. To reduce transportation-related emissions, he advocates for a network of bike lanes throughout the city. Threatened by climate change disasters such as flooding, Quelamine is developing a climate resilient and sustainable public transportation system. 

Cycling in the City 

Cities with growing populations such as Quelimane are using alternative forms of public transportation to get more cars off the road. To increase the usage of bikes, the city plans to connect market and residential areas with bike lanes, totaling a distance of 2.3 kilometers. Planting trees along roads to provide shade, installing brick barriers to protect bikes from fast moving traffic, and making overall enhancements to roads aims to ease the transition to cycling. 

Biker-friendly programs have encouraged the cycling culture in other cities as well. In Addis Ababa, cycling advocates began the campaign Streets for the People: on the last Sunday of every month, certain roads are open only to bikes. These roads see hundreds of bicyclists, families, and other participants, creating a sense of community. 

Advantages to Cycling 

Biking can help reduce cities’ carbon footprints, improve air quality, and increase accessibility to essential facilities such as school and healthcare in crowded cities. 

Compared to cars, bikes produce significantly less carbon emissions. As much as 67% of transportation-related carbon emissions can be saved if a person chooses a bike over a car for one day. Moreover, existing buses and cars are rapidly deteriorating due to age, emitting excessive pollution; by moving away from older technology, cities with bikers can improve their air quality. 

Installing bike infrastructure combats accessibility issues in urban sprawl. In Quelimane, bike lanes help citizens navigate uneven terrain of the cities’ narrow roads, roads which cars usually can’t access. The city wants to expand the network of bike lanes to crucial areas such as the airport, the city center, and the sea port. 

Thanks to the influx of cyclists, bike shops have popped up along frequented routes. Cyclists are provided cost effective and timely repairs if needed. 

Difficulties with Biking Solutions 

However, many cities’ existing infrastructures are car-centric, deterring wide-spread bicycle usage. In Quelimane, a lack of biking infrastructure poses a threat to bikers’ safety. Without physical barriers between cars and bikes, road injuries are common. Additionally, intense sun and a lack of shade makes biking an uncomfortable experience. Once bikes complete their journey, there aren’t safe storage options to prevent bicycle theft. 

A Campaign for Sustainability

Thanks to Mayor de Araújo’s ten-year campaign, Quelimane has become a city known for its biking culture. By using bikes himself, he has destigmatized negative associations with cycling. Now called ‘sons of the Mayor’, locals using bikes have been united by cycling. Quelimane is a member of the Transport Decarbonisation Alliance, a global collaboration that works towards a zero carbon transportation system by 2050. Funding from this organization has supported de Araújo’s projects in making more bike lanes in his city. 

About Manuel de Araújo

Manuel de Araújo is the mayor of Quelimane, Mozambique. By involving people’s voices in policymaking, he hopes for his bike lane network to be part of a larger, low-carbon mobility system. Communicating through radio, social media, and other accessible platforms, de Araujo shares his passion for sustainable transportation with his constituents. Not only does de Araújo make change today, he plans for a future with a robust, sustainable transportation program.  

Further Reading 

• Why Choose to Cycle
• University of Coimbra & Institute of Transportation Research, Transportation Authorities and Innovation
• International Energy Agency, Energy System - Transport
• UN Environment Programme, African cities embrace walking and cycling as climate crisis deepens
• World Resources Institute, From Mobility Access to All

For a full transcript of this episode, visit https://climatebreak.org/pedaling-towards-a-sustainable-future-with-manuel-de-araujo/

Staying Educated About Climate Change

As climate change intensifies, the heightened frequency of natural disaster weather-related events is quickly becoming the new reality. Whether it be prolonged wildfire seasons in Northern California or destructive hurricanes off the Florida coast, citizens across the country are beginning to bear the burden of a changing climate. For those of us yet to experience the full force of such events, our primary means of gathering information on natural disasters is through the media. Without the media’s coverage of extreme climatic events, it is difficult for people not directly impacted to be fully aware of the dangers of a changing climate. While climate change impacts more people every year, severe impacts still feel like an abstract, distant concern that may never affect them personally. In order to reframe this perception, climate storytelling, which includes steps for action and recovery, is becoming foundational towards building empathy in the wake of the climate crisis.

What is Climate Journalism?

Climate journalism, the process of collecting and distributing accurate information on extreme weather events and climate change-related impacts, has been an essential element for informing the public about the effects of a changing climate. Following Al Gore’s 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, climate journalism increased by 1,000 percent in the media from the year 2000. This increase in viewership is most likely attributed to the rise of ethical concerns relating to the climate crisis as more people began to suffer the effects of natural disasters. The majority of Americans, approximately 54%, now identify climate change as a major threat to the country’s well-being. Media Matters found that news and morning shows such as ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox spent a total of around 23 hours discussing climate change in their annual 2022 reporting. Unfortunately, climate coverage still only accounts for around 1% of corporate broadcasting, even though the climate crisis is rapidly worsening.

Keeping the Public Aware and Prepared

Climate journalism not only raises awareness for the public, but can provide steps for change in combating one of the most pressing issues of our time. People need accurate information in order to make informed decisions. Strong, reliable reporting can provide citizens and policymakers the information needed to prepare for and adapt to the potential impacts climate change brings. Climate journalism can offer hope to the public, providing people with the voice and power to make a difference. By including climate change in the media, people can begin to see the incoming reality of this crisis, inspiring citizens to take action.

The Struggles of Climate Coverage

Unfortunately, there remain many obstacles that hold back media organizations from prioritizing climate coverage. Climate-related disasters can be hard to access, difficult to watch, and politically polarizing. Media outlets may struggle to gain large viewership, deterring them from covering climate events. Further, the various approaches to climate journalism can create discrepancies in the type of media coverage disseminated. For example, should climate topics be covered locally or nationally? What solutions should climate journalism focus on? Such a broad scope may distract from the realities currently being faced. Unfortunately, media coverage of environmental issues still only occupies a very small proportion of total media. There remains a need for increased resources, strategies, and investment in climate and environmental journalism. Further, many major news outlets publish misleading promotional content for fossil fuel corporations, greatly impacting the opinions of viewers on such controversial issues. There are, of course, many examples of excellent climate change coverage.  Our modest effort at Climate Break, as a small example, focusing on climate solutions and the wide variety of actions and initiatives being developed around the world, is designed to provide quick insights into climate solutions.  

Who is Jonathan Vigliotti?

Jonathan Vigliotti, CBS News correspondent, is just one example of the many climate journalists directly involved in the movement to inform the public on the effects of climate change. Vigliotti’s work as an environmental journalist has taken him to over forty countries and territories across six continents. Author of Before It’s Gone: Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small-Town America, provides personal insights into the everyday lives of Americans affected by climate change, presenting a compelling argument for the urgency of taking action now. Vigliotti believes that climate journalism has the power to spark change through the use of accurate, inspiring, and thought-provoking reporting. 

Further Reading

• Shäfer & Painter, Climate journalism in a changing media ecosystem: Assessing the production of climate change-related news around the world (WIREs Climate Change 2020)
• MacDonald, How broadcast TV networks covered climate change in 2022 (Media Matters)
• Tyson et al., What the data says about Americans’ views of climate change (Pew Research Center, 2023)
• BBC, Why climate change should be at the heart of modern journalism (2023)

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/using-climate-journalism-to-connect-weather-events-and-climate-with-jonathan-vigliotti/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/prescribed-burns-with-bill-tripp/

Educating Girls is a Climate Solution

Today, an estimated 80 percent of people displaced by climate disasters are women and girls, and women living below the poverty line are as much as 14 times more likely to die in a climate disaster. An already more at-risk population, women and girls are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, particularly if they live in economically disadvantaged communities. Low-income countries tend to be “young” countries with a large under-15 population. Climate change is a youth-centered problem – it will have a greater impact on children and future generations. Girls in these countries often have lower access to education compared to their male counterparts. 

But education, and especially education about climate change and climate policy, can contribute to climate resilience for girls. Involving girls in climate education, action, and leadership gives girls a “seat at the table” in climate policy discussions, and resilience against climate disaster can keep more girls (and all children) in school. Girls in low-income countries are the least responsible for climate change yet often bear the brunt of its effects. By equipping girls with tools to combat the climate crisis, and centering women’s rights in climate discussions, countries can reduce the negative impacts of climate change for girls and the rest of society. 

Who is Christina Kwauk?

Christina Kwauk is an education consultant and policy analyst who specializes in the intersections between gender, education, and climate change. She is currently the Research Director at Unbounded Associates, a woman-owned small business that works with a broad network of non-governmental organizations, multilateral agencies, governments, and researchers to improve the global education space. Christina is also the founder and director of her own practice, Kwauk & Associates. Previously a fellow in the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, she researched and developed expertise in girls’ education and climate change in developing countries, publishing numerous articles and reports on the subject. Christina holds a Ph.D. in Comparative and International Development Education from the University of Minnesota, an M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, and a B.S. in Psychology from The University of the South. 

Learn More

Education is key to addressing climate change | United Nations

Girls’ education in climate strategies | UNGEI

Gender transformative education | UNGEI

Plan International USA

For a transcript of this episode, please visit: https://climatebreak.org/educating-girls-to-address-gendered-impacts-of-climate-change/

What is mechanical textile recycling?

Mechanical textile recycling is a process by which used textiles, particularly those made with natural fibers such as cotton, wool, and linen, are broken down into their individual fibers and then spun into yarn or fabric for reuse in the production of new textiles.  Textile recycling has the potential to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions associated with textile production.    

Mechanical textile recycling involves a series of steps: It typically begins with the collection of used textiles, which are sorted according to their fiber type and quality.  Next, the textiles are cleaned and processed to remove impurities and contaminants such as buttons, zippers, and other non-textile materials.  Once the textiles have been cleaned and prepared, they are typically shredded or ground into small pieces. These pieces are then subjected to a series of mechanical processes—such as carding, combing, and drawing—to separate the fibers from one another.  The resulting fibers are then spun into new yarn or woven into new fabric. The new yarn or fabric can be used in a variety of products, such as clothing, linens, and industrial products, such as building insulation. 

Mechanical textile recycling could reduce demand for new clothing and other textiles, which could reduce the carbon footprint of the fashion industry.  The global fashion industry is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions: In 2018, it produced around 2.1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equaling between 4% and 10% of the global total—equal to or greater than the annual greenhouse gas emissions of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom combined.  About 70% of these emissions came from upstream activities such as textile production, preparation, and processing.  The remaining emissions came from downstream activities, including the disposal of textiles in landfills, where they release methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as they decompose. 

Mechanical textile recycling is a relatively new technology that faces certain technical and economic challenges, including limited ability to recycle synthetic fibers or fiber blends, and a lack of textile recycling infrastructure.  For now, according to CalRecycle, the best way to reduce the environmental impact of textiles is “by reducing the amount of textiles we purchase, use, and dispose.”   

What does Material Return do, and who is Bobby Carswell?

Material Return is a textile recycling cooperative based in Morgantown, North Carolina, that works with local manufacturers and national brands to transform textile waste into new products.  Material Return recently partnered with Smartwool, an American clothing producer, to collect 400,000 pairs of used socks to recycle them into yarn for use in new socks and other circular clothing products. Bobby Carswell is the research and development director at Material Return.    

Sources:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8588244/
• https://calrecycle.ca.gov/reducewaste/textiles/
• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fmw8Ap7JAI0frmoXiZKR3_qeB1gWxDGp/view
• https://textileexchange.org/climate+-dashboard/
• https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/industries/retail/our%20insights/fashion%20on%20climate/fashion-on-climate-full-report.pdf
• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-12/fast-fashion-turning-parts-ghana-into-toxic-landfill/100358702
• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/style/clothing-recycling.html
• https://www.thematerialreturn.com/
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkart/2022/05/12/400000-pairs-of-old-socks-will-be-spun-turned-into-recycled-yarn-by-material-return-smartwool-project/?sh=4ca5c2f95e9d
• https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20201208STO93327/the-impact-of-textile-production-and-waste-on-the-environment-infographic#:~:text=Textile%20production%20is%20estimated%20to,into%20the%20ocean%20a%20year.

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/bringing-local-textile-recyling-to-the-us-with-material-returns-bobby-carswell/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/urban-farming-with-paul-bernstein/

What is “green” hydrogen?

Green hydrogen is an industry term for hydrogen produced using renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power through a process called electrolysis, where an electric current splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. It's also known as renewable or zero-emission hydrogen. It is a clean and sustainable alternative to hydrogen produced from fossil fuels, which generates greenhouse gas emissions during the production process. When consumed in a fuel cell, hydrogen does not generate any emissions, but rather only produces water.  

It is important to distinguish green hydrogen from blue hydrogen, sometimes also called clean hydrogen.  Blue hydrogen is an industry term for hydrogen produced from natural gas and supported by carbon capture and storage, whereby the carbon dioxide generated during the hydrogen manufacturing process is captured and stored underground.  Blue hydrogen is controversial due to its reliance on natural gas, the production of which has many adverse environmental impacts.

Green hydrogen can be used as a fuel for vehicles, a source of electricity through fuel cells or combined heat and power systems, and as a feedstock in industrial processes.  It has the potential to significantly reduce emissions from hard-to-decarbonize sectors, such as transportation and industrial processes, and to support the expansion of renewable power through long-duration energy storage. Hydrogen's energy storage potential is particularly important because transitioning to variable renewable energies like solar increases the need for energy storage capacity. Hydrogen fuel produced from wind and solar power is easy to store and transport for later use, making it a flexible energy source.

The potential benefits of using green hydrogen as a fuel or feedstock include reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved energy security, and the creation of new economic opportunities in the renewable energy sector. However, there are also challenges to wider adoption, including the need to build infrastructure and the current high cost of production in some cases.  Even with enough infrastructure, green hydrogen may come with additional downsides; hydrogen can leak emissions into the atmosphere, which themselves contribute to warming. 

Policy Advances

In December 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy announced plans to allocate $750 million in funds from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law towards reducing the cost of clean hydrogen technologies, accelerating the use of clean hydrogen, and supporting commercial-scale deployment. The funds will be used to address technical barriers to cost reduction and ensure that emerging commercial-scale deployments will be viable with lower-cost, higher-performing technology, with the goal of achieving $1 per kilogram of clean hydrogen within a decade.

What is the Green Hydrogen Coalition and who is Nick Connell?

The Green Hydrogen Coalition (GHC) is a non-profit organization founded in 2019 with the goal of deploying green hydrogen at scale for multi-sectoral decarbonization. The GHC focuses on education, coalition building, and market development for green hydrogen.  The GHG is now working to bring green hydrogen at scale to cities across the US through its HyBuild North America program, starting with Los Angeles.

Nick Connell is policy director and interim Executive Director at the GHC. He has over 13 years of experience in energy policy and regulatory affairs.

More Information: 

• IEA Report: The Future of Hydrogen
• Department of Energy: Hydrogen Fuel Basics
• Department of Energy: DOE National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap
• Department of Energy Hydrogen Program Plan
• Press Release: Biden-Harris Administration Announces $750 Million To Accelerate Clean Hydrogen Technologies
• Green Hydrogen Coalition
• CLEE: Supercharging Electrolyzers: Boosting Zero-Emission Hydrogen Production and Deployment in California
• World Economic Forum: Grey, blue, green – why are there so many colours of hydrogen?

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/a-role-for-hydrogen-in-decarbonization-with-nick-connell/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/carbon-intensity-of-biofuel-feedstock-with-yuxin-wu/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/earth-day-with-ken-alex-and-ethan-elkind/

History of Republican Environmentalism

The history of Republican environmentalism spans decades. On January 1, 1970, just a few months before the very first Earth Day, President Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) into law. NEPA created a program to review and require government agencies to take into consideration the environmental impacts and consequences of their actions or projects. 

After the first Earth Day celebration on April 22, 1970, President Nixon signed into law a slew of new environmental programs and agencies, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Endangered Species Act. President Ford continued this trend by championing the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974, designating national parks like Isle Royal, and coordinating with several other countries to protect and expand the Endangered Species Act. All of these environmental policies and actions were passed under Republican administrations. 

There are many examples of Republican environmentalism throughout America’s history, from the initial establishment of national parks under President Theodore Roosevelt to passing amendments to the Clean Air Act under President George H.W. Bush. It is important to recognize this history in order to find common ground across partisan lines when moving to pass climate legislation. 

This is why many young conservative climate activists believe in a path towards bipartisan climate action. 

The American Conservation Coalition

The American Conservation Coalition (ACC) works to mobilize young people around climate solutions in ways that align with conservative values ––  market-based mechanisms and a limited-government approach –– without attributing partisan labels to their work. The ACC’s current climate solution goals include energy innovation, 21st century infrastructure, nature based climate solutions, and a global approach to fighting climate change. 

In addition to a broad set of goals for a bipartisan approach to climate solutions, the ACC encourages young people to get involved in their local communities to enact climate solutions and lessen climate denial. For example, in the Midwest, the human-wildlife conflict and agriculture are likely more relevant than rising sea levels and wildfires, so ACC advocates for a local focus on those issues rather than the broader spectrum of climate issues that may not have the same local immediacy. 

ACC and others also promote  bipartisan climate action through events held at college campuses, talking to conservative members of state and local governments, and urgently making clear that climate change must be on the political agenda. 

Climate change does not discriminate based on political ideologies, and action will benefit from participation  by everyone, from all walks of life and political backgrounds, coming together to find innovative, sustainable and equitable climate solutions. 

Further reading:

• American Conservation Coalition
• Bipartisan Path to Address Climate Change
• Young Republican Climate Movement
• Adler, The Conservative Record on Environmental Policy, The New Atlantis
• Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends
• Bruggers, Bucking GOP Elders, Some Young Republicans Embrace a Slower, Gentler Brand of Climate Activism, DeSmog
• Republicans for Environmental Protection

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/growing-a-conservative-youth-environmental-movement-with-karly-matthews-from-the-american-conservation-coalition/

In 2018, nearly one-third of the 39 million tons of waste in California landfills was compostable organic material. Organic material – food and agricultural waste – releases methane, a very potent greenhouse gas, as it decomposes. As a result, California’s Short-Lived Pollutant Reduction law, SB-1383, targets such food waste by establishing methane reduction targets and takes aim at food insecurity in the state. The implementation of SB-1383 is vital in supporting California’s climate goals. Methane is produced when organics rot, and it is critical to reduce methane emissions levels as the gas is eighty-four times more potent than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over a 20 year period. When implemented, SB-1383 will reduce California’s methane emissions from organic materials in traditional landfills by an estimated twenty percent.

SB 1383 also supports California's commitments to improving human health, creating clean jobs, and supporting local economies. Some of SB-1383 targets include: expanding California’s organics infrastructure, ensuring all residents and businesses have access to recycling and organics collection services, a seventy-five percent reduction in organic waste disposal from 2014 levels, and that no less than twenty percent of currently disposed edible food is reserved for human consumption by 2025. The bill also requires jurisdictions to conduct outreach and education to all businesses, residents, solid waste facilities, and local food banks. 

Chris Seney is the Director of Organics Operations at Republic Services and has operated organic facilities for over twenty years in California. Seney helped lead the development of organics infrastructure and enactment of SB-1383 across the state. The implementation of SB-1383 has resulted in an increase in demand for composting facilities, which, in turn, has increased energy demand. Now, California has its first fully solar-powered compost facility,  Republic Services’ Otay Compost Facility in Chula Vista. The facility runs completely on renewable energy, processes one hundred tons of organic waste a day, and helps the San Diego region meet the demands of SB-1383. 

Compost also supports California’s climate goals as it promotes a “an economy that uses a systems-focused approach and involves industrial processes and economic activities that are restorative or regenerative by design.” A circular economy focuses on sustainability and  the lifecycle of materials, maximizing resources while minimizing waste. Compost is a critical part of a circular economy as the compost produced from recycled organics preserves natural resources, nutrients, and water that would otherwise be lost in landfills. Along with preserving resources, the composting initiatives in SB-1383 are expected to significantly support decarbonization goals. Whendee Silver, a UC Berkeley ecosystem ecologist, “has estimated that applying an inch of compost to just 5% of California’s rangelands would suck enough carbon out of the atmosphere to equal pulling 6 million cars off the road.” Composting may be the next climate crusade and SB-1383 is leading the nation in efforts reducing both food waste and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Sources: 

• SB 1383 Resources - CalRecycle Home Page
• Chris Seney - COMPOST2023 - USCC Conference Site (compostconference.com)
• SB 1383: Cal Recycles Organic Waste Recycling Requirement | City of Corona (coronaca.gov)
• Organic Materials Management and Climate Change - CalRecycle Home Page
• Understand Senate Bill (SB) 1383 - Recycling & Waste Reduction Division - County of Santa Clara (sccgov.org)
• Republic Services (RSG) Opens Solar-Powered Compost Facility | Markets Insider (businessinsider.com)
• California’s first fully solar-powered compost facility shines brightly, SCS Engineers
• California goes to war with food waste. Composting is its next climate crusade, LA Times
• What is a circular economy? EPA
• Methane action: Tackling a warming planet, UNEP.

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/using-solar-energy-to-power-large-scale-compost-with-chris-seney/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/climate-migrant-policy-with-janet-napolitano/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/rooftop-solar-with-bernadette-del-chiaro/

What is the GeoGrid?

The Geo Grid is a network of heating pumps that harnesses the geothermal energy stored under the Earth’s surface to heat and cool buildings. It operates through a network of pipes that go deep into the ground and connect houses to each other. These pipes are filled with water, which brings the constant underground temperature up to the Earth’s surface, and into the buildings. The pipes that connect the buildings to each other are then used to exchange energy between buildings, so one building's need for cooling can be balanced by another’s need for heating, ensuring that no energy is wasted. A heat pump located inside each building determines whether the heating or cooling is needed. This interconnected system has already been initiated at college campuses across the country. These networks can be expanded by connecting more systems along city streets, allowing the GeoGrid to spread across neighborhoods, cities, and states. This would help replace natural gas with geothermal energy as a primary heating method, and greatly reduce carbon emissions. 

Installing geothermal energy for a single household can be expensive and inaccessible for many. In order to keep costs low and expand the accessibility of GeoGrids, HEET has worked with utility companies to install geothermal technology for entire neighborhoods for the same cost of providing gas utilities. This is not only cost-efficient, but energy efficient. Positioning heat pump technology as utility infrastructure will reduce the financial burden of switching to renewable energy for consumers while preserving jobs in utility companies.

About HEET

HEET, or the Home Energy Efficiency Team, is an organization working to find innovative ways to cut carbon emissions. HEET has worked on several initiatives beyond the GeoGrid Micro Districts in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions. HEET started out as a group of volunteers working together to make their homes more efficient through heat trapping doors, insulated windows, and efficient light bulbs. HEET has also supported solar panel installation challenges, resulting in discounted installation prices and greater adoption of the technology in the area. 

HEET has also worked to cut methane-polluting natural gas leaks. Natural gas is the most common resource used to heat buildings, and leaks can occur in heating systems. HEET has gained data on these leaks from utility companies, and publishes annual maps showing their location and severity to draw public attention to the issue and spark action to stop them. To improve the way utility companies and governments deal with leaks, HEET also worked to pass a Massachusetts law requiring the most environmentally-impactful leaks to be addressed first. After developing a method to measure environmental impact through the Large Volume Leak Study, HEET worked with community members and the largest utility companies in Massachusetts to plan a path forward to stop the most methane-producing leaks first. 

Who are Audrey Schulman and Zeyneb Magavi?

Audrey Schulman is the co-executive director of HEET, which she co-founded in 2008. She spearheaded the public mapping of utility-reported gas leaks as well as the Large Volume Leaks Study, and has worked to implement the GeoGrid Micro Districts, several of which have been installed in New York and Massachusetts. She is also the author of six novels, which have won several awards including the Philip K. Dick Award 2019, and have been translated in twelve languages. 

Zeyneb Magavi is the co-executive director of HEET. Zeyneb designed the Geo Micro District to make buildings energy efficient in a scalable way. Six Geo Grid installations have been funded, mainly by gas utility companies, and she has started an independent research group to optimize the transition from gas to Geo Micro Districts. She studied physics at Brown University and global health and sustainability at Harvard, where she is now guest faculty at the School of Public Health. Zeyneb previously worked in the public health field, bringing technological solutions to public health problems in the developing world. She has also been part of two start-up launches. 

Sources

• https://heet.org/who-we-are/about/
• https://youtu.be/fXAum1rXdks
• https://www.coloradomesa.edu/facilities/sustainability/geo-systems.html
• https://heet.org/gas-leaks/fix-big-gas-leaks/
• https://audreyschulman.com/bio

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/using-geothermal-technology-to-replace-natural-gas-in-homes-with-heet/

What is Carbon Mineralization

Carbon mineralization is a naturally occurring chemical process that occurs when carbon dioxide becomes “mineralized” through a chemical reaction. The chemical reaction occurs when certain rocks, most often in deep underground igneous and metamorphic formations, are exposed to carbon dioxide. Carbon mineralization holds greater amounts of carbon than carbon storage in sedimentary reservoirs, as the chemical reactions in carbon mineralization create new carbonate minerals like calcium carbonate.

Carbon mineralization is potentially an important solution for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, as the mineralized carbon cannot escape to the atmosphere, so serves as long-term carbon storage. This process can be artificially sped up to sequester greater amounts of atmospheric carbon and prevent atmospheric warming. Mine waste and industrial sites also hold potential for fast carbon mineralization as crushed rocks can be more easily used for mineralization and at lower cost than injecting underground rocks. Surface carbon mineralization can also help mitigate onsite carbon emissions by reducing energy usage.

Carbon mineralization is not without risks, including the potential to trigger earthquakes or change the pressure profiles of rock formations.  Current methods also require significant water use. In the United States, the Pacific Northwest holds the greatest potential as it is abundant in basalt rocks. States such as Minnesota,Wisconsin, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, and Hawaii hold potential for deep underground infections. Crushed rock and mine sites all across the country also have the potential for carbon mineralization. 

Why Concrete is Attractive

Unlike other methods of carbon mineralization, storing carbon in concrete can serve a dual purpose by also reducing the emissions associated with the concrete and cement industries. Currently, the cement industry emits approximately eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. It also comes with less potential to disrupt rock formations.

For guest Dr. Erica Dodds, who sees financeability as key to the success of any carbon removal technology, the concrete industry’s size is an advantage, because companies bundling carbon removal with concrete can profit from an existing market with plenty of demand. Dodds says that state and local governments can go a long way towards supporting these approaches by establishing procurement plans that require government infrastructure projects to source concrete from carbon removing producers.

Foundation for Climate Restoration 

The Foundation for Climate Restoration (F4CR) is a non-profit organization that works to restore Earth’s climate to pre-industrial levels. The organization's philosophy is to restore our atmosphere primarily through carbon removal to protect our planet for future generations. To fulfill this mission, F4CR works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while simultaneously building capacity for carbon dioxide removal. F4CR aims to remove 1,000 gigatons (Gt) of carbon by 2050, as “the IPCC recognizes that we will need 100-1,000 gigatons (Gt) of carbon removal by the end of the century just to meet 1.5 degree C warming goals.”

Dr. Erica Dodds

Dr. Erica Dodds serves as the Chief Operating Office at F4CR and is committed to climate activism and poverty reduction. Dodds believes that today’s climate youth activists are the key to the fight against climate change and restoring a safe and healthy world. She holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Evaluation, an M.A. in International Development Administration, and has experience working with NGOs across the world along with the Evaluation Office of the International Labor Organization in Geneva. 

Sources

• About - Foundation For Climate Restoration
• Making Minerals - How Growing Rocks Can Help Reduce Carbon Emissions
• CarbonCure

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/using-concrete-for-carbon-removal-with-dr-erica-dodds/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/decarbonization-in-the-short-term-with-christiana-figueres-california-china-climate-institute/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/the-importance-of-merging-humans-and-nature-with-dr-liz-hadly-california-china-climate-institute/

What is “place-based” climate change communication?

Climate change can feel overwhelming and impersonal when discussed on a global or national scale. Place-based communication works to make climate change feel relevant to local communities and individuals. Issues that impact local communities and have connections to climate change, such as waste, energy, and food initiatives are often good places to start discussions  on how to implement climate policies.  A focus on local issues can empower communities to take action on matters of local importance with broader implications. When replicated in many communities, place-based communication can enable wide-scale implementation of climate solutions, better communication of science to laypeople, and even engender greater trust in national institutions and scientists advocating for climate solutions. Climate communication is more effective when it incorporates climate solutions that are already being implemented in specific localities. For example, climate communicators can build upon local energy initiatives, spreading information to speed-along a renewable energy transition. 

Knowledge Co-production

Another useful approach to climate communication is referred to as knowledge co-production, a collaborative process bringing together different people, perspectives, and experiences, rather than presenting climate change from, for example, solely from an academic or scientific perspective. When global and national actors engage in knowledge co-production with local communities, both groups benefit. Local communities gain crucial knowledge from experts, enabling them to create smarter/more effective solutions for their communities. Meanwhile, scientists and higher-level policymakers gain knowledge they otherwise would not have, and are empowered to bring diverse perspectives into their work. Part of effective climate communication is not only communicating knowledge, but also taking in new perspectives that can help inform how information is communicated, and what is communicated.  

Who is our guest?

Dr. Candice Howarth is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics. She is additionally co-Director of the Place-Based Climate Action Network. She researches how the co-production of knowledge and science communication can be used to inform better decision-making with regard to climate change.

Learn More

Unpacking the power of place-based education in climate change communication

Local knowledge in climate adaptation research: moving knowledge frameworks from extraction to co-production

Book: Addressing the Climate Crisis: Local action in theory and practice

What is climate change communication?

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/what-does-effective-climate-communication-look-like-with-dr-candice-howarth/

What is Geothermal Energy?

Geothermal energy is heat generated in the earth. It is a renewable source of energy, and it is extracted from the inner earth for energy use. Typically, geothermal energy is harnessed through holes that are drilled allowing hot water or steam to be extracted. These resources then drive a turbine to generate electricity and energy. Harnessed in this way, geothermal energy has significantly fewer environmental impacts than fossil fuels. 

The Pros and Cons of Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy can provide base load power—available 24/7—which is generally not the case for wind and solar. Wind and solar are intermittent resources, requiring energy storage to be able to match energy demand during times when the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining. Second, deriving energy from geothermal sources can be done highly efficiently, with less energy than from other sources. Dependability and cost make geothermal energy an appealing option under the right conditions. 

However, like other forms of energy, geothermal energy also comes with drawbacks. Geothermal resources may be finite, as they can cool over time. Additionally, there is a high upfront investment cost for geothermal energy. Considering both the positives and negatives of geothermal energy is crucial for understanding future feasibility of this energy source. 

What’s Next for Geothermal Development?

The US is currently the leader in geothermal energy, and policies and development of the resource may be expanding. Colorado has launched “The Heat Beneath Our Feet” initiative, which supports the development of geothermal energy generation. Additionally, the US Department of the Interior has voiced its support in favor of geothermal energy, for it believes that the expansion of geothermal energy carries many benefits. 

The United States also produces the most geothermal energy, with California producing the second most geothermal energy after Nevada. As a result of new research and technology, we may only be tapping the surface (so to speak) of available geothermal energy. By some estimates, the United States is using less than 1% of the available geothermal energy. With developing technology, there is hope that this untapped energy can be accessed more broadly and in a cost effective manner.

About our guest

Pat Dobson is a staff scientist leading the geothermal assistance program at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. He has many years of research experience, and focuses on volcanic rock and the effects of water-rock interaction. This has been the focus of much of his research and publications, and he is currently working on field and coupled process modeling studies of The Geysers with Lawrence Labs and Sanford Underground Research Facility.

Further Readings

• National Geographic, Encyclopedia entry: Geothermal Energy (2022)
• GreenMatch (UK), Advantages and Disadvantages of Geothermal Energy – The Source of Renewable Heat (2023)
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Full Steam Ahead: Unearthing the Power of Geothermal
• U.S. Department of Interior, Geothermal Energy Development, Statement of Tim Spisak (2019)
• Western Governors’ Association, The Heat Beneath Our Feet
• Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan, Geothermal Fact Sheet (2022)

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/geothermal-power-tapping-earths-heat-for-a-carbon-free-future/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/recycling-with-deborah-raphael/

West Virginia v. EPA

The U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency on June 30, 2022, determining (in a 6-3 ruling) that, without explicit congressional instruction, the EPA cannot curb emissions at existing power plants by forcing a change to renewable energy sources (as opposed to directing specific emissions reductions from the power plants themselves). Chief Justice Roberts, writing the majority, declared that mandating a switch to renewables is such a major shift that it falls under the “major questions doctrine.”  That doctrine – which is a creation of the Supreme Court – has not been fully developed, but has been presented as a limit on the power of the Executive Branch, requiring Congress to provide specific direction through legislation before the President may act.  What constitutes a “major question” and when it is to be invoked is unclear.  

The West Virginia case involved a regulation from the Obama-era that called for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from coal fired power plants, which could take the form of replacement of those plants with renewable energy. That regulation was withdrawn by the Trump administration, which issued a regulation much more limited in scope. The Biden administration then withdrew the Trump-era regulation and is working on a new regulation. So, the Obama-era regulation at issue in West Virginia was not operative, which would normally make the case moot. The Supreme Court ruled, however, that because the rule could be reinstated, the case could proceed, underscoring the majority’s strong intent to create the major question doctrine.  The doctrine is presented as a check on executive power, but also represents a potentially significant expansion of judicial power. It is the Court that apparently will decide the parameters of what constitutes a major question, when and under what circumstances it will be applied, and when the President needs explicit authorization from Congress to take action.   

Though West Virginia v. EPA hinders EPA authority, it still leaves open several avenues for effective government climate action. The case does not touch on local and state government ability to regulate pollutants, and does not affect the EPA’s regulation of high-emitting sectors such as transportation. Additionally, this Court decision does not affect new power plants, only existing plants. Though it prevents the EPA from mandating renewable energy for existing power plants, the EPA can still require specific emissions reductions from individual plants. Finally, West Virginia v. EPA highlights the importance of passing effective congressional climate change legislation with explicit authority for the executive branch. West Virginia v. EPA is a further reminder that climate change cannot be fought without bold congressional action. 

For a more detailed discussion, we invite you to listen to the long version of this podcast on this website, and check out the links below.

Who is Professor Dan Farber?

Dan Farber is one of the nation’s most cited and influential scholars of environmental and constitutional law, and is faculty director of the Center of Law, Energy, and Environment at Berkeley Law. After law school, he clerked for Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court, giving him an intimate look into the workings of the nation’s highest court. His most recent book is Contested Ground: How to Understand the Limits on Presidential Power (UC Press 2021). Dan Farber is the Sho Sato Professor of Law at the University of California, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Life Member of the American Law Institute.

Learn More

West Virginia v. EPA: A Quick Explainer - Legal Planet

Emerging Answers to Major Questions - Legal Planet

Opinion | The Supreme Court's EPA Decision Is More Gloom Than Doom - The New York Times

The Supreme Court's EPA Ruling Is Going to Be Very, Very Expensive - The Atlantic

West Virginia v. EPA and the Future of the Administrative State - Legal Aggregate - Stanford Law School

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/what-does-west-virgina-v-epa-mean-for-environmental-policy-with-professor-dan-farber-and-ken-alex/

What are solar windows?

Solar windows, also known as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), are windows that generate electricity from sunlight.  They are typically made with thin, transparent layers of photovoltaic material that can capture and convert solar energy into electricity while still allowing light to pass through, so as to avoid sacrificing visibility.  Solar windows are an emerging alternative to traditional solar panels in buildings and homes that can be seamlessly integrated into the design of the building and do not take up additional space.   

Conventional solar panels use silicon semiconductors, which absorb energy from both visible and invisible wavelengths of light.  However, solar windows need to allow visible light to pass through, so they use organic semiconductors instead. Organic semiconductors contain a large amount of carbon in their molecules and have narrow spectral absorption bands, meaning they only absorb wavelengths of light that are invisible to the human eye. This allows visible light to pass through the window while still generating electricity from sunlight.  Solar windows are an emerging technology; scientists are actively researching and developing new types of solar windows, such as transparent coatings, customizable smart windows, and switchable windows.    

Solar windows have the potential to make a significant contribution to renewable energy generation and the transition to a low-carbon economy.  By harnessing the power of sunlight, they can generate electricity for homes, buildings, and other structures, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.  These windows may be particularly useful in buildings with large window areas or limited roof space for traditional solar panels, providing an alternative, or additional, way to generate electricity from renewable sources.    

Who is Professor Stephen Forrest?

Stephen Forrest, an engineering professor at the University of Michigan, is the co-author of two recent studies related to solar windows. The first study examines the costs associated with building and installing solar windows, while the second study focuses on a process for manufacturing large and efficient solar windows. As an expert in the field, Professor Forrest has valuable insights into the potential and challenges of solar windows as a renewable energy source.

Sources:

• https://www.nrel.gov/tech-deployment/buildings-research/solar-windows.html
• https://news.engin.umich.edu/2022/07/toward-manufacturing-semitransparent-solar-cells-the-size-of-windows/
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/organic-semiconductor
• https://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2017/nrel-develops-switchable-solar-window.html
• https://www.anl.gov/article/customizable-smart-window-technology-could-improve-energy-efficiency-of-buildings
• https://www.science.org/content/article/skyscrapers-could-soon-generate-their-own-power-thanks-see-through-solar-cells
• https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(22)00289-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2542435122002896%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
• https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/se/d0se00910e/unauth
• https://www.science.org/content/article/ultrathin-organic-solar-cells-could-turn-buildings-power-generators

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/could-windows-be-a-source-of-solar-energy-with-professor-stephen-forrest/

What is CRISPR?

DNA contains the fundamental information about an organism, and is used as an instruction manual to guide organism structure and function. Until CRISPR (short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology was developed by Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, editing DNA sequences was very difficult. Here’s the short version of the CRISPR process. First, a CRISPR enzyme is guided by an RNA strand to a DNA strand researchers want to edit. The RNA strand guides the enzyme to a specific point, and the enzyme cuts the DNA molecule. This CRISPR process can be used to eliminate DNA strands, as well as to replace DNA strands using other “repair” enzymes. It is a direct way for human beings to alter the planet’s biological blueprint, and, accordingly, its impact can be a strong force for change, positive or negative. 

How can CRISPR be used to fight climate change?

CRISPR can be used to edit the genetic sequences of plants so that they capture more carbon during photosynthesis, and store it in the ground long-term. Since around a third of the Earth’s land is cropland, CRISPR-modified agriculture could potentially sequester billions of tons of carbon each year. Professor Kris Niyogi at UC Berkeley studies how CRISPR can be used to increase the efficiency of sunlight utilization in plants during photosynthesis. Photosynthesis captures carbon dioxide, and requires sunlight to do so. By not letting any sunlight go to waste, the plant can capture more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. CRISPR can also be used to create plants with deeper roots, enabling carbon to be stored deeper in the ground. UC Berkeley Professor Peggy Lamaux studies sorghum plants, searching for the genes responsible for sorghum’s deep roots. Related genes in rice and wheat could be altered to have deeper roots, like the sorghum plant. And UC Berkeley Professor Jill Banfield studies how plant-microbe interactions can be altered by CRISPR to store more carbon in soil. Soil microbes secrete sticky biopolymers, which can take soil humic substances and lock them with minerals to create long-lasting associations (potentially up to 100 years) that hold carbon. The Banfield lab aims to CRISPR-modify plants so that they chemically “talk” to microbes, emitting chemicals that encourage the microbes to create more “sticky” carbon, rather than carbon that would be emitted into the atmosphere. 

Who is Kris Niyogi?

Kris Niyogi is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, a professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a faculty scientist in the Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The Niyogi Lab studies photosynthetic energy conversion and its regulation in algae and plants. The lab's long-term research goals are to understand how photosynthesis operates, how it is regulated, and how it might be improved to help meet the world's needs for food and fuel. Dr. Niyogi earned his biology PhD from MIT. 

Further Reading

In 10 years, CRISPR transformed medicine. Can it now help us deal with climate change? | University of California

This scientist thinks she has the key to curb climate change: super plants

Supercharging Plants and Soils to Remove Carbon from the Atmosphere

CRISPR-Cas Can Help Reduce Climate Change

Can we hack DNA in plants to help fight climate change?

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/using-crispr-to-fight-climate-change-with-professor-kris-niyogi/

At the time of recording, Indigenized Indigenous Energy Initiative was named Indigenous Indigenized Energy Initiative.

Indigenous Energy Initiative:

Indigenous Energy Initiative (IEI) is a native-led non-profit and Earth Island Institute-sponsored project that is developing solar infrastructure within tribal communities. Native communities disproportionately lack access and pay higher costs for utilities, especially electricity, which significantly impacts access and opportunities for remote work, education, and more. In 2014, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that 14% of native households lack access to electricity, which is ten times the national average. IEI is working to increase indigenous energy ownership and access to help address the social, economic, and environmental injustices that burden native communities. IEI's focus is on building energy independence as a way to support indigenous communities and eradicate energy poverty. 

IEI is currently working within the Northern Cheyenne Reservation community in Montana to guide the reservation’s $4.1 million solar initiative. IEI’s first project was Muddy Hill Microgrid which was a small solar system to support a multi-use community center, fire station, and water filtration system on the reservation. The project was built by tribal members who received solar training through IEI. In 2021, IEI worked on a residential project for elders in the Standing Rock Reservation. Another project IEI is currently working on is the White River Community solar project which is developing residential solar for specific tribal elders and commercial solar for several schools. The Department of Energy is providing $3.2 million of funding for the project and the reservation, and IEI must match twenty percent of this funding. 

Chéri Smith:

Chéri Smith is the founder and CEO of the IEI. Smith is the descendent of the Mi'kmaq tribe of Maine/Canadian maritime and her mission is to use her expertise in climate change and economics to educate, build solar capacity and bring independence to indigenous communities. Smith has two decades of experience in energy and environmental sustainability in multiple sectors from the public, private, NGOs, higher education, consulting, and tribal communities. Before IEI, Smith worked as a coordinator at Tesla-SolarCity, Director of Education and Outreach at the American Council on Renewable Energy, she served as an advisory board member for Masters in Renewable Energy program at Pennsylvania State University, worked as an advisor at the Yale School of Business and the Environment, and worked on Core Education Advisory Committee for SEIA’s Solar Power International. Additionally, Smith founded and was the Executive Director of the nonprofit Solar Campus Initiative and there worked as Climate Leader trained by Al Gore. Smith also was awarded the Cordes Fellowship for recognition for developing solar projects for native communities. Through her work at IEI, Smith works to honor her native heritage and use energy knowledge to make native communities more resilient, independent, and sustainable sovereignties. 

Sources:

• https://indigenous-energy.org
• https://cbey.yale.edu/our-community/cheri-a-smith
• https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/12/native-americans-energy-inequality-electricity
• https://rmi.org/blog_2014_06_24_native_energy_rural_electrification_on_tribal_lands/#:~:text=The%20Energy%20Information%20Administration%20estimates,far%20from%20a%20utility%20grid.
• https://www.powermag.com/did-you-know-there-are-60000-u-s-citizens-who-lack-access-to-electricity/
• https://www.scalemicrogridsolutions.com/blog/americas-energy-transition-must-include-tribal-lands

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/rebroadcast-building-tribal-communities-energy-independence-with-indigenous-energy-initiative/

How do Climate Change and Agriculture Affect Drinking Water?

Throughout the US, agricultural and livestock runoff are some of the largest contributors to drinking water pollution, especially in heavily farmed states like California and Iowa. As part of farming, producers use pesticides and fertilizers which, without strategies like cover cropping, can run off and enter the water stream, leading to elevated levels of dissolved nitrates and phosphorus and causing toxic algal blooms. 

Climate change associated droughts and floods may be making the problem of agricultural pollutants in water worse by increasing runoff rates, stimulating algal blooms, and reducing the availability of alternative water sources providers can turn to. At the same time, excessive nitrate pollution in agriculture may itself exacerbate greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the nitrous oxide emitted by soil and polluted waters. 

In Iowa, the Des Moines Department of Water Works is looking for collaborative solutions.

What is Des Moines Water Works Doing About Agricultural Pollution?

Like many water utilities, DMWW is under pressure to remove agricultural pollutants from their water sources, an issue exacerbated by climate change. However, DMWW faces additional challenges as the largest water utility in an agriculturally and livestock intensive state – about 83 percent of Iowa land is farmed, and it’s the top producer of hogs in the US. Widespread use of tile drainage systems, which accelerate the rate that water drains from agricultural land, also increases the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus that can enter the water stream.

DMWW wants to do more than remove nitrates and phosphates from their water supply via expensive filtration systems – they want to reduce the amounts entering Central Iowa’s water stream to begin with. But because agricultural runoff is considered nonpoint pollution, meaning it can’t be traced back to a single farm, DMWW has no authority with which to force farmers to change their practices and reduce pollution. After attempts at passing stricter pollution regulations were unsuccessful, DMWW filed a lawsuit against 13 Iowa drainage districts over nitrate pollution, but it was dismissed in 2017. Now, they've shifted strategies towards educational outreach and collaboration. 

“Protecting source water upstream from us, if we don't have laws in our favor for that. If we don't have a lawsuit in our back pocket that we're going to whip out again, we don't right now, then we're left with collaboration,” DMWW External Affairs Manager Jennifer Terry tells Climate Break. “And so I've been putting my full weight into collaborating the last year and a half … building coalitions with people that you would maybe consider … unlikely allies.” 

What Does Collaboration Look Like?

As an example, Terry cites the recent purchase of a John Deere cover crop seeder in part partnership with other local organizations. Now, DMWW is working with agricultural retailer Heartland Cooperative to sell its services to central Iowan farmers. Cover cropping can reduce erosion and increase the amount of nutrients retained by soil, preventing pollutants from draining into the water supply. It also has benefits for climate change mitigation: planting cover crops, rather than leaving land bare during the off season, sequesters more carbon in the soil and reduces emissions. 

“Is that project over the next four years going to clean up our rivers? No,” Terry acknowledges, “but what it's going to do is hopefully demonstrate a scalable model of how municipalities and private industry can come together and hopefully make it win-win-win … [the] land owner gets to keep his or her soil on the farm, we get to keep the contaminants out of the water, and we get to … work together with people who share our values for an end game of cleaner source water.”

Additional Resources:

• Search for more information on your local water supply by zip code
• Nutrient Pollution: Agriculture
• EPA: Protecting Water Quality from Agricultural Runoff
• DMWW Website
• Iowa’s Toxic Brew: Coping with the climate-chemical reaction that can play havoc with drinking water
• Opinion: 'Sounding the alarm' may mean spring water quality challenges for Des Moines Water Works, again

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/protecting-drinking-water-from-agricultural-pollutants-with-des-moines-water-works/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/how-to-protect-water-supply-from-agricultural-pollutants-with-des-moines-water-works/

What are motorcycle taxis? 

Motorcycle taxis are indispensable in East Africa and other developing countries. In large cities experiencing unplanned growth, agile moto-taxis can navigate congestion while transporting millions of people. In Rwanda, more than half of all vehicles on the road at any moment are motorcycle taxis. But gasoline-powered motorcycles are not cheap: fuel is expensive, maintenance can be expensive, and the motorcycles can cause serious air pollution and emit greenhouse gasses. 

What is Ampersand? 

Ampersand makes affordable electric vehicles and charging systems for the five million motorcycle taxi drivers in East Africa, who are known locally as ‘motars’. Headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, Ampersand grew from a tiny garage project into Africa's leading electric vehicle company, with a team of more than two hundred people based in Kenya and Germany. Since launching in May 2019 with twenty electric motorcycles (known as “e-motos”), the company has put hundreds of e-motos on roads across East Africa. With gas-powered motorcycles, many drivers spend over $11 daily on fuel and vehicle costs, but make as little as $1.60 each day. Going electric can double a driver’s income by reducing fuel costs and drive Africa towards a zero-carbon future. 

Ampersand advertises its motorcycles as vehicles that have excellent driving performance, need minimal customer behavior change, emit 75 percent less carbon than gas-powered motorcycles, have zero tailpipe emissions, and save drivers over $500 USD a year—significant savings for a family of three in Rwanda. 

How does Ampersand work?

The Ampersand system works as follows:

1. A motorcycle driver purchases or leases an Ampersand e-moto.
2. When the battery is low, the driver comes to an Ampersand swap station.
3. Ampersand switches depleted battery for a new battery, while driver pays for the energy used by the depleted battery.
4. The driver continues their drive, swapping for another new battery when needed.

Through this model, drivers do not incur the risk of buying a lithium battery pack or waiting for batteries to recharge, losing time and customers in the process. Each battery is high-range and so requires stopping at Ampersand stations less often than drivers would need to do if refueling with gasoline. 

Ampersand e-motos cost less than gas-powered motorcycles to lease or buy, and half as much to power. Using electricity from a fossil-fuel-powered grid, the e-motos produce 75 percent fewer lifecycle greenhouse emissions than gas-powered motorbikes. Using electricity generated from renewable energy sources, they produce 98 percent fewer lifecycle greenhouse emissions than gas-powered motorcycles. Ampersand batteries are assembled locally in Rwanda.

Who is Alp Tilev?

Alp Tilev is the Chief Technical Officer at Ampersand Motorcycles. He first came to Rwanda to join Great Lakes Energy, where he worked on remote monitoring for solar energy systems of health centers in off-grid areas. He worked for many years as a computer scientist at Microsoft, helping to make Microsoft relevant for hackers and startups in the New York City community. Tilev started his career in natural language processing and machine learning for Fast Search, a Norwegian software startup. Alp holds a BA computer science from the University of Aarhus and Istanbul Bilgi University.

Further Reading

Rwanda’s Electric Motorbike Revolution Speeds Ahead, World Economic Forum

Rwandan Electric Motorcycle Startup Ampersand Secures $9m Debt Facility, Disrupt Africa

East Africa’s Transition to Electric Vehicles, Local Source

The Love-Hate Relationship Between East Africa and Boda Boda Two-Wheeled Taxis, Bloomberg

Rwanda Goes Electric with Locally Made Motorbikes, BBC News

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/electrifying-motorcycle-taxis-in-africa-to-reduce-emissions-and-save-drivers-money/

Climate Change and Anxiety: Some Data 

Climate or “eco” anxiety refers to people feeling distressed about climate change and its impacts on our ecosystems, the environment, and human health and well-being. It is rooted in a deep existential dread concerning the future of the planet. Symptoms include feelings of grief, loss, anger, sadness, and guilt, which in turn can cause jitteriness, nervousness, increased heart rate, shallow breathing, difficulty concentrating, changes in appetite, or insomnia due to worry or concern about the effects of climate change. 

According to Grist, Google searches for “climate anxiety” soared by 565 percent in 2021. And according to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, an all-time high of 70 percent of Americans express worry about climate change. In September 2021, the largest study of its kind found that the climate crisis was causing widespread psychological distress for young people between the ages of 16 and 25 across 42 countries from both the global North and South. Over 45 percent of teens and young adults said that climate anxiety was affecting their daily lives and ability to function; 56 percent said they thought that "humanity is doomed" and nearly 4 in 10 said that they were hesitant to have children because of climate change. 

From Solastalgia to Soliphilia: how Native American Ecology can lead the way

The steps people must take to address their climate anxiety depends on each individual, as people are affected by climate change in different ways. For example, some people have lost homes or even loved ones, while many others have witnessed these catastrophic events unfold on their phone screens.

Dr. Melinda Adams describes this trauma as “solastalgia,” originally coined by Australian philosopher Glen Albrecht to describe the distress caused by the destruction or loss of one’s home environment. This concept helps people to understand and express the “psychoterratic,” or the relationship between human mental health and the earth’s own well-being. Many have taken legal and political action to deal with their solastalgia. For example, last year Montana youths sued the state for its failure to recognize that approving fossil fuel projects was unconstitutional without further review of the impacts to the climate. Others have drastically altered their lifestyles, opting instead to practice underconsumption to limit their personal contributions to the changing climate. 

Dr. Adams has another solution, reminding those who suffer that the definition of solastalgia also includes hope. Hope can lead us either into action or ecoparalysis. It is within this framework that Dr. Adams introduces Native American cultural burnings as a way to achieve soliphilia, “the political affiliation or solidarity needed between us all to be responsible for a place, bioregion, planet, and the unity of interrelated interests within it.’’ 

Cultural fires or “good fires,” which involve lighting low-intensity fires to heal the surrounding ecosystem, can exemplify this step. Not only do these fires restore degraded soils, decrease vegetation or fuel overgrowth, encourage re-vegetation and biodiversity, but they also deepen the spiritual ties people have to the land they inhabit. Fire therefore has a regenerative power, both spiritually and ecologically, as participants share stories and strengthen communal and spiritual bonds with one another during these ceremonial burnings. As a member of the N’dee San Carlos Apache Tribe, Dr. Adams takes Glen Albrecht’s theory of the “psychoterratic” and frames it as a relationship between siblings. Subsequently, as siblings, humans and the land must help each other survive. By treating the earth as a more-than-human sibling, and by practicing cultural burns, participants can begin to heal from their solastalgia. 

Directly engaging with a regenerative process such as “good fires,” “grounds people’s intentions and allows for deeper connections—to place and among one another.” “[C]eremonial fires create opportunities for social, environmental, and cultural healing among young persons (Native and allied)” (Tom, Adams, & Goode at 3). Essentially, the strengthening of community through spiritually uplifting activities alleviates climate anxiety by showing young people that there are people out there who share their concern for the climate and are motivated to do something about it. 

Who is our guest?

Dr. Melinda Adams is a member of the N’dee San Carlos Apache Tribe and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Atmospheric Science at the University of Kansas. A cultural fire practitioner and scholar, her research focuses on the revitalization of cultural fire with Tribes in California and more recently with Tribes in the Midwest. Her work with Indigenous communities combines environmental science, environmental policy, and Indigenous studies methodologies. Read more about Dr. Melinda Adams here.

Resources

• Cornell University: Climate Change & Eco-Anxiety
• It’s Not Just You: Everyone is Googling Climate Anxiety (Salon)
• Leiserowitz et al., Dramatic Increases in Public Beliefs and Worries About Climate Change (Yale Program on Climate Change Communication)
• Hickman et al.,  Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey (The Lancet Planetary Health)
• Tom, Adams, and Goode,  From Solastalgia to Soliphilia: Cultural Fire, Climate Change and Indigenous Healing (Ecopsychology)

Further reading 

• UC Davis: Melinda Adams: Flame Keeper
• Climate Designers: Podcast: Deep Dive with Dr Melinda Adams: Solastalgia & Soliphilia 
• Yale: Yale Experts Explain Climate Anxiety

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/how-native-american-ecology-can-tackle-climate-anxiety-with-dr-melinda-adams/.

Food Waste is a Global Problem with a Big Carbon Footprint

One-third of all food produced is wasted every year – approximately 1.3 billion tons. The UN Environment Program estimates that 3.3 billion tons of CO2 are emitted annually from the resources used to produce wasted food. In the United States alone, 133 billion pounds of edible food, valued at $161 billion, is wasted every year. 

Replate’s Solution

Enter Replate: a technology-based nonprofit that works to reduce food insecurity and waste while mitigating food waste´s effects on climate change. The organization provides a solution for businesses to donate surplus food to nearby nonprofits operating throughout the United States and the Middle East. Replate’s services are designed to prevent such food waste through source reduction and donating meals to communities experiencing food insecurity. Its algorithm connects donor organizations to nonprofits, diverting food from landfills while increasing food access. 

How Replate Works

Their organization operates through a web app. Donors can schedule pick-up services, then track the environmental and social impact of their donations. Nonprofits can sign up to receive donations using an online form. Replate then works to understand these organizations' capacity and food needs before drop off. Replate works with hundreds of corporations including Netflix, Boston Consulting Group, Whole Foods, Chipotle, Walmart, and more to match businesses with communities in need. Since its founding, Replate has recovered over 3.6 million pounds of food, delivered over three million meals, and served 301 nonprofits. It estimates that to date the program has saved 985 million gallons of water and diverted 3,686 tons of carbon emissions.

Connections to California Composting Goals

As organic material like food and agricultural waste decomposes, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas eighty-four times more potent than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over a 20-year period. Enacted in January 2022, California’s Short-Lived Pollutant Reduction law SB-1383 targets is trying to address methane emissions due to organic waste. SB-1383 is expected to reduce California’s methane emissions from organic materials in traditional landfills by an estimated twenty percent. As part of the law, large food service providers, distributors, and industries falling under the Tier 1 category—food service providers, food distributors, wholesale food vendors, supermarkets and grocery stores over 10,000 square feet—are required to reduce their organic waste material disposal. Platforms like Replate can help businesses reduce their food waste and comply with SB-1383. 

Maen Mahfoud is the founder and CEO of Replate. Witnessing the alarming levels of food insecurity, and enormous amounts of food waste in the Bay Area, his knowledge of the massive effects of food waste on our planet motivated Mahfoud to launch Replate in 2016. Maen is a DRK entrepreneur, a 2023 recipient of the James Irvine Foundation Leadership, and was sponsored by Harvard Business School's Executive Program. Mahfoud holds a Master’s in Public Health from Imperial College London, a degree in Molecular Biology from UC Berkeley, and a Human-Computer Interaction for User Experience Design Certificate from MIT. 

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/optimizing-food-waste-recovery-through-algorithms-with-maen-mahfoud/

Solar Power on Farms

Many farmers, ranchers, and landowners are beginning to consider using their farmland not just for agricultural purposes, but for solar power as well. This combination of agriculture and solar is known as agrivoltaics, which offers an innovative approach to land management particularly in arid regions of the world. Solar panels on farms are often paired with regenerative agricultural practices as a way to increase the capacity of solar output, carbon sequestration, and quantity of agricultural yields. Agrivoltaics, an emerging form of land management, holds promise for the future in the movement toward making agriculture more sustainable.  

How does Agrivoltaics work?

Most farmers are reliant on fossil fuels as their primary energy source, which not only impacts the environment, but engenders significant overhead costs. Solar energy on farms is one way to decrease farmers’ reliance on fossil fuels and build long-term agricultural sustainability. Photovoltaic solar units can be built above pollinating plants and crops, allowing for increased shade, thereby providing energy for the farm and shielding the plants from intense heat from the sun.

Dynamic agrivoltaics utilizes raised solar panels built above growing plants. Beneath the solar panels, farmers can grow deep-rooted pollinating plants such as native grass and flowers. Dynamic agrivoltaics can also assist farmers in controlling the level of sunlight crops receive. Further, solar panels can provide resistance during extreme weather conditions, which are becoming more frequent. Although research is still ongoing, agrivoltaics has been proven to be a mechanism farmers can utilize in the face of climate change.

Agrivoltaics: A tool for future sustainability?

Agrivoltaics can help maintain crop yields, protect biodiversity, and increase solar output.  

With solar panels, the environment can stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. 

As a result, evaporation of irrigation water in the summer is reduced, and the cooler temperatures allow for soil to trap water more efficiently, thereby reducing costs for expensive irrigation systems. 

By reducing metabolic stressors (extreme heat, for example), plants are able to photosynthesize longer and grow larger. Plants like kale, shard, and bok choy have been proven to grow two to five times larger underneath solar panels. With increased growth capacity, carbon sequestration can increase and yields can go up, benefiting both the environment and farmer. 

In regions where the temperature rises above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, solar panels can begin to underperform due to overheating. However, when plants are underneath the panels, the evaporation from crops can create localized cooling, reducing heat stress on the panels and boosting energy output. 

In addition, agrivoltaics can also benefit the livestock industry. As climate change is increasing temperatures, animals are often suffering from heat exhaustion in the summer months, which decreases their appetite and can lead to heat stroke and reduced performance. By providing shade through solar panels, livestock will continue to eat even during warm temperatures. This can be particularly beneficial for range managers that utilize free range and rotational grazing.

Weather variability can impact farmers’ profits. The revenue generated from leasing land and electricity sales can provide another source of income for farmers. Therefore, solar panels can be utilized to ensure long-term economic security.

Potential Disadvantages of Agrivoltaics

Although agrivoltaics offers numerous environmental benefits, no climate-related solution comes without drawbacks. A large concern of solar panel installation is the outcome of their eventual disposal. With no proper strategies put into place for how to dispose of old solar panels, they will most likely be left to sit in landfills, releasing toxins into the environment and harming human health. Waste produced by solar panels may make electricity from solar panels four times more expensive than previously thought. 

Some environmental advocates are apprehensive about agrivoltaics as a potential solution to sustainable agriculture, fearing that solar panel installation will degrade land during assembly. The installation of solar panels has been associated with reducing ecosystem diversity and habitats for native species. Additionally, installing raised solar panels can result in higher costs due to the extra steel being utilized. 

Agrivoltaics is most practical in arid, dry regions, which limits its applicability to the Western US, Australia, highlands in South America, and other hot, dry climates. Lack of awareness and knowledge on the potential advantages of agrivoltaics has also limited its potential to become a common practice used in the transition to sustainable farming practices.

About our guest

Byron Kominek, owner and manager of Jack’s Solar Garden in Colorado, uses the co-location of solar panels and regenerative agriculture on a 24 acre, 1.2 megawatt solar garden outside of the city of Denver. Jack’s Solar Garden hopes to inspire others with their innovative approach to farming by involving community members across Colorado in educational programs to learn about the benefits of agrivoltaics. Jack’s Solar Garden has partnered with the non-profit Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center, to educate and inspire community members and farmers on the positive impacts of agrivoltaics. 

Further Reading

• Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center
• Dartmouth, Study Finds More U.S. Crops to Require Irrigation
• Ecological Society of America, Solar panels cast shade on agriculture in a good way
• Environmental Evidence Journal, What evidence exists regarding the effects of photovoltaic panels on biodiversity? A critical systematic map protocol
• Jack's Solar Garden
• Forbes, Dark Side To Solar? More Reports Tie Panel Production To Toxic Pollution
• Research Gate, Agrivoltaics provide mutual benefits across the food–energy–water nexus in drylands
• Solar Impulse, Dynamic Agrivoltaic System
• USDA, Agrivoltaics: Coming Soon to a Farm Near You?
• USDA, Agrivoltaics: Pairing Solar Power and Agriculture in the Northwest

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/solar-power-on-farms-with-byron-kominek/.

California is the first state to ban the sale of new gas furnaces and water heaters, which will begin in 2030. In efforts to fight climate change, all homes will be required to use zero-emission electric appliance alternatives. The Sierra Club and American Lung Association have supported this move to reduce the building sector’s carbon footprint and improve public health. 

The building sector accounts for 5% of California's nitrogen-oxide pollution, a key component in producing smog. The California Air and Resource Board (CARB) reports that nearly 90% of these nitrogen-oxide emissions come from space and water heaters. A report from SPUR, San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, found “as appliances in California homes and buildings generate four times as much lung-damaging nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution as the state's gas power plants, and roughly two-thirds as much NOx as all of the state’s passenger cars.” This ban was passed to meet EPA regulations limiting atmospheric ozone and fighting air pollution, and it also follows Biden’s Climate Plan calling for the switch from residential gas to electric appliances.  

Natural Gas Inside the Home:

Switching to electric appliances can also have indoor air pollution benefits. Gas cook stoves emit natural gas and indoor air pollutants that can be harmful to those with asthma and chronic pulmonary disease as these stoves are typically unvented. The most common pollutants from gas cook stoves are nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde, and the EPA warns that nitrogen dioxide emissions can be toxic even in low concentrations. While electric appliance alternatives like electric cook stoves and heat pumps emit no onsite air pollution. 

Costs and Burdens:

The costs of upgrading electrical services also raises many equity concerns for vulnerable communities, as low-income customers and renters are predicted to face the largest costs. Environmental retrofits to upgrade water heaters and furnaces can lead to increased electricity costs, as natural gas is a cheaper but dirtier source of energy. There is also a long road ahead, as according to the Energy Information Administration in 2020, only “26% of U.S. households use electricity as the only source of energy.” Concerns with changing electricity loads and how this will impact homes that rely on solar panels or have other energy-intensive needs such as electrical vehicles must also be considered. Hefty costs are also associated with these retrofits as one study estimated equipment and installation costs for “electric air-source heat pumps cost around $6,800, though there is also a $5,900 adder for heat pumps in cold climates. A gas furnace was estimated to cost less than $4,000.” Despite these costs, a report from CLASP  and Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) found that the U.S could “reduce national heating bills by $13.6 billion and cut annual CO2 emissions by 67 MT, the equivalent of removing 14.4 million passenger cars for an entire year, by swapping air conditioners for heat pumps.” There are numerous benefits for the planet and individuals that can afford to upgrade to electric appliances, but the inequitable burdens on low-income populations of this new ban must also be addressed.

Steve Cliff

Dr. Steve Cliff is the Executive Officer of the California Air and Resource Board (CARB). Cliff began his appointment in the Summer of 2022 and works with the board to enact programs to reduce air and climate pollution within the state. In his role, Cliff oversees over 1,800 employees and a budget of $2.7 billion. 

Before serving as Executive Officer Cliff worked as the 16th Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and was appointed by President Biden in January 2021. At NHTSA Cliff oversaw the nation’s vehicle safety agency, where he helped advance vehicle technologies and established fuel economy regulations. Dr. Cliff also has an extensive history working with CARB as he first joined as an Air Pollution Specialist in 2008, served as Deputy Executive Officer overseeing the board’s climate program, and was appointed by Governor Brown in 2016 as senior advisor to CARB’s Chair. Governor Brown also appointed Dr. Cliff as Assistant Director for Sustainability to the California Department of Transportation, where he served in this role from 2014 to 2016. 

Dr. Steve Cliff received his bachelor's and a doctorate in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego. He also has a postdoc on atmospheric sciences from the University of California, Davis. For over two decades Cliff has worked closely with UC Davis, he worked as a research professor in the Department of Applied Sciences, has supported air quality and climate research programs, and is affiliated with the school’s Air Quality Research.  

Sources:

• https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/about/leadership/hon-steven-s-cliff
• https://www.npr.org/2022/09/23/1124511549/california-plans-to-phase-out-new-gas-heaters-by-2030
• https://www.spur.org/publications/policy-brief/2022-09-20/gas-appliances-and-smog-californias-hidden-air-pollution
• https://www.npr.org/2021/10/07/1015460605/gas-stove-emissions-climate-change-health-effects
• https://www.utilitydive.com/news/as-california-confronts-the-future-of-its-natural-gas-system-who-could-get/622576/
• https://www.utilitydive.com/news/electric-heat-pumps-will-be-the-cheapest-clean-option-to-heat-most-us-homes/628245/
• https://newsdirect.com/news/new-report-finds-us-hybrid-heating-could-cut-national-heating-costs-by-13-6-billion-466102900
• https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/08/fact-sheet-president-biden-signs-executive-order-catalyzing-americas-clean-energy-economy-through-federal-sustainability/
• https://www.raponline.org/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/equitable-policy-for-energy-efficient-homes-with-dr-steve-cliff/

What is a Prescribed Burn?

Prescribed burns “reduc[e] excessive amounts of brush, shrubs, and trees, encouraging the new growth of native vegetation, and maintaining the many plant and animal species whose habitats depend on periodic fire,” according to Smokey Bear. Prescribed burns are conducted by intentionally igniting a fire on a day with very little to no wind in the forecast, in an area with abundant dry brush that was not recently burned. Fire is a natural part of California’s ecosystems. Prescribed burning mimics natural processes by reducing kindling and other fuel on forest floors, which in turn reduces the likelihood that massive and deadly wildfires will occur.

The History of Prescribed Burns

For thousands of years, Native tribes around the world have practiced cultural burning, otherwise known as prescribed burning. Cultural burning is “the intentional lighting of smaller, controlled fires to provide a desired cultural service, such as promoting the health of vegetation and animals that provide food, clothing, ceremonial items and more,” according to journalist Dave Roos.

Roos notes that Spanish colonizers not only brought disease and violence to America, but a prohibition on cultural burning practices: “one of the first official proclamations by a Spanish bureaucrat in California in 1793 was to outlaw ‘Indian burning,’ which was viewed as a threat to the Spanish cattle herds and pastures.”  According to The Guardian, the US government passed the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians in 1850, which outlawed practices of cultural, prescribed, or intentional burning before California was even a state. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wildfires increased in size and intensity. Roos writes that “Millions of acres were destroyed by a series of deadly wildfires, many caused by sparks thrown from the new transcontinental railroad.”

Fire suppression can lead to a buildup of ‘fuel’ in forest landscapes, including fallen trees and drought-ridden undergrowth that help wildfires start and spread. Frequently controlled burning reduces this accumulated fuel and in turn reduces the intensity and severity of wildfires. 

The Controversy around Prescribed Burns

The practice of prescribed burning is not without controversy. According to Bryant Baker, Conservation Director for ForestWatch, controlled burns could inadvertently exacerbate the problem they are trying to solve by killing native plants and causing the proliferation of invasive, early-drying grasses with low ignition points. Baker argues that this cycle could actually increase fire risk: “The spread of invasive grasses is increasing the frequency of fires. They pose a greater fire risk because they dry out earlier in the year … and have a very low ignition point.”

Current Regulations around Prescribed Burning

Since 2014, Native American tribes are required to obtain a permit signed by the local, state, or federal government before doing a prescribed or cultural burn. In addition to the permit, tribes must have a safety plan in place prior to the burn. These restrictions, while cumbersome, reduce the risk of prescribed burns resulting in uncontrolled fires. Nonetheless, the partnership of firefighters and Native American tribes in the practice of prescribed and cultural burns is becoming more common, bridging over two hundred years of restrictions that curbed a vital practice of stewardship, and which ultimately created the dangerous wildfire conditions we face today. 

Prescribed burns are also a vital wildfire prevention tool utilized by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The agency uses planned and controlled application of fire as an efficient and cost-effective land management tool to reduce vegetation and wildfire risk. Approximately 125,000 acres of wildlands are treated with prescribed burns annually in California, and this number is expected to rise as the risk of wildfires continues to grow and more access is given to Native Tribes to utilize this tool as well. 

Bill Tripp and the Karuk Tribe

Bill Tripp is the Director of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy for the Karuk Tribe’s Department of Natural Resources. The Karuk Tribe is a sovereign aboriginal people whose territory spans over a million acres in California and southern Oregon. The Karuk’s Natural Resource Department was established in 1989 and operates over 85 projects in 9 integrated program areas ranging from fisheries and water quality to wildfire management and generational learning. The mission of the department is to “protect, enhance and restore the natural resources and ecological processes upon which the Karuk people depend.” Within the department they have established a wildfire management program that trains members to meet national and state standards for fire response, which is the same system required for prescribed fires. Tripp is also a tribal government representative for the Biden Wildfire Mitigation and Management Commission, as well as a co-chair of the Western Regional Strategy Committee, which works to create a new doctrine of fire management and restore fire resilient landscape and effective fire responses. Tripp works as a co-lead on the Western Klamath Restoration Partnership to build trust and a shared vision for restoring fire resilience at the landscape scale through the Klamath Mountains and beyond.

Further Reading

Fuel Breaks, Prescribed Burns Controversial Wildfire Tools, Lompoc Record, 2020
History of Colonial Fire Laws, History.com, 2021
'Fire is Medicine': the Tribes Burning California Forests to Save Them, The Guardian, 2019
Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources
Prescribed Burning, California Air Resource Board
Prescribed Burns, SmokeyBear.com, 2021
Prescribed Fire, The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Prehistoric Fire Area and Emissions from California’s Forest, Woodlands, Shrublands, and Grasslands, Science Direct, 2007

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/prescribed-burns-with-bill-tripp-2/

Land Use Changes

One solution to reduce vehicle usage, and in turn, carbon emissions are land use changes. Changing cities' relationship with land use can reduce dependence on cars, minimize energy consumption, improve air quality and create healthier communities. Sustainable cities of the future must be designed for residents to have more opportunities for biking, walking, and other clean transit alternatives. Massive steps such as changing zoning codes, and redesigning cities and infrastructure are needed to reduce reliance on individual passenger vehicles. 

The California Air Resource Board (CARB) is currently researching the impacts of land use and transportation strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution exposure, and improve equality and health. Some solutions CARB identifies are restricting oil and gas wells within 300 feet of residential and commercial zones, requiring public projects to reduce emissions from construction sites, developing sustainable communities with greater opportunities for clean transit, and developing vegetative barriers near-roadways. 

The design of suburban America and single-family homes has created a society heavily reliant on cars, and this problem is very evident in California with notorious traffic congestion and smog. In 2008, in attempts to improve land use, fight climate change, reduce vehicle dependence and the urban sprawl phenomena California passed Senate Bill 375 which “requires that each metropolitan planning organization (MPO) develop a Sustainable Community Strategies to illustrate how integrated land use, transportation, and housing planning will achieve regional greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.” The goal of this legislation was to support housing and transportation projects that wouldn’t require individuals to drive as much, and in turn, reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, over a decade later this legislation has not achieved those objectives and the state remains just as sprawling and car-dominated as before. A 2018 report from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) found that statewide passenger vehicle emissions have increased per capita since passing Bill 375. California’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions comes from the transportation sector, and emissions from this sector have continued to rise despite the state's aim to reduce per capita passenger vehicle carbon emissions by 18% by 2035. One reason for the failure of this legislation is that the bill provided no real requirements or penalties for cities and counties that fail to follow their region’s plan. 

One example of sustainable land use changes is Barcelona's “superblocks” which are walkable public spaces in clusters of nine city blocks, three-by,-three. Traffic is routed around the perimeter of these clusters and streets become shared public spaces. The superblocks have reduced traffic noise, and pollution and led to more sociable, walkable, and sustainable street life. Other cities such as Oslo, Madrid, and London have banned cars from city centers. Montreal and Bogota have regulated car-free days and car-free corridors. These land use changes are critical, as is estimated urban areas and cities contain only over 1-4% of Earth’s land but contain over 56% of the world’s population and nearly 95% of California’s population. In the coming decades, it is estimated the urban population will increase to 68% by 2050. This growth in urbanization raises the need for sustainable city planning and changes in land use, to accommodate growing populations while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions. Concerns of equity and gentrification are important to prioritize in redesigning cities as well. Land use changes to design human-scaled cities, instead of car-scaled ones, are the future of sustainable city planning and are key in reducing individual passenger vehicle emissions.

Steve Cliff

Dr. Steve Cliff is the Executive Officer of the California Air and Resource Board (CARB). Cliff began his appointment in the Summer of 2022 and works with the board to enact programs to reduce air and climate pollution within the state. In his role, Cliff oversees over 1,800 employees and a budget of $2.7 billion. 

Before serving as Executive Officer Cliff worked as the 16th Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and was appointed by President Biden in January 2021. At NHTSA Cliff oversaw the nation’s vehicle safety agency, where he helped advance vehicle technologies and established fuel economy regulations. Dr. Cliff also has an extensive history working with CARB as he first joined as an Air Pollution Specialist in 2008, served as Deputy Executive Officer overseeing the board’s climate program, and was appointed by Governor Brown in 2016 as senior advisor to CARB’s Chair. Governor Brown also appointed Dr. Cliff as Assistant Director for Sustainability to the California Department of Transportation, where he served in this role from 2014 to 2016. 

Sources

• https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/resource-center/strategy-development/land-use-resources
• https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2018-11/Final2018Report_SB150_112618_02_Report.pdf
• https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-housing-transportation-climate-20181129-story.html
• https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/research/research-land-use-and-transportation-planning
• https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/superblocks-barcelonas-plan-to-free-itself-from-cars/
• https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-cities-population/more-americans-move-to-cities-in-past-decade-census-idUSL2E8EQ5AJ20120326
• https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/overview#:~:text=Today%2C%20some%2056%25%20of%20the,people%20will%20live%20in%20 cities.
• https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html#:~:text=Today%2C%2055%25%20of%20the%20world,increase%20to%2068%25%20by%202050.
• https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/research/research-land-use-and-transportation-planning

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/why-smart-land-use-can-reduce-driving-with-dr-steve-cliff/

Carbon Sequestration

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide to slow the pace of climate change. There are two major types of carbon sequestration: geologic and biologic. Geological carbon sequestration injects carbon dioxide captured from an industrial or energy-related source into underground geologic formations. Biological carbon sequestration refers to the storage of atmospheric carbon in vegetation, soils, woody products, and aquatic environments. While carbon dioxide (CO2) is naturally captured from the atmosphere through biological, chemical, and physical processes, some artificial sequestration techniques exploit the natural processes to slow the atmospheric accumulation of CO2.

Soil Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change

The exchange of carbon between soils and the atmosphere is a significant part of the world’s carbon cycle. Carbon, as it relates to the organic matter of soils, is a major component of soil and catchment health. However, human activities including agriculture have caused massive losses of soil organic carbon, leading to soil deterioration. California´s Healthy Soil Initiative is one program in the state working to promote the development of healthy soils in efforts to increase the state´s carbon sequestration, prevent soil deterioration and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions.

Soil carbon sequestration is a process in which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere, primarily mediated by plants through photosynthesis, with carbon stored in the form of soil organic matter. Many scientists agree that regenerative agricultural practices can reduce atmospheric CO2 while also boosting soil productivity and health and increasing resilience to floods and drought.

UC Berkeley researchers found that low-tech agricultural management practices such as planting cover crops, optimizing grazing, and sowing legumes on rangelands, if instituted globally, could capture enough carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil to reduce global temperatures 0.26 degrees Celsius – nearly half a degree Fahrenheit – by 2100. However, critics say that because biological sequestration isn't permanent and can be hard to measure, it's only part of the climate solution and not a substitute for reducing emissions. 

Whendee Silver

Dr. Whendee Silver is the Rudy Grah Chair and Professor of Ecosystem Ecology and Biogeochemistry in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at U.C. Berkeley. She received her Ph.D. in Ecosystem Ecology from Yale University. Her work seeks to determine the biogeochemical effects of climate change and human impacts on the environment, and the potential for mitigating these effects. The Silver Lab is currently working on drought and hurricane impacts on tropical forests, climate change mitigation potential of grasslands, and greenhouse gas dynamics of peatlands and wetlands. Professor Silver is the lead scientist of the Marin Carbon Project, which is studying the potential for land-based climate change mitigation, particularly by composting high-emission organic waste for soil amendments to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide. 

Continued Reading

• The potential of agricultural land management to contribute to lower global surface temperatures
• Technical options for sustainable land and water management
• Soils help to combat and adapt to climate change by playing a key role in the carbon cycle
• The solution to climate change is just below our feet
• Soil as Carbon Storehouse: New Weapon in Climate Fight? 
• Soil Carbon Sequestration Impacts on Global Climate Change and Food Security

Organizations

• Silver Lab, UC Berkeley
• Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, Ohio State University
• Food and Agricultural Organization, the United Nations

Related Episodes

• Collaborating with farmers on climate-friendly practices, with Alameda County Resource Conservation District

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/sequestering-carbon-using-compost-and-grasslands-with-whendee-silver/

Mobilizing Investors to Build a More Sustainable Global Economy

As the effects of climate change rise in prevalence, all facets of the global economy will be affected. In order to address many of the global environmental crises of today, such as biodiversity loss and extreme drought, entrepreneurs are looking into sustainable investment initiatives as a tool for change. Sustainable investing is a process that directs investment capital to companies and businesses actively working to prevent environmental destruction. Sustainable investments often follow an Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) framework, which seeks to promote socially conscious investments. Similar to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which refers to a company’s commitment to operating ethically, ESG goes one step further in providing an assessable outcome of a company’s overall sustainability performance. Thus, ESG lays a foundation for investors in determining which corporations operate sustainably. 

Current Climate of Sustainable Investment

From 2021 to 2026, institutional investment in ESG projects is expected to increase by 84%. The World Economic Forum recently published a report noting that over $200 billion is required annually in order to meet adaptation and resilience investment targets, which is three times the current funding. Such investing in adaptation and resilience could reduce exposure to climate risks and yield financial benefits for stakeholders involved. Although climate financing is slowly on the rise, there remains minimal progress in climate-vulnerable and high-emission countries. 

There are various types of sustainable investing, operating through registered investment companies, alternative investment funds and community investments. The US Sustainable Investment Forum identified 645 registered investment companies with $1.2 trillion sustainable investment AUM in 2022. Not only does sustainable investment cover private equity investments, but also cash, fixed income, and alternative investments. Sustainable investments, like conventional investing, receive a return on their investments. Reports from the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing found no financial trade-off between sustainable investing compared to traditional investment initiatives. 

Does sustainable investing provide hope for the future?

Investing in sustainable industry, infrastructure, and business has the potential to provide a more climate-proof economy for all. For private investors, effective investments in areas vulnerable to climate change could reduce disruptions in the supply chain, thereby boosting labor productivity and lowering operational costs. As such, companies will have the tools in place to be able to respond to vulnerabilities when they arise while still maintaining a profit. Additionally, ESG investing has been proven to provide downside protection during social or economic crises according to the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. Such protection may be pertinent in a world more susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change. Many studies corroborate such findings; a meta-study conducted by Oxford University in 2015 revealed that 88% of companies with robust sustainability practices demonstrate better operational performance, translating into higher cash flows and positive effects on investment performance.

Greenwashing and ESG Concerns

One concern within the world of sustainable investment is largely centered around the question of whether organizations will be willing to take more or less risk to achieve an impact. Companies that prioritize sustainability may be more volatile than traditional companies, creating fear around the uncertainty of consistent returns. Further, there is often confusion on how to make a good return on investment when choosing to invest in more socially responsible companies. 

The rise of sustainable investment has brought about potential concerns related to greenwashing, in which a company’s ESG credentials or potential sustainability initiatives may be over-embellished, leading to falsified information. On the other hand, many investors prioritizing sustainable investment initiatives have received a surge in backlash against their new initiatives, mainly from Republican politicians. A recent study by The Conference Board revealed that 48% of surveyed businesses have experienced backlash to their ESG policies or activities, potentially deterring companies from further pursuing such initiatives. An increase in educational awareness is vital to inform investors of the benefits of sustainable investing and ways to do so responsibly amidst criticism. 

Who is our guest?

Kirsten Spalding leads the nonprofit Ceres Investor Network, which supports global investor initiatives such as Paris Aligned Asset Owners, Climate Action 100+, and Net Zero Asset Managers. Nonprofit advocacy organizations like Ceres Investor Network are at the forefront of promoting sustainable business practices through mobilizing investors to build a more sustainable economy. Kirsten holds a B.A. from Yale College in music, a J.D. from Hastings College of Law, and an M.Div. from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. For six years, she chaired the Center for Labor Research and Education, UC Berkeley and taught at the School of Law. She is an Episcopal priest, rector of the Church of the Nativity in San Rafael, CA, and an avid backpacker. 

Resources

• Ceres Investor Network
• Adaptation and resilience investment: How do we get the capital it needs
• Sustainable Investing
• Sustainable Investing Basics

Further Reading

• CSR or ESG: Where Do Sustainability Frameworks Fit In?
• ESG and Financial Performance: Uncovering the Relationship by Aggregating Evidence from 1,000 Plus Studies Published between 2015 – 2020 
• Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2023
• Financial Performance With Sustainable Investing
• 3 hurdles to sustainable investing — and how to overcome them

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/sustainable-investing-for-a-climate-proof-economy-with-kirsten-spalding/

What is Energy-as-a-Service?

Most current energy technologies burn fossil fuels and emit carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming.  Adopting low and zero-carbon technologies is one way to reduce emissions, but barriers such as high upfront and maintenance costs have impeded the adoption of these technologies.  Energy as a Service (EaaS) is a pay-for-performance model in which customers benefit from sustainable-energy solutions without having to pay for energy efficiency upgrades or own the equipment. Under these arrangements, the EaaS provider provides the customer with an energy service, such as lighting, cooling, or heating, in exchange for a recurring fee.  There are parallels in other industries like the software industry, where a key business function or an asset is outsourced to a third party who then takes over the operation of that asset. EaaS providers typically handle the installation, maintenance, and operation of energy systems. By leveraging advanced technologies and data analytics, EaaS aims to enhance energy efficiency, reduce costs, and support sustainability goals, helping businesses improve their energy performance without significant upfront investment.

Benefits of the Energy-as-a-Service Model

By shifting from a traditional ownership model to a service-based approach, customers can avoid the high initial costs associated with purchasing and installing energy infrastructure. Instead, they pay for the energy services provided, often through a subscription or pay-as-you-go arrangement.  EaaS providers typically take on the responsibility for the installation, maintenance, and operation of the energy systems, allowing customers to focus on their core business activities without worrying about energy management. 

EaaS can also support sustainability goals by facilitating the adoption of renewable energy sources and other low-carbon technologies. Providers can tailor energy solutions to meet specific environmental objectives, helping businesses reduce their carbon footprint and comply with regulatory requirements. Furthermore, EaaS models often incorporate advanced technologies and data analytics, enabling more information about and control over energy consumption, which results in better demand management and reduced energy waste.

The EaaS model also offers flexibility and scalability. As energy needs change over time, customers can easily adjust their energy services without the need for significant reinvestment or restructuring. This adaptability is particularly valuable in a rapidly evolving energy landscape, with frequent technological advancements and policy changes.

Barriers to Adoption of the Energy-as-a-Service Model

Our guest notes that energy efficiency and sustainable energy projects have been undervalued and not prioritized in the past. While many companies see energy efficiency and sustainable energy projects as the right thing to do, there are often other items that rise to the top of the to-do list. In addition, businesses and individuals may be unfamiliar with the EaaS concept, leading to hesitation in adopting this model.  Projects can take significant time to plan and install, which can also serve as a barrier.  To date, the EaaS model has been geared towards primarily larger business and commercial customers that are consuming a higher amount of energy, rather than residences and smaller businesses.   However, utility companies and governments sometimes offer energy audits and incentives for adopting energy-efficient equipment, and new companies may eventually serve this market.

About our guest

Bob Hinkle is the founder and Executive Chairman of Metrus Energy. He created the Efficiency Services Agreement that the company has utilized to finance large-scale efficiency retrofit projects. Previously, Bob was vice president of energy efficiency (EE) at MMA Renewable Ventures where he directed the company’s overall energy efficiency financing business and investment opportunities.

Further Reading

• What Is Efficiency-As-A-Service?
• How to finance the world’s growing cooling needs? Blended public-private funding solutions.
• How Cooling as a Service is set to revolutionise the cooling industry
• Metrus Energy

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/energy-as-a-service-with-bob-hinkle/.

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide to slow the pace of climate change. There are two major types of carbon sequestration: geologic and biologic. Geological carbon sequestration injects carbon dioxide captured from an industrial or energy-related source into underground geologic formations. Biological carbon sequestration refers to the storage of atmospheric carbon in vegetation, soils, woody products, and aquatic environments1. While carbon dioxide (CO2) is naturally captured from the atmosphere through biological, chemical, and physical processes, some artificial sequestration techniques exploit the natural processes to slow the atmospheric accumulation of CO2.

Soil Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change

The exchange of carbon between soils and the atmosphere is a significant part of the world’s carbon cycle. Carbon, as it relates to the organic matter of soils, is a major component of soil and catchment health. However, human activities including agriculture have caused massive losses of soil organic carbon, leading to soil deterioration.

Soil carbon sequestration is a process in which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere, primarily mediated by plants through photosynthesis, with carbon stored in the form of soil organic matter. Many scientists agree that regenerative agricultural practices can reduce atmospheric CO2 while also boosting soil productivity and health and increasing resilience to floods and drought.

UC Berkeley researchers found that low-tech agricultural management practices such as planting cover crops, optimizing grazing and sowing legumes on rangelands, if instituted globally, could capture enough carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil to reduce global temperatures 0.26 degrees Celsius – nearly half a degree Fahrenheit – by 2100. Improving soil quality through these techniques, therefore, can make a significant contribution to international global warming targets.

Continued Reading

• The potential of agricultural land management to contribute to lower global surface temperatures: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/8/eaaq0932
• Technical options for sustainable land and water management: http://www.fao.org/3/i1688e/i1688e06.pdf
• Soils help to combat and adapt to climate change by playing a key role in the carbon cycle: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4737e.pdf
• The solution to climate change is just below our feet: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/10/partner-content-solution-to-climate-change-below-our-feet/
• Soil as Carbon Storehouse: New Weapon in Climate Fight? https://e360.yale.edu/features/soil_as_carbon_storehouse_new_weapon_in_climate_fight
• Soil Carbon Sequestration Impacts on Global Climate Change and Food Security: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/304/5677/1623

Organizations

• Silver Lab, UC Berkeley: https://nature.berkeley.edu/silverlab/
• Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, Ohio State University: https://cmasc.osu.edu/
• Food and Agricultural Organization, the United Nations: http://www.fao.org/soils-portal/soil-management/soil-carbon-sequestration/en/

1 https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-s-difference-between-geologic-and-biologic-carbon-sequestration?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/what-is-carbon-sequestration/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/communicating-climate-policy-in-purple-states-with-janet-napolitano/

What is a cool surface?

Cool surfaces are roofs, walls, or pavements that are generally light-colored and highly reflective. When sunlight hits a white surface, its rays bounce off the surface rather than being absorbed, and are reflected back into space. Darker surfaces tend to absorb sunlight, trapping heat. Cool surfaces release this heat back into the atmosphere and space. 

What are the benefits of switching to a cool surface?

Something as simple as painting the roof white has the potential to create major benefits for our planet and its people: 

Potential cons of cool surfaces

• Sun reflecting off of cool surfaces could cause uncomfortable glare and brightness.
• Because they are white, cool surfaces can have a dirtier appearance, requiring greater upkeep.
• Some research indicates that reflected sunlight from cool pavements could increase heat levels for pedestrians.

Despite these issues, cool surfaces have a large set of potential benefits overall. 

About our Guest

Dr. Ronnen Levinson is leader of the Heat Island Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The Heat Island Group develops cooling strategies for roofs, pavements, and cars to cool buildings, cities, and the planet. This work involves developing cool roof, wall, and pavement materials, improving methods for the measurement of solar reflectance, and quantifying the energy and environmental benefits of cool surfaces. Levinson advises policymakers, code officials, utilities, and building rating programs about cool surfaces. He earned a B.S. in engineering physics from Cornell University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley. 

Further Reading

Cool Roofs and Cool Pavements Toolkit from the Global Cool Cities Alliance

Shickman: US Perspectives on Cool Surfaces

Hot Enough For You? Cooling The Worsening Urban Heat Island

On-the-ground guidance for L.A.’s far-reaching climate strategy | UCLA

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/cool-surfaces-reflecting-heat-and-reducing-emissions-with-ronnen-levinson/

Mass mobilization in climate activism

By the mid 2000s, the climate justice movement was beginning to gain momentum across the world. Through organized rallies and marches, the public has begun to see an increased recognition of climate justice issues amidst various other social movements. The existential threat of the climate crisis has given rise to an increased potential for transformational movements to ignite change. Mass mobilization thus provides a tactic of community organizing and civic engagement that can unite people across the globe – or create the possibility of a backlash. As climate activism becomes more prevalent, it is plausible that climate mobilizations will rise in urgency and frequency. 

How mass mobilization can spark change

Mass mobilization is a way for people and organizations to rally together in order to promote  widespread changes in a society. Social movements can accelerate action on climate change by providing windows of opportunity for transformative climate action. When people perceive a risk, such as climate change, to be extremely critical they may respond to the growing threat through various strategies of mobilization. Perceived risk can drive social change; if the risk appears to be strong enough, people may change their behaviors and push social actors to respond. 

Why mass mobilization is advantageous

On an individual level, it is hard to achieve large-scale changes given the immensity of the climate crisis. Community mobilization is thus a tool that can be harnessed in the fight to increase awareness of climate change. Mass strikes and protesting can re-emphasize social norms and the effectiveness of collective civic engagement. Collective action provides a collective voice that is more likely to be heard than solo protest. By encouraging friends and family to also engage in climate action, a movement can gain momentum and promote social norms that will support and normalize climate action. Beyond non-disruptive demonstrations and legally permitted marches, there are also more confrontational methods such as boycotts, sit-ins, and direct action that target political leaders and policymakers. 

What are the drawbacks of mass mobilization? 

The Internet and online social media are two factors that have contributed to the ease of coordinating widespread large-scale mobilizations of groups of people. However, one potential concern is that if we solely rely on the use of social media, we may forget the potential benefits of in-person action. Furthermore, it is sometimes difficult to continue activism efforts after a protest, rally, or march to foster long-lasting effects. In the Fridays for Future (FFF) youth climate protests led by Greta Thunberg, some have questioned whether those participating have held themselves personally accountable for their own carbon footprint outside of the movement. While strikes and protests can create solidarity, they also are susceptible to collective action problems as many individuals may hope to benefit from actions resulting from the protests without actually participating. Additionally, youth-climate strikes likely pose little direct threat to polluters, whereas those direct actions or strikes in particular polluting industries  may have a stronger impact on the decisions of fossil fuel firms. Although FFF has led to conversations on the need to address climate change, the broader social and political implications are uncertain, raising questions about the efficacy of mass mobilization. Large-scale mobilization efforts can also lead to significant political backlash, thereby complicating the landscape for collective action. Not everyone responds similarly to mass mobilization efforts, leaving debate on the potential efficacy of such actions.

About our guest

Dana R. Fisher is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, and Equity and Professor at American University. Her seventh book, Saving ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action, presents mass mobilization as a realistic path forward for climate action in response to the growing severity of disastrous events. Fisher explores further the various types of activism, and which are most applicable to the climate crisis. 

Further Reading

• After Protest: Pathways Beyond Mass Mobilization
• Climate justice and sustained transnational mobilization
• Saving ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/mass-mobilization-for-climate-with-dana-fisher/

Zero-Emission Transport

Electric vehicles and other transportation-based climate solutions have made a big splash in recent years, and for good reason – transportation accounts for about a fourth of global carbon dioxide emissions. In the U.S, it’s the economic sector with the single largest contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. With such a large global impact, sustainable transportation has become an issue of international importance, and no-emission methods of transport, like walking and biking, can be part of the solution. 

Safer Streets

Referred to as active mobility, these human-powered modes of transport are gaining popularity. However, safety is a major concern, as according to the USDOT, 20% of traffic deaths were pedestrians and bikers in 2020. Sharing roads with vehicles can be dangerous, and roads designed around cars may not have the necessary pathways or sidewalks. This dissuades people from engaging in active mobility. Improving the safety of biking or walking in urban areas by redesigning streets can be key to promoting these no-emission transport solutions.

Major challenges to improving road safety for non-vehicular road users include the high speeds that vehicles travel and the often highly congested roadways. Vehicles most often strike bikers and pedestrians at intersections or corners, or while passing on the street. Slowing vehicles down and creating space and separation for bikers and pedestrians to safely move can make sharing the road less deadly. That’s where organizations that advocate for street safety, like Despacio, come in. Despacio (which means “slow” in Spanish) believes that active mobility requires a mindset shift - orienting street design to the needs of people rather than cars. 

So what does a street that is safe for non-vehicle users look like? Designated bike-only lanes and wider sidewalks create space for bikers and pedestrians to safely coexist with cars. Corners and intersections can be improved by signal phasing, when designated signals tell bikers to go, and with corner refuge islands, physical separations that prevent cars from making narrow right-turns into bikers. Another major solution is narrowing streets. Although it may seem counterintuitive, the wide streets common in the US don’t give drivers more room to make mistakes, and rather cause drivers to drive at high speeds. Narrowing streets by as little as a foot can massively reduce crashes and deaths. Best of all, this situation goes hand in hand with creating bike lanes and sidewalks. 

More than Just Climate-Friendly

Safety is not the only advantage of these redesigns. In addition to reducing emissions from cars, getting more cars off the road also reduces congestion. Biking or walking is not only associated with positive physical health benefits from exercise, it also comes with mental health benefits of being outside. Cities designed to center active mobility can also be more accessible, have greater aesthetic value, and lead to more basic needs located within walking distance of residences. While street redesigns are more achievable for some cities than for others and require investment and infrastructure, the wide range of benefits can make it an attractive option. 

An unexpected benefit of pedestrian-friendly infrastructure is that it also promotes gender equality in climate adaptation. According to Lina Lopez, technical director of Despacio, which works to promote safer streets in Latin America, women use public transit more than men. As a result, they are more likely to be impacted by climate-change-related disruptions to transit infrastructure. Walking and cycling can be accessible solutions that people can turn to when climate impacts do happen, as well as a potential way to reduce the severity of climate change on a broader scale. 

So are there any potential downsides? Unsurprisingly, there is opposition from car drivers that don't want their driving to be slowed. However, according to the DOT, converting four lane roads into three lane roads with a turning lane in the center can free up the space for bikeways and sidewalks while actually reducing congestion from turning vehicles. Also, as more users switch to active mobility, the number of cars on the road decreases. Secondly, business owners have raised the concern that street redesigns will discourage people from the area, impacting their businesses. But narrowing roads to increase active mobility also hasn’t discouraged use of those roads, and it can greatly increase livability and aesthetic appeal, leading to economic growth and new development. Ultimately, the tradeoff between slightly slower car travel and greater safety and emission mitigation may be a decision we face as we work towards adapting our cities for climate change.

Who is Our Guest?

Lina Lopez is the Technical Director at Despacio, a research center that promotes quality of life and seeks to build slow, humane, and sustainable cities. She is the co-creator of Medellin’s Bike co-share system, and has been a professor in Urban Design. Lopez earned a Master’s in Transport and City Planning at University College London. 

Resources

• Despacio
• EPA: Carbon Pollution from Transportation
• UN: Transport Sector Fact Sheet
• DOE: Active Mobility
• DOT: Road Diet Myth Busters
• Fast Company Magazine: How to Design Bicycle-safe Intersections
• Johns Hopkins University: How Narrow Streets Save Lives
• Rice University: What are “Road Diets” and why are they Controversial?

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/designing-road-infrastructure-to-promote-active-mobility-with-lina-lopez/

What is plastic? 

Plastic is a material derived primarily from carbon-based sources like natural gas, oil, and even plants. It is created by treating these organic materials with heat and catalysts to form various polymers.  Producing plastic is energy-intensive, often relying on the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, both for power and as a primary source.

As a product of fossil fuels, plastic itself is unsustainable because of its fundamental connection to nonrenewable energy.  Since its introduction in the early 1900s, plastic has become omnipresent due to its cost-effectiveness and versatility. However, the environmental toll of our extensive plastic consumption — impacting oceans, wildlife, and contributing to climate change — is undeniable.

Unlike natural organisms, plastic decomposes at a very slow rate due to its polymer structure. Though some recently identified microorganisms, like the Rhodococcus ruber strain studied by PhD student Maaike Goudriaan, show promise in digesting plastic faster, the research remains preliminary.

Types of Plastic 

Most plastics we use, like bags and bottles, originate from oil and natural gas. Their widespread use has led to significant environmental contamination. On the other hand, there are bio-based plastics derived from sources like food waste, starch, or plants. Not all of these are biodegradable, and even these can harm the environment when they break down into tiny fragments consumed by wildlife.

Addressing the Plastic Issue

While completely eliminating plastic use seems unlikely, there are dedicated efforts to reduce its consumption. Grassroots organizations, like the Berkeley Ecology Center led by Martin Bourque, emphasize local community engagement and education. They advocate for sustainable practices such as using reusable bags, ditching plastic utensils, and employing minimal plastic in packaging. Initiatives like Berkeley's Single Use Disposable Ordinance have been instrumental in cutting down disposable food ware waste, like the clamshell packaging found in the produce section of grocery stores. Prioritizing bio-based plastics and managing our plastic consumption are essential steps towards a sustainable future.

Who is Martin Bourque?

Martin Bourque is the Executive Director of the Berkeley Ecology Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing community well-being and the environment. The Center's initiatives range from incentivizing farmer's markets to championing community-based policies. Outside of the Ecology Center, Bourque has also served on numerous state and national boards to help build the organic farming movement.

Bourque earned his Bachelor of Arts in Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior from UC San Diego and his Master of Arts in Latin American Studies and Environmental Policy from UC Berkeley.

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/tackling-the-plastic-crisis-with-martin-bourque/

Climate Change and the Law of the Sea

Sea level rise due to climate change will directly impact at least 70 countries, many of them small, low-lying island nations. Though their contribution to climate change is very little, they face some of its worst consequences. This is not a new issue, and tension has been building since the late 1980s. In 1989, the Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, issued an international declaration, the first of its kind, calling attention to sea level rise due to climate change, and how it impacts its land. Island states often have small land area, but, under international law, have jurisdiction over a larger area of their surrounding seas for economic purposes. What if an island loses territory due to sea level rise? If so, it could lose its economic zone. This is also a national security question; could another nation then legally take over this economic zone? Currently, the international law framework, called the Law of the Sea, does not answer these questions even though the  livelihoods of millions are at issue. A 2021 declaration by Pacific Island nations calls for maritime boundaries to stay where they are now regardless of sea level rise. However, this requires the endorsement of other nations. The United Nations, up until now, has paid comparatively little attention to this issue, but, through its study group on sea-level rise, the UN is aiming to engage non-low-lying island nations, and attempt to resolve these and other questions. 

Climate Refugees Need Protected Status Under the Law

By 2050, there could be 1.2 billion climate refugees, according to the international think tank International Environmental Partnership. But these refugees often do not fit the legal definition of “refugee”, including individuals displaced in the United States. Becoming a “refugee” under the law confers special status; it protects from deportation, for example. In 2013, a man from Kiribati, a country undergoing severe sea level rise, applied for refugee status as a “climate refugee” in New Zealand. His application was denied, and he was repatriated to Kiribati. The man subsequently filed a complaint with the UN Convent of Civil Liberties, claiming his right to life had been violated. The man lost his case, because his life was not found to be under immediate danger. However, the wording of the UN’s ruling in the case asserts that those fleeing a climate crisis cannot be sent home, thereby creating a non-binding international construct. This case illustrates some of the complexities raised by climate refugees and how they are currently viewed in many of the world’s legal systems.  Sea level rise is not only an issue of the future but already an issue of the present. 

Who is Dr. Nilufer Oral?

Dr. Nilufer Oral is director at the Center for International Law at the National University of Singapore. She is also a member of the International Law Commission at the United Nations and co-chair of the study group at the UN on sea level rise in relation to international law. 

Read More

Sink or swim: Can island states survive the climate crisis? | | UN News

Statement by Ms. Nilüfer Oral, Co-Chairs of the Study Group on Sea level rise -- Interaction with members of the ILC 2020

Nilufer Oral--COP 26

International Law as an Adaptation Measure to Sea-level Rise and Its Impacts on Islands and Offshore Features | Request PDF

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/adapting-ocean-governance-for-a-world-of-rising-seas-with-dr-nilufar-oral/

Climate change is increasing flood risk worldwide.  

Climate change is intensifying flood risk around the world, with potentially devastating consequences for communities and infrastructure.  As the planet gets hotter, the atmosphere's capacity to hold water vapor increases, leading to more frequent and intense precipitation events in certain regions.  Extreme rainfall events can overwhelm stormwater and other drainage systems and result in dangerous flash flooding. A 2021 study published by the American Meteorological Society found that for every 1°C rise in global temperature, the intensity of extreme rainfall events increases by 7 percent.  Sea level rise, driven by melting glaciers, is also causing coastal flooding and erosion in many parts of the world.  Sea levels could rise by an average of 10 - 12 inches in the U.S. in the next 30 years (2020 – 2050)—as much as the rise measured over the last 100 years (1920 - 2020).  By the end of the century, sea levels could be as much as 3.6 feet higher than they are today, putting nearly 200 million people at risk.   

These changes are already having real-world consequences. In 2021, severe flooding in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and other European countries killed over 200 people and destroyed entire towns.  In the United States, severe coastal flooding from Superstorm Sandy was partially caused by unusually high storm surges attributed to sea level rise.  

While these challenges may be daunting, there are concrete actions we can take now to increase our resilience, such as greater investment in flood control infrastructure and natural interventions to mitigate flood risk.  These and other solutions are discussed in more detail below.   

A recent study indicates that climate change is increasing the risk of a “megaflood” in California.

California has experienced great floods every century or so for many millennia, according to historical and climate records. The last great flood in California was in 1862, which inundated a 300-mile-long stretch of the Central Valley, including highly populated areas such as Sacramento.  The “Great Flood of 1862” is widely considered the benchmark for a “plausible worst-case scenario” flood in contemporary California. 

Recent research suggests that climate change has already increased the risk of extreme floods in California, and that it is likely to significantly increase the risk of even more extreme floods in the future. A 2022 study by UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain and fellow researcher Xingying Huang found that despite the recent prevalence of severe drought, California faces a broadly underappreciated risk of severe floods. The study indicates that climate change has already doubled the risk of a present-day megastorm, relative to a century ago, and more than tripled the risk of a trillion-dollar megaflood like the Great Flood of 1862.  It further found that larger future increases are likely due to continued warming.  These ominous findings have direct implications for flood and emergency management, and climate adaptation activities.

Governments should implement strategies to mitigate and adapt to the growing risk of floods.

According to Dr. Swain, addressing flood risk is a societal challenge that requires action at the local, state, and federal government levels. He recommends action to assess flood risk, strengthen flood control infrastructure, implement natural interventions to mitigate flood risk, and explore innovative approaches to flood management: 

• Assess flood risk: FEMA’s flood maps, which are now known to be woefully inadequate, should be improved and updated.
• Strengthen flood control infrastructure: Weaknesses in levees, dams, and urban flood conduits should be identified and rectified through research and funding.
• Implement natural interventions to mitigate flood risk: Long-term flood risk mitigation may involve natural interventions such as floodplain restoration or moving levees away from the river, giving rivers more room to expand without flooding highly populated cities or critical infrastructure.
• Explore innovative approaches to flood management: Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) and Flood Managed Aquifer Recharge (Flood-MAR) are innovative approaches that could drive advances in flood management. FIRO involves using high-quality weather forecasts to dynamically operate reservoirs and water releases, while Flood-MAR involves leveraging flood flows to store water in natural aquifers underground (which can have the added benefit of returning water to depleted aquifers).

Who is Daniel Swain?

Daniel Swain, Ph.D., is a climate scientist who holds joint appointments at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, the Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and as the California Climate Fellow at The Nature Conservancy. His research focuses on the dynamics and impacts of the Earth's changing climate system, with a particular emphasis on regional climate extremes such as droughts, floods, and wildfires. Dr. Swain's work includes understanding the processes driving severe droughts and "megafloods" in a warming climate, as well as the climate-related factors behind increasingly severe and destructive wildfires in the American West. He also engages in extensive science communication and outreach efforts, including authoring the Weather West blog, providing real-time perspectives on California weather and climate, and working with media outlets to ensure scientifically accurate coverage of climate change.

Sources:

• NY Times, The Coming California Megastorm (August 12, 2022)
• The Public Policy Institute of California, Commentary: Catastrophic Floods and Breached Levees Reveal a Problem California Too Often Neglects (April 7, 2023)
• PBS, Climate change increasing chance of ‘mega storm’ in California, scientists say (Sept. 6, 2022)
• Journal of Climate, Changes in Annual Extremes of Daily Temperature and Precipitation in CMIP6 Models (2021)
• NOAA, 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report
• IPCC, Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, Chapter 4, Sea Level Rise and Implications for Low-Lying Islands, Coasts and Communities
• World Economic Forum, The Global Risks Report 2020
• United Nations, 2021 floods: UN researchers aim to better prepare for climate risks
• BBC News, Europe's floods: Lessons from German tragedy (2021)
• NOAA, Climate.gov, Superstorm Sandy and Sea Level Rise
• Swain, ARkStorm 2.0: Climate change is increasing the risk of a California megaflood (2022)
• Scientific American, The Coming Megafloods (2013)
• Science, Climate change is increasing the risk of a California megaflood (2022)
• Smithsonian Magazine, Federal Flood Maps Are Outdated Because of Climate Change, FEMA Director Says (2022)
• The Washington Post, America underwater: Extreme floods expose the flaws in FEMA’s risk maps
• The Nature Conservancy, How Nature Can Help Reduce Flood Risks: Conservation is an economical way to avoid costly flood damages. In some areas the benefits are 5x the cost (2020)

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/recharging-aquifers-with-flood-waters-with-daniel-swain/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/ev-charging-vehicle-to-grid-integration-with-scott-moura/

What is “Green Ammonia”?

Ammonia is a vital chemical that sustains half of all food production around the world (through the creation of agricultural fertilizer), but the process we use to make it results in significant greenhouse gas emissions. Ammonia, which is made up of nitrogen and hydrogen, requires extreme heat and pressure and large amounts of energy (usually from fossil fuels) in order to synthesize. “Green ammonia” production reduces this reliance on emission-intensive energy by using cleaner hydrogen inputs and processes that require less energy. 

Green ammonia, while easier on the planet, is a much harder task to accomplish than mainstream methods. In the Haber-Bosch process, the standard industrial procedure used today, high pressure steam is shot at methane or coal, breaking up the components to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide. This process requires fossil fuels as an input and releases greenhouse gasses during production, making it a significant contributor to climate change. Once the hydrogen is produced, the Haber-Bosch process synthesizes the hydrogen and nitrogen and separates out ammonia using high temperatures and extreme pressure swings, conditions that require large energy input. The Haber-Bosch process is so energy intensive that this chemical reaction alone accounts for about 1% of global annual CO2 emissions!

The Chemical with the Biggest Footprint

Green Ammonia aims to reduce reliance on fossil fuels in multiple stages of this procedure through different approaches. Areas of research include creating reactors that convert sunlight and air into hydrogen, binding together the hydrogen and nitrogen under less pressure than nearly 200 atmospheres, and using less pressure to separate the finished ammonia from other residual gasses at the end of the procedure. 

The Ammonia Separation Challenge

While the Haber-Bosh process uses a large pressure change to liquefy ammonia gas, this method, and many current separation techniques, are carbon intensive and not fully compatible with cleaner hydrogen sources. Creating technology that can more efficiently capture ammonia at lower temperatures and pressures would reduce the energy costs of producing ammonia significantly. An added bonus? Downscaled reactors require lower temperatures and pressures, potentially enabling small-scale ammonia production on farms themselves.

About Benjamin Snyder

Benjamin Snyder is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois, where he conducts research combining inorganic, physical, and materials chemistry. He led green ammonia research as an Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley, focusing on alternative methods to separate ammonia.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/green-ammonia-pioneering-a-sustainable-future-in-food-production/

What is the “30 by 30” Movement?

The 30 by 30 movement is a global initiative aimed at conserving 30 percent of the Earth’s land by the year 2030. In October 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed executive order N-82-20, which committed California to this movement. The state aims to protect 30 percent of its lands and coastal areas by 2030.  With an investment of $11 billion, California is among the first jurisdictions to implement a comprehensive 30 by 30 strategy. 

As of 2020, California had already protected 24 percent of its lands and 16 percent of its coastal waters.To reach the 30 percent target, an additional six million acres of land will need to be conserved. 

The 30 by 30 Initiative in California

One of the primary objectives of 30 by 30 in California is protecting biodiversity.  The initiative focuses on preserving ecosystems, supporting biodiversity services, and mitigating climate change impacts.Natural lands serve as significant carbon sinks, helping remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  Locally driven conservation is also a critical part of the state’s conservation vision as it hopes to increase access to nature for everyone. 

The initiative strives to promote more resilient ecosystems, including healthier forests and wetlands, which can help to combat climate change.  Efforts also include river conservation, floodplain management, and protecting coastal wetlands from rising sea levels.  The State is collaborating with federal agencies, tribes, and local communities to achieve these goals.  Within state government, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which is part of the California Natural Resources Agency, is working to identify areas with high concentrations of biodiversity and rare species. 

Another key pillar of the 30 by 30 initiative in California is advancing tribal partnerships. The State is working to co-manage land with tribal partners, return land to tribes when possible, and increase tribal access to culturally significant lands and waters.As part of this effort, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife consulted with seventy tribes on conservation matters.  Information gleaned during those meetings helped the Department identify priority lands for conservation.  In July 2023, the Natural Resources Agency received a $101 million dollar grant to support tribal conservation initiatives and funding for the reacquisition of the indigenous communities’ ancestral lands. Jennifer Norris, Deputy Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat at the Natural Resources Agency, said that “tribes want the opportunity to get back to their lands, to manage the lands that are part of their history and their legacy.” The Natural Resource Department aims to provide tribes with the technical support to achieve these goals.

California’s 30 by 30 initiative also relies on citizen-driven conservation efforts.  Citizens can help achieve the initiative’s goals by planting native plants in their gardens to increase biodiversity, reducing pesticide use, and supporting biodiversity-enhancing efforts. 

California’s Natural Resources Agency is spearheading California’s 30 by 30 initiative and conservation goals. The agency consists of twenty-six distinct departments, conservancies, and commissions; its work affects state parks, wilderness areas, working cattle ranches, and sustainably managed forests, among other areas.

30 by 30 Initiative Challenges

A primary challenge of the 30 by 30 initiative is the potential conflict between conservation efforts and other land uses. Striking a balance between conserving land and allowing for economic activities can be difficult, especially if conservation efforts lead to land use restrictions.  A significant portion of California’s land is privately owned, and private landowners and ranching communities have voiced concern about the initiative.  Convincing private landowners to participate in conservation efforts can be challenging due to concerns about property rights, economic impacts, and limitations on land use. 

While the 30 by 30 initiative aims to mitigate the impacts of climate change, it also needs to consider the changing climate itself. Climate change can lead to shifts in ecosystems, which might impact the effectiveness of conservation efforts. Adaptive management strategies will be necessary to ensure that conserved lands remain resilient in the face of changing climate conditions.

Who is Jennifer Norris? 

Jennifer Norris is the Deputy Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat at the California Natural Resources Agency. Jennifer and her team developed the strategic vision for the 30 by 30 initiative in California.  She also leads the “Green Cutting Tape” project, which supports large-scale habitat creation. Jennifer has held numerous positions in federal and state government including most recently as supervisor of the Sacramento office of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. She has extensive experience in conservation policy, endangered species protection, and ecosystem management. She holds a B.S. in Resource Policy and Planning from Cornell University, an M.S. in Conservation Biology from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of New Mexico. When she is not at work, she can be found exploring wild beaches, forests, and deserts with her family.

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/the-30-by-30-conservation-movement-with-jennifer-norris/

Decreasing society’s reliance on single-use plastics

The use of plastic has major environmental, social, and health consequences. Across the globe, one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute, with over half of the plastic produced worldwide being thrown away after one use. Upon disposal, plastics are often left in landfills where they can break down into smaller microplastic particles, thereby acting as carriers of environmental toxins that threaten human health. More than 10 million tons of plastic waste has been dumped into the oceans alone. Currently, humans produce over 350 million metric tons of waste every year. This is projected to triple by 2060 to a shocking one billion metric tons if there are no policy changes to the current levels of plastic consumption. Plastic pollution is not only a human health issue, but a humanitarian crisis that poses major threats to all facets of society. 

The vast majority of plastic products utilized today are produced from crude oil and natural gas. By way of a refining process, crude oil is then transformed into a variety of petroleum-based products, like plastic cups. Petroleum-based plastic cups are recycled at a rate of only 5% per year and can take centuries to degrade, thereby exacerbating the large quantities of waste already on Earth. Petroleum-based plastics are largely associated with a slew of harmful environmental effects, such as the release of greenhouse gas emissions, continual persistence in marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and harmful pollution. Further, petrochemicals are also threatening human health, as recent research reveals that such exposure may be tied to the increasing prevalence of cancer, asthma, autism, allergies, and birth defects. 

Recently, environmentalists have been calling for decreasing humans' reliance on plastic-based products altogether, instead turning to compostable or reusable products. Many advocate for the use of stainless steel cups, glass, wood, bamboo, pottery, or other ceramics as opposed to conventional plastic materials. Bioplastics, a type of plastic made from natural resources like vegetable oils and starches, are a promising alternative as they are functionally similar to traditional plastic products but are more environmentally friendly. Better for All, a plant-based compostable cup start-up, is seeking to transform society’s current dependence on environmentally degrading single-use plastic by spearheading the switch to bioplastic products.

How are Better for All cups different?

Better for All cups are particularly unique as they are created from P-Hydroxy-Benzota Hydroxylase or PHBH, which is a type of biopolymer from the PHA family that is produced from living fermented microorganisms. Therefore, not only are the cups biodegradable, but they are produced from naturally living organisms and can degrade in any type of living matter. These compostable cups have no additives and are certified non-toxic, free of phthalates, bisphenols, PFAs, and dioxins which are commonly found in traditional plastic cutlery.

The PHBH used by Better for All is created through a fermentation process that strains soil microorganisms, heats them at high temperatures, and allows them to metabolize into larger building blocks, forming the final product that is currently available for purchase. According to  Better for All, this allows their cups to be compostable in both home compost bins and large-scale landfill environments. 

Compostable cups: a groundbreaking solution? 

Compostable cups provide hope for the future. Although consumer behavior may not change, the products utilized by consumers can become more sustainable. Companies like Better for All hope to combat the continual reliance on plastic products by creating a compostable cup that not only mimics the appearance of traditional plastic cups, but can be used in exactly the same way. The only difference is that compostable cups, like those offered by Better for All, are to be thrown into green compost bins, rather than blue recycling bins.

One of the greatest advantages of bioplastics is their composting ability. Unlike plastic products, which may take centuries to degrade (or not degrade at all), bioplastic products can degrade in less than six months. As such, bioplastics can greatly reduce the size of growing landfills, which accelerate climate change. Researchers also point out that with potentially limited quantities of oil into the future, plastic prices may begin to fluctuate, altering the market for plastic cutlery.  

Controversy surrounding bioplastic

Although bioplastics are promising, there are some concerns and controversy.  First, during the composting process, biodegradable plastics can release methane gas, a harmful greenhouse gas byproduct. Additionally, bioplastics are produced from the cultivation of organic materials, like corn and maize, which can then divert land from food production to plastic production. It is estimated that by 2027 three million hectares of land, around 0.058% of total global agricultural land mass, will be dedicated towards bioplastic production. As demand for bioplastics is heightened, the land mass needed to produce the materials for production will also largely increase which can accelerate deforestation and land use degradation. 

Although bioplastics break down faster than conventional plastic material, this does not mean that mammals and marine life may not accidentally consume such products in the process of decomposition, which can negatively harm their health. Further, many bioplastic products are still thrown into recycling bins because consumers are often not aware that they can be composted, which defeats the purpose. Regardless of the type of plastic being produced, individuals will still continue to consume in vast quantities, which has environmentally harmful consequences no matter the type of product.  

Better for All’s perspective into the future

Although a world without any plastic cutlery is the most ideal, it is not always practical. Large sporting events, festivals, and social venues are heavily dependent on single-use cups for food and drink offered to the attendees. Better for All specifically targets large venues like these, currently offering their cups at USC football and basketball games, with hopes to expand to Live Nation events and eventually your local grocer. 

With time, Better for All believes that with the increased efficiency of supply chains and increased production, the cost of their cups will begin to decrease. The startup hopes to reduce human exposure to plastic toxins and change individuals' habits on a daily basis by advocating for a decreased reliance on fossil fuels, holding petroleum-based products accountable, and promoting organic composting around the world. 

Who is Raegan Kelly?

Raegan Kelly is the product lead and co-founder of Better for All, spearheading the movement to switch to home compostable and reusable PHBH cups as opposed to traditional single-use plastics. She has a Master’s of Fine Arts degree from the California Institute of Arts and a Bachelor’s degree from University of California, Berkeley.

Further Reading

Better for All

Royer et al., Production of methane and ethylene from plastic in the environment (PLoS One, 2018).

Lee et al., Health Effects of Microplastic Exposures (Yonsei Med. J., 2023).

Statista, Plastic Waste Worldwide

United Nations Environment Program, Plastic Pollution

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/reducing-plastic-pollution-with-bioplastics-with-raegan-kelly

Electric Heat: A Hot Topic in Chicago

In cold winter months, many people have to rely on fossil gas to heat their homes and power cookstoves. Yet all-electric appliances, including heat pumps to heat homes, are quickly becoming a cheaper alternative over the long term, though they often entail higher upfront costs compared to gas appliances.

In Chicago, the switch from natural gas to electricity is moving forward, but it is also revealing unintended challenges for low-income residents that are applicable to the broader energy transition. In the historic city core, many older buildings lack weatherproofing and insulation against extreme winter cold. Climate and health impacts, and the high price of burning fossil fuels for heat, provide ample reasons to switch from fossil gas to electricity. But as high-income people are doing so, they leave some of the most vulnerable people behind. As a result, Chicago is now pioneering an effort to support lower-income residents making the transition to all-electric heating.

What are the Climate and Health Impacts of Gas Heating

Gas heating is powered by natural gas, which is mainly composed of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. From a climate perspective, methane’s ability to trap heat in the atmosphere is 84 times greater over a 20-year period than carbon dioxide, making it the second most important contributor to climate change. And, because it lasts for 10 to 15 years in the atmosphere, while CO2 lasts 100 years or more, reducing methane emissions will rid the atmosphere of a potent greenhouse gas much more quickly. One-third of human-caused methane emissions come from the energy sector, and a large portion of methane use comes from waste such as leaks and venting. From a health perspective, a byproduct of natural gas called nitrogen dioxide is known to reduce lung function, and cooking with natural gas stoves has been linked to childhood asthma. Natural gas’s climate impacts and more immediate respiratory impacts may pose a health risk in homes that can be reduced by a switch over to electric heating.

Why are People Flipping the Switch?

As the price of natural gas rises, electricity may become a cheaper option for many Americans. The current structure of utility companies contributes to the high costs that ratepayers are facing. One concept found in utilities is the rate base, which refers to the amount of money and resources a utility company uses to produce and deliver electricity, water, or gas services. Regulators decide whether or not the investments that companies make are considered “prudent” and these expenses are added up to form the rate base, upon which the utilities are allowed to earn a rate so they can profit. This structure means that the costs of large capital investments are paid for by an increase in a rider on ratepayers’ bills, passing the cost burden onto customers.

For electricity here in California, the threat of wildfires caused by powerlines and the high cost of building transmission means that ratepayers face high electricity rates, especially compared to gas. Meanwhile in Chicago, one main reason many residents are switching to electric heating is because of recent price hikes from the major gas utilities supplier. According to Sarah Moskowitz, Executive Director at the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Illinois, a retrofitting effort by the gas utility in Chicago means that customers may be facing unusually high bill riders over fifty dollars, a fixed cost applied even before any gas is used. There is a strong economic incentive in Chicago driving people who can afford to switch over their appliances to electric.

But what about those who cannot afford to move away from gas heating? According to Moskowitz, primarily low-income Black and brown communities face some of the biggest impacts of soaring natural gas prices. In addition, the rate base system which allows costs to be passed onto consumers can further exacerbate the problem. As people with the means to switch away from gas do so, this lowers the number of gas customers across which the utility company can divide its costs. This means that the people who can least afford it will bear a greater portion of the costs, a problem sometimes known as the utility debt spiral. But new legislation and funding are attempting to build a path out.

Making Heat Accessible & Affordable

In an effort to set Illinois on the path to carbon-free and renewable energy, a law that contains interesting pathways for utility justice was passed in 2021. The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CJA) sets ambitious clean energy goals, but does so in a way that prioritizes equity. The bill provides finance for lower-income residents and provides support for energy efficiency and renewable energy workforce development. According to Moskowitz, one particularly climate-justice-focused program is the equitable energy upgrade program, a form of utility bill financing. The law requires major Illinois utilities to file multi-year rate plans, and from these, 40% of the benefits must go toward low-income communities. Exactly how the benefit process will work is being determined. The CJA provides a framework that can be adapted for many other regions. As Chicago takes on the challenge of moving towards renewable electricity in a city with older infrastructure and high heat demand, the city may serve as a case study that other cities can look to when planning for clean energy alongside justice and equity.

Who is Sarah Moskowitz?

Sarah Moskowitz is the Executive Director at the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Illinois, which has represented the interests of utility ratepayers since the 1970s. CUB works to get more consumer-friendly laws passed, runs a utility question & complaint hotline, and organizes consumer education and outreach programs.

Further Reading

• European Commission: Methane Emissions
• Pearce, Johns Hopkins University: Gas Stoves Risks to Our Planet and Health
• EIA,  US Energy Information Administration: Outlook for Natural Gas Price
• Ernst, S&P Global: Understanding Rate Base (Regulatory Research Associates, S&P)
• EPA, Illinois EPA: Climate and Equitable Jobs Act

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/making-electric-heating-accessible-and-affordable-for-low-income-residents-with-sarah-moskowitz/.

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/zero-waste-with-jenny-chiu/

The aviation industry and climate change: what are contrails?  

A 2022 IPCC report found that direct GHG emissions from the transport sector accounted for 23% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019. Road vehicles accounted for 70% of direct transport emissions, while 1%, 11%, and 12% of emissions came from rail, shipping, and aviation, respectively. 

As the mounting effects of climate change continue to be felt worldwide, the aviation industry is pioneering a method to reduce its contributions. Namely, it is focusing on efforts to curtail condensation trails – or contrails – which are fluffy, white cloud formations that sometimes appear as airplanes fly through the cold, humid, and icy parts of the atmosphere. Because they are a combination of soot, water vapor, and particulate matter (such as NOx), when aircrafts pass through these areas, they form cirrus clouds that absorb the radiation escaping from the surface, and, in turn, trap the heat. 

This phenomenon could account for around 35% of aviation’s total contribution to climate change — that’s about 1 to 2% of overall global warming! Together, these contrails roughly triple the total global warming impact of aviation compared to CO2 alone. Therefore, it is imperative that the aviation industry find solutions to reduce the production of contrails. 

What the industry has come up with: 3 solutions 

One method of reducing contrails consists of replacing traditional fuels with biofuels made from plant or animal biomass, waste, sugars and ethanol (corn). Sustainable jet fuels can produce 50%-70% fewer contrails according to research conducted by NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Jets using alternative fuels release fewer soot particles, thereby creating fewer ice crystal formations, which ultimately reduces contrail production by extension. Though biofuels may initially form larger crystals, they fall more quickly and melt in the warmer air below.

The second method involves developing electric or hydrogen-powered commercial aircrafts. Hydrogen is an attractive alternative to traditional aircrafts because it can be burned without emitting CO2 and is widely available. These aircrafts would either burn liquid hydrogen directly into their engines, or use gaseous hydrogen in a fuel cell system. With fuel cells, the hydrogen creates an electrochemical reaction that produces electricity to charge the aircraft's batteries while in flight. 

A third method involves redirecting flights to avoid contrail-inducing zones. Between 2% and 10% of all flights create around 80% of the contrails, so researchers have started developing predictive models that would allow airlines to identify and avoid contrail regions similarly to how they plan to avoid turbulence. The cost is predicted to be $0.5/ ton of CO2 equivalent. Furthermore, only minor adjustments to the routes of a small fraction of airplane flights is required, making predictive models highly attractive and cost effective. 

Some Challenges

While biofuels have great potential, they come with their own set of challenges. First is the issue of land use and its effects on agriculture. Producing three billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel would require between 8 and 11 million acres of corn or 35 and 50 million acres of soybeans, depending on crop yields. This could impact food production and cost. Shifting to corn or soybean based fuels has also been found to produce significant adverse emissions impacts. Lastly, it’s unclear whether sustainable fuels can meet the world’s growing demand for aerial transportation.   

While hydrogen is attractive, it has lower energy density than fossil fuels, meaning that a higher onboard fuel storage volume is needed to cover the same distance as current fossil fuel-powered aircrafts. In addition, H2-powered large passenger planes would require significant changes to aircraft design, making it less cost effective in the short term when RD&D costs are considered (development of fuel cell technology and liquid hydrogen tanks, aircraft research, hydrogen infrastructure, fleet output, etc). Industry experts anticipate that it will take 10 to 15 years to make these important advancements. 

Lastly, contrail prediction models rely on a variety of input data, including flight trajectories, aircraft and engine parameters, fuel characteristics, and weather data. However, the availability and accuracy of some of these data inputs is still a challenge, as no standardization exists. 

Who is our guest? 

Matteo Mirolo is Head of Policy and Strategy, Contrails at Breakthrough Energy, an organization founded by Bill Gates to spur innovation in clean energy and address climate change. Prior to that he was sustainable aviation policy manager at Transport & Environment (clean transport advocacy group). Mirolo is also a member of the sustainability advisory panel at Air New Zealand. 

Resources

• IPCC Sixth Assessment Report: Transport
• The contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018
• Biofuels
• NASA-DLR Study Finds Sustainable Aviation Fuel Can Reduce Contrails
• Hydrogen could power the next-gen aircraft of tomorrow
• Land-Use Impacts of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge
• How much biofuel would we need to decarbonise aviation?
• Hydrogen-powered aviation

Further reading

• Aviation Contrails 
• The missing policies on aviation emissions 

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/eliminating-contrails-to-increase-aircraft-sustainability-with-matteo-mirolo/.

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/president-bidens-infrastructure-bill-with-ken-alex-and-ethan-elkind/

What are zero-emission zones?

A zero-emission zone (ZEZ) is a designated area where only zero-emission vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists are permitted unrestricted access. Other vehicles are not permitted entrance, or must pay a fee to enter. Some ZEZs permit hybrid electric vehicles to enter, and these zones are referred to as “near-ZEZs”. Due to freight transportation’s outsize impact on carbon emissions, several cities have chosen to establish zero-emission zones exclusively focused on freight transport. 

Several dozen cities around the world, most of them in Europe, have implemented or announced plans to establish zero-emission zones. The United States is yet to implement a ZEZ. Global ZEZ development occurs in the context of a rapid increase in electric vehicles on city streets. Increased electric vehicle sales enable the establishment of ZEZs, which, in turn, incentivize electric vehicle ownership. 

How to establish a ZEZ? What are some possible obstacles to establishing zero-emission zones?

Who is Arjan Oranje?

Arjan Oranje is program manager for zero emission mobility in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Starting in 2025, Rotterdam is designating its city center as a zero-emissions zone. 

Learn More

How C40 cities are implementing zero emission areas

Zero emissions areas: Why aren’t they everywhere? | World Economic Forum

Zero Emissions Zones: A tool to target benefits of vehicle electrification to communities that need it most - The Greenlining Institute

Can low emissions zones effectively regulate traffic in cities? | Automotive World

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/zero-emission-zones-with-rotterdams-arjan-oranje/

Existing Carbon Tariffs Subsidize Polluting Industries

According to new international environmental economic research, most countries’ existing trade policies implicitly subsidize carbon pollution. That’s because many polluting industries, like oil production, face lower tariffs and fewer non-tariff barriers to trade (NTB) than industries selling finished products to consumers. In other words, carbon tariffs tend to be assessed on upstream industries only indirectly and later in the process (at the point of trade), and less so at the point of extraction and refining. As a result, existing trade policies tax dirty polluting industries at a substantially lower rate than clean industries. 

The favorable treatment in trade policy creates a global subsidy to carbon emissions in internationally traded goods and contributes to climate change. This subsidy is large – an estimated $550-800 billion annually, an amount of the same magnitude as some of the world's largest actual and proposed climate change policies. The subsidies amount to $85-120/ton, about the same amount many economists identify as an optimum price for carbon emissions. Trade policy is, in essence, giving the exact opposite price signal than what is needed to reduce carbon pollution. New research on these policies also suggests that if countries applied similar trade policies to clean and dirty goods, global CO2 emission would decrease with little impact on global real income.

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms Correct Existing Carbon Subsidies

Carbon border adjustment mechanisms (C-BAMs) are a form of trade policy that aims to correct these subsidies and prevent carbon-intensive economic activity from moving to areas with less stringent policies. Border adjustments apply fees on imported goods based on greenhouse gas emissions during production. A jurisdiction importing goods would impose carbon tariffs on carbon-intensive products, thereby offsetting current carbon subsidies given to dirty industries. C-BAMs are part of the European Green New Deal and will place tariffs on carbon-intensive goods imported by the EU, taking effect in 2026 on seven high-emission sectors. 

These border adjustments are an important climate policy mechanism to prevent the risk of carbon leakage, as C-BAMs prevent the industry from shifting emissions to regions outside the reach of the EU’s stricter standards. Their goal is to ensure climate objectives are not undermined by production relocation, as the environmental effect of carbon emissions on the atmosphere are the same regardless of where they are emitted. This is an equitable policy; the cost to the planet of emitting greenhouse gasses is universal and thus the cost of emissions should have some consistency across the globe. 

C-BAMs also equalize the price of carbon between domestic products and imports. As a result, this policy encourages greening production processes across the world, so countries can avoid the border adjustment tax. Border adjustments can also be in the form of rebates or exemptions depending on the domestic policies for producers that export their goods. Such policies are already in place in California for certain imports of electricity. The United States, Canada and Japan are looking into C-BAMs, as well.

The European Union Creates the First C-BAM

On April 25, 2023, the EU finalized the language for the world’s first carbon tax; the initial transition phase is scheduled to begin in October 2023. In the European Green New Deal, European importers will buy carbon certificates that correspond to carbon prices that would have been paid if the goods had been produced under the European Union’s carbon pricing rules. Products can also receive price deductions if the carbon price has already been paid in an outside country. In the EU, these adjustments will be phased in gradually first with iron, steel, cement, fertilizer, aluminum, and electricity generation.

Our Guest: Joseph Shapiro

Joseph Shapiro is an associate professor at UC Berkeley in Agricultural and Resource Economics and the Department of Economics. Shapiro holds a Ph.D. in economics from MIT, a Master's degree from Oxford and London School of Economics, and a BA from Stanford. He is also a Research Associate at the Energy Institute of Haas, Associate Editor of the Journal of Political Political Economy, Co-Editor of the Journal of Public Economics, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Shapiro's research agenda explores the following three questions: How do globalization and the environment interact? What have been the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity impacts of environmental and energy policies over the last half-century, particularly for water, air, and climate pollution? How important are the investments that people make to protect themselves against air pollution and climate change? Shapiro has also received an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, Kiel Institute Excellence in Global Affairs Award, and Marshall Scholarship. 

Sources

• The EU has approved the world's first carbon tax on imports, Aurora Almendral (Quartz, April 26, 2023)
• Joseph Shapiro biography
• The Environmental Bias of Trade Policy, Joseph Shapiro (Nov. 2020)
• Econimate video, The Environmental Bias of Trade Policy, Joseph Shapiro
• Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: Questions and Answers, European Commission
• Carbon Border Adjustments, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions

For a transcript, please visit the episode's page on our website at:  https://climatebreak.org/how-international-trade-policy-can-boost-climate-action-with-joseph-shapiro/

A New Sustainable Culture

Through the rise in pop culture, climate change awareness has increasingly been integrated into the entertainment industry. Particularly in the Black community, multimedia cultural campaigns are used to increase interest in environmental movements with the use of light-hearted, fun content. Artists, musicians, and influencers are leveraging their platforms to highlight the impacts of climate change and promote sustainable practices, which, in turn, provides easily accessible resources and information to marginalized communities that empower them to participate in the fight against climate change. 

Black Communities and Environmental Justice

Populations of color face disproportionate energy burdens caused by climate change. A study conducted by Rice University found that Black communities were more prone to live in vulnerable areas, a generational problem caused by the history of Black gentrification. Even now in 2024, Black communities in Georgia are forced to pay higher electricity bills, despite having lower rates compared to other states, due to old and inefficient household systems. According to the National Black Environmental Justice Networks, African Americans were also found to breathe in 56% more pollution than they cause, whereas their White counterparts breathe in 17% less pollution than generated. African Americans are also 75% more likely than White Americans to live in polluted communities, leading to 13.4% of African American children suffering from asthma, compared to 7.3% of White children. 

Starting in the 1970s, some black musicians included environmental themes in their productions. Artist Marvin Gaye released “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” to tackle discussions about oil spills and mercury waste; funk group Earth, Wind, & Fire released “Burnin’ Bush” to bring awareness about the global destruction of Mother Earth. Those themes continue today in  music produced by Black artists, such as in the popular single “Feels Like Summer” by Childish Gambino, which conveys worries about uncertain impacts caused by global warming. Additionally, artists such as SZA have partnered with brands to promote sustainable merchandise, encouraging a societal paradigm to rely on eco-friendly products. 

Representation and Education

With more than 50% of the world’s population active on social media, people are continuously exposed to the influx of information circulated by entertainment. Through the entertainment industry, climate news has become increasingly accessible and engaging, allowing communities to educate themselves on sustainability and mobilize action. Although hip-hop and rap were once considered controversial music genres due to themes of violence, drugs, and misogyny, there is a growing effort to utilize the storytelling aptitude of these genres for social and environmental commentary. Artists use rhymes and flow in hip-hop and rap to effectively share the living conditions, natural disasters, and climate injustice that people face. This empowerment of entertainment has motivated marginalized people to strengthen their community bonds and collaborate in fighting against climate change. The widespread influence of entertainment is fostering inspiration for a new culture promoting climate equity and agency, as well as the normalization of environmentalism in society.  

Who are the co-founders of Klean Energy Kulture?

Corey Dennard and Michael Hawthorne Jr. (Akachè Marcino) are the co-founders of Klean Energy Kulture, a non-profit environmental entertainment company. Corey Dennard, popularly known as Mr. Hanky, is a hit producer who has worked with top charting artists, including Snoop Dog, Usher, and Soulja Boy. Michael Hawthorne Jr., also known as Akachè Marcino, is an environmentalist and political organizer. Hawthorne has worked on Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign and Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. Together, they lead Black communities towards climate resiliency through campaigning for clean energy.

Further Reading

• Canary Media: This Atlanta duo has a theory to drive climate action: Make it cool
• Medium: How Michael Hawthorne Jr Of Klean Energy Kulture Is Helping to Promote Sustainability and Climate Justice
• American Lung Association: Disparities in the Impact of Air Pollution
• Atmos: Composing Climate Change: The Radical Legacy of Black Musicians
• Climate Reality Project: Environmental Racism

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/promoting-clean-energy-through-pop-culture-with-klean-energy-kulture-co-founders-michael-hawthorne-jr-and-corey-dennard/.

Editorial Note

The interview for this episode was recorded in June 2021. The basic point of the episode remains relevant, but the mentioned campaign is no longer active. ClimateVoice’s current campaign is Escape the Chamber, which calls on companies to leave the US Chamber of Commerce and to speak up and lead on climate policy at local, state, and federal levels. 

What is Corporate Lobbying for Climate Action?

While lobbying—and corporate lobbying in particular—can often have negative connotations, it can be an effective tool to promote legislation to fight climate change. ClimateVoice takes a unique approach to corporate lobbying by incorporating the entire workforce into the process as opposed to just the executive team. ClimateVoice aims to get companies to lobby for policies that provide solutions to climate change. To that end, it reaches out to, engages with, and educates a company’s workforce on climate change issues and solutions. ClimateVoice’s founder, Bill Weihl, notes that a 2021 report showed that “Big Tech has diverted about four percent of their lobbying activity at the U.S federal level to climate-related policies. Big Oil has devoted about 38% of theirs.” ClimateVoice works to bridge this gap between Big Tech and Big Oil. 

ClimateVoice isn’t the only organization working towards encouraging corporations to lobby for climate change solutions. In 2006, a group of NGOs formed the U.S Climate Action Partnership to advocate for pro-climate policies. According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, despite the efforts of the Climate Action Partnership, the “Waxman-Markey Cap-and-Trade Climate Bill failed in the U.S. Senate in 2009, and climate policy entered the wilderness for years.” In recent years, however, environmental organizations such as ClimateVoice have advocated for renewed corporate lobbying to help solve climate change. In 2019, as a result of these efforts, several environmental organizations including The Nature Conservatory, World Wildlife Federation, and Environmental Defense Fund took out a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for businesses to work towards policies that are consistent with climate science. 

Challenges 

Corporate lobbying for climate action faces some challenges. First, it is difficult to mobilize workers and management, and get them to agree on an environmental policy to lobby for. In addition, lobbying itself is not always successful. The process can be long and tedious without producing noticeable results for some time. Lastly, powerful and dedicated corporate interests lobby the government to stop climate action. Nonetheless, the presence of corporate voices lobbying for climate science-informed policy remains a viable way to implement climate change solutions at the legislative level.

Who is Bill Weihl?

Bill Weihl is the executive director of ClimateVoice. He started his career as an associate professor of computer science at MIT. In 2006, he transitioned to a career in climate action and led Google’s clean energy work. He then spent six years at Facebook as Director of Sustainability. Now at ClimateVoice, he works to use corporate influence to drive climate legislation. 

Further Reading

Corporate Action on Climate Change Has to Include Lobbying, Harvard Business Review

How Corporate Lobbyists Conquered American Democracy, The Atlantic

A Closer Look At How Corporations Influence Congress, NPR

The challenging politics of climate change, Brookings

Climate Insights 2020: Policies and Politics, Resources for the Future

Glossary: Policy cycle | Monitoring Guide, Right to Education

About Us, ClimateVoice

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/corporate-lobbying-as-an-ally/

Reconductoring power grids to boost energy efficiency

The expansion of renewable energy has resulted in a heightened need for greater transmission capacity of the electrical grid. Unfortunately, permitting and cost allocation have been large hurdles to the potential of rapid expansion to meet future demand. As an alternative, large-scale reconductoring of advanced conductor systems has been proposed as a solution. Such an alternative can double transmission capacity cost-effectively, without the need to ensure additional permitting. In order to achieve this transition, old steel power lines would be replaced with carbon fiber, reducing electricity loss and boosting the overall capacity of the power grid. 

How does reconductoring work?

In order to achieve clean energy goals, it is vital that we increase power grid capacity. To briefly summarize, electrons travel along transmission lines between towers made of conducting elements and a strength member, which allows conductors to hang between towers. The most common type of reinforcement is ACSR, aluminum conductor steel reinforced, used in overhead electrical transmissions. ACSR is susceptible to degradation and breakage, which may lead to more frequent power outages and increased chemical runoff into the environment. As an alternative, ACSS has been proposed by researchers as it carries more current than ACSR and is supported at higher temperatures. 

According to recent studies by the Goldman School and GridLab, replacing power lines with advanced conductors would enable 90% clean electricity by 2035. The report revealed that reconductoring transmission lines could add approximately 65 TW-miles of new interzonal transmission capacity in ten years, compared to 16TW-miles from building only new transmission lines. In terms of pricing, implementing advanced conductors costs around 20% more than building new lines. Yet replacing old lines with advanced conductors is typically half the cost than building new lines for the same capacity, partly because you reuse old infrastructure and the new models are much more energy efficient. Further policy and legislation is necessary in order to drive this technology into the future and ensure proper permitting, funding, and planning. 

What are some of the benefits?

Advanced composite-core conductors such as ACSS can carry double the existing capacity, operate at higher temperatures, and reduce line sag. Further, replacing the steel for a stronger yet smaller composite-based core can avoid the construction of new lines which bring about land acquisition and increasing permitting. There is already a growing movement towards reconductoring, as 90,000 miles of advanced conductors have been deployed globally. More advanced conductors also have the benefit of being cost-effective, with an estimated $180 billion in systems cost savings with more long-term structure. Advanced conductors enable a doubling of line capacity at less than half the cost of new lines. Alongside the benefits, at large, reconductoring can play a pivotal role in low-cost decarbonization of power systems.

What are some of the drawbacks?

Amidst the potential advantages are obstacles that may impede the future progress of reconductoring. First, there is a lack of awareness. Conventionally, the only way to expand the grid capacity has been to build new lines. Utilities are not aware of the existing solution and often fail to take reconductoring into account. Alongside this is a lack of experience and misconception that implementing reconductoring lines is difficult and unrealistic. As there is a lack of incentives for utilities to improve their products, cheaper solutions are not enticing for their rate of return regulation. Particularly if reconductoring only occurs in localized areas as opposed to system-wide implementation, the benefits may be limited. Thus, government prioritization of this new solution is critical in order to boost conductor efficiency.

About our guest

Umed Paliwal is a senior scientist at the Center for Environmental Public Policy and the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. Umed conducts research on ways to integrate renewables on the grid and understand its impact on reliability and energy pricing. Umed’s research has revealed that replacing old power lines with newer technology can boost the capacity of the power grid and help to achieve clean energy goals. He holds a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley where he focused on energy markets, regulation, power systems modeling and data analytics. 

Resources

• Grid rewiring: An answer for Biden’s climate goals?
• Reconductoring Could Help Solve America’s Looming Grid Crisis
• Reconductoring US power lines could quadruple new transmission capacity by 2035: report

Further Reading

• Accelerating Transmission Expansion by Using Advanced Conductors in Existing Right-of-Way
• Advanced Conductors on Existing Transmission Corridors to Accelerate Low Cost Decarbonization
• The 2035 Report: Reconductoring With Advanced Conductors Can Accelerate The Rapid Transmission Expansion Required For A Clean Grid

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/increasing-efficiency-through-power-line-reconductoring-with-umed-paliwal/

Carbon Sequestration

Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide to slow the pace of climate change. There are two major types of carbon sequestration: geologic and biologic. Geological carbon sequestration injects carbon dioxide captured from an industrial or energy-related source into underground geologic formations. Biological carbon sequestration refers to the storage of atmospheric carbon in vegetation, soils, woody products, and aquatic environments. While carbon dioxide (CO2) is naturally captured from the atmosphere through biological, chemical, and physical processes, some artificial sequestration techniques exploit the natural processes to slow the atmospheric accumulation of CO2.

Soil Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change

The exchange of carbon between soils and the atmosphere is a significant part of the world’s carbon cycle. Carbon, as it relates to the organic matter of soils, is a major component of soil and catchment health. However, human activities including agriculture have caused massive losses of soil organic carbon, leading to soil deterioration. California´s Healthy Soil Initiative is one program in the state working to promote the development of healthy soils in efforts to increase the state´s carbon sequestration, prevent soil deterioration and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions.

Soil carbon sequestration is a process in which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere, primarily mediated by plants through photosynthesis, with carbon stored in the form of soil organic matter. Many scientists agree that regenerative agricultural practices can reduce atmospheric CO2 while also boosting soil productivity and health and increasing resilience to floods and drought.

UC Berkeley researchers found that low-tech agricultural management practices such as planting cover crops, optimizing grazing, and sowing legumes on rangelands, if instituted globally, could capture enough carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil to reduce global temperatures 0.26 degrees Celsius – nearly half a degree Fahrenheit – by 2100. However, critics say that because biological sequestration isn't permanent and can be hard to measure, it's only part of the climate solution and not a substitute for reducing emissions. 

Whendee Silver

Dr. Whendee Silver is the Rudy Grah Chair and Professor of Ecosystem Ecology and Biogeochemistry in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at U.C. Berkeley. She received her Ph.D. in Ecosystem Ecology from Yale University. Her work seeks to determine the biogeochemical effects of climate change and human impacts on the environment, and the potential for mitigating these effects. The Silver Lab is currently working on drought and hurricane impacts on tropical forests, climate change mitigation potential of grasslands, and greenhouse gas dynamics of peatlands and wetlands. Professor Silver is the lead scientist of the Marin Carbon Project, which is studying the potential for land-based climate change mitigation, particularly by composting high-emission organic waste for soil amendments to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide. 

Continued Reading

• The potential of agricultural land management to contribute to lower global surface temperatures
• Technical options for sustainable land and water management
• Soils help to combat and adapt to climate change by playing a key role in the carbon cycle
• The solution to climate change is just below our feet
• Soil as Carbon Storehouse: New Weapon in Climate Fight? 
• Soil Carbon Sequestration Impacts on Global Climate Change and Food Security

Organizations

• Silver Lab, UC Berkeley
• Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, Ohio State University
• Food and Agricultural Organization, the United Nations

Related Episodes

• Collaborating with farmers on climate-friendly practices, with Alameda County Resource Conservation District

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/sequestering-carbon-using-compost-and-grasslands-with-whendee-silver/

What are carbon registries? 

Carbon registries work with companies, organizations, and government agencies to identify, measure, and report their greenhouse gas emissions. The data can be used to support emission reduction efforts by these entities, both voluntary reductions or those required by regulation. Carbon registry data can also be used to identify entities with high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon registries enable members to identify specific emissions reduction opportunities, save on fuel and energy costs through increased efficiency, and comply with current or anticipated regulations. In addition, making carbon registry data transparent can demonstrate public accountability and climate leadership. But, unless there are legal obligations to report emissions, reporting is voluntary, likely missing major emitters. And data does not necessarily mean action; data collection and transparency can be a form of “greenwashing” when not followed by constructive action. 

What is The Climate Registry?

The Climate Registry (TCR) is a non-profit organization that provides tools for North American companies, government agencies, non-profits, and universities to more fully understand their GHG emissions. TCR tracks the sources of members’ greenhouse gas emissions and tabulates how many tons of each greenhouse gas they emit. With this information, packaged for laypeople and easily accessible, members can better understand  how they might reduce these emissions. In addition, TCR ranks organizations by  awarding “all-star”, “platinum” and “gold” rankings, based on an evaluation of  their commitment to emission reduction. TCR is advised by a Council of Jurisdictions including representatives from diverse U.S. states, Native nations, and Canadian provinces and territories. It began as the California Climate Action Registry (CCAR), developed by the state of California to help businesses track their emissions. Recognizing that climate change is a threat that ignores borders, TCR expanded to include the entirety of North America. This broader jurisdiction provides a way to see and compare data from hundreds of organizations in one place, with the same reporting protocols and data-collection methods employed. In addition to a carbon registry, TCR maintains a separate water-energy nexus registry. 

Who is Dan Krekelberg?

Dan Krekelberg is policy director at The Climate Registry. He has over a decade of experience leading the development of programs working to improve the sustainability of communities and organizations. He oversees accounting, reporting, and verification initiatives at The Climate Registry, as well as programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Learn More

TCR 2021 Impact Report

The Climate Registry - Protocols

8 Best GHG Registries Approved For Offsetting Carbon Emissions

The Climate Registry - The Net-Zero Portal

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/using-carbon-emissions-registries-to-reduce-emissions-with-dan-krekelberg/

Induction-Range Stoves:

Gas stoves have recently been in the news as a source of harmful pollutants in the home and generators of greenhouse gas. The adoption of energy-efficient induction-range stovetops could offer a solution. Induction cooktops use electromagnetism to generate heat from directly within cookware, preventing the levels of energy loss seen in conventional gas or electric cooktops. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is not coming for anybody’s gas stove, despite a recent frenzy over concerns of bans on gas stovetops, so cooks around the country can pick the stove tops of their choosing. But as a handful of journalists have pointed out, the notion that gas stove tops are better for cooking than electric, really a matter of opinion, could have something to do with advertising investments by the American Gas Association. In fact, many chefs actually prefer induction cooktops to gas, and their environmental benefits are substantial. 

Induction stoves contain an electromagnetic coil that generates a magnetic field when turned on. That magnetic field creates metallic resistance from compatible cookware, generating heat from within itself. Conversely, conventional gas and electric stoves transfer heat to pots and pans through a flame or electric coil. In that heat transfer, energy is lost. Induction has an energy efficiency of 85%. Electric stoves and gas stoves are 75-80% and 32% energy efficient, respectively, making gas the least energy efficient stove type. Across the United States, only about 32% of households use gas ranges, but in some states, like California, the number is closer to 70%. Energy Star estimates that a widespread shift to induction ranges would collectively save the United States over $125 million in energy costs and over 1000 GWh of energy.

Plug-in Induction-Range Stoves:

While Induction stoves are highly energy efficient, and can save consumers money on their energy bills, the upfront cost can be significant. According to Consumer Reports, a typical induction stove can range from roughly $1000 to $4000. Their installation can sometimes require upgrades to the home’s electrical wiring, which can add additional cost and complicates the process. Battery-powered induction-ranges like those in production by Channing Street Copper Company can be plugged in directly to standard electrical outlets. Plug-ins remove the complication of updating electrical panels or installing special high-voltage outlets, but they can be more expensive, costing consumers roughly $6000. However, a purchase of a standard induction or plug-in induction range may qualify consumers for rebates at federal and local levels. 

Sam Calisch is an engineer and scientist working on decarbonization and electrification. He is the co-founder of Channing Street Copper, where he leads technology development.

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/an-induction-range-no-rewiring-required/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/ev-charging-vehicle-to-grid-integration-with-scott-moura/

Overview of youth climate action:

Likely to witness the environmental impacts of a changing climate within their lifetimes, young people have approached the issue of climate change with a certain urgency. Young adults are some of the most prominent supporters of the Green New Deal and have proven to be vigorous advocates for climate legislation and action. Recently, many youth organizations have gained national attention. Here are just a few:

Zero Hour

With the understanding that youth are often ignored in discussions of climate change, the founders of Zero Hour wanted to start a movement that places young voices at the center of climate action. Zero Hour believes youth are most fit to keep adults honest and accountable. Since its inception in 2017, Zero Hour has hosted a Youth Climate Summit, a lobby day in Washington D.C., an art festival and a climate march, all of which have emphasized the need for immediate, solution-based climate action.

You can learn more about Zero Hour here.

Sunrise Movement

Sunrise activists believe oil, gas and other industry executives are standing in the way of meaningful action against climate change. These activists stress the importance of transforming public opinion about the climate into political power. One of Sunrise’s main goals is to help spur the adoption of the Green New Deal, what they believe to be the strongest chance the next generation has to save the environment. The movement has participated in climate strikes and government sit-ins and even organized an interstate tour in support of the Green New Deal.

You can learn more about the Sunrise Movement here.

Climate Justice Youth Summit:

This Summit is one of the largest annual conventions of young climate activists of color in the United States. Last year, the summit was hosted by UPROSE, a grassroots organization dedicated to climate justice and youth leadership. Youth leaders at the Climate Justice Summit recognize climate change will disproportionately affect marginalized communities, and so the Summit features these marginalized voices on the front lines of climate action.

You can learn more about the Climate Justice Youth Summit here.

Further reading:

• Youth Climate Activists You Should Be Following on Social Media: https://www.earthday.org/19-youth-climate-activists-you-should-follow-on-social-media/
• They Can’t Vote Yet, But Youths Are Ready to #Climate Strike: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/they-can-t-vote-yet-youths-are-ready-climatestrike
• How a New Generation of Climate Activists is Reviving Fossil Fuel Divestment: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2020/03/climate-activists-reviving-fossil-fuel-divestment/
• Amid Shutdowns, Youth Climate Activists Are Writing the Curriculum for a Just Economic Recovery: https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2020/04/30/coronavirus-climate-crisis-online-curriculum/
• Xiye Bastida: How Are Young People Making The Choice To Fight Climate Change?: https://www.npr.org/2020/05/22/860168455/xiye-bastida-how-are-young-people-making-the-choice-to-fight-climate-change

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/youth-organizing-for-climate-solutions-with-isha-clarke/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/ev-charging-vehicle-to-grid-integration-with-scott-moura/

Youth-Led Climate Litigation

Worldwide, litigants are turning to the courts as a forum for fighting climate change, filing lawsuits against governments in an attempt to force climate action. Plaintiffs in these lawsuits are often children and young adults, who represent those most affected by government climate inaction. A notable early example of youth-led litigation related to climate change was in the Philippines in the 1990s, where forty-three students sued the Philippine government to protect their village’s forest. Though the case was initially dismissed in lower courts on the ground that the students were children and did not have legal standing to sue, the students ultimately won their case and deforestation was halted. 

In the United States in 2015, twenty-one young people, the organization Earth Guardians, and climate scientist James Hansen (collectively, “plaintiffs”), represented by lawyers from the organization Our Children’s Trust, sued the U.S. government in a case called Juliana v. United States of America. The plaintiffs alleged that the U.S. government, in not taking sufficient action to fight climate change, knowingly violated their Fifth Amendment due process rights to life, liberty and property, and knowingly violated its commitment to protect public lands. In 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case on the ground that the legislative and executive branches have the power to address climate change, not the judicial system. Still, despite the ruling, Juliana v. United States catalyzed a climate litigation movement across the country and world, and a documentary film about the case increased its impact. The Ninth Circuit’s ruling did not end the case, which was sent back to the district court for further proceedings. In June 2023, the district court granted the plaintiffs’ motion for leave to amend their complaint. Plaintiffs are hoping to survive additional motions to dismiss so that the case can proceed to trial.   

Our Children’s Trust has sued state governments on behalf of young people in all fifty states. Although most of those cases have been dismissed, the first of these cases to go to trial was Held v. Montana in June 2023. Additionally, in September 2023, Navahine F. v. Hawaii Department of Transportation is set to go to trial. These trials are the first in the United States involving youth-led constitutional climate cases, with the plaintiffs both using language from Montana’s and Hawaii’s constitutions to make their case. 

Is Climate Change a Question for the Courts?

This is an ongoing debate. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Juliana v. United States case in 2020, with the majority opinion concluding that climate change is an issue for Congress and the Executive Branch to handle, rather than the judicial system. But Hawaii’s First Circuit Judge Jeffrey Crabtree argued, in response to lawyers for the Hawaii Department of Transportation who made a similar argument, that Navahine F. v. Hawaii Department of Transportation should be allowed to go to trial. Judge Crabtree wrote that “the courts unequivocally have an important and long-recognized role in interpreting and defending constitutional guarantees.” A separate and difficult legal question concerns the nature and extent of the public trust doctrine and what duty might apply to the government. The courts will need to wrestle with that set of issues if the cases reach the trial stage. 

Who is Julia Olson?

Julia Olson is Executive Director and Chief Legal Counsel of Our Children’s Trust, the organization representing the youth plaintiffs in the climate change litigation discussed in this article. She earned her law degree (JD) from the University of California College of Law, San Francisco (then known as UC Hastings) in 1997 and began her legal career representing grassroots conservation groups working to protect the environment, organic agriculture, and human health. Since becoming a mother, Julia has focused her advocacy on youth climate action and founded Our Children’s Trust to further this mission. 

Further Reading

Watch Youth v Gov | Netflix

Meet the Youth Plaintiffs, Our Children's Trust

Juliana v. United States, Harvard Law Review (2021)

It's Kids vs. the World in a Landmark Climate Complaint, Gizmodo (2019)

Trump admin again asks Supreme Court to stop youth climate lawsuit, The Hill (2018)

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/climate-change-litigation-on-behalf-of-young-people-with-julia-olson/

Lithium Ion Batteries

Lithium ion batteries are a popular type of rechargeable battery, used in a variety of devices from laptops and cell phones to hybrid and electric vehicles. Lithium ion batteries have grown in use due to their light weight, high energy density, and ability to recharge. While these batteries are used to store electricity and, therefore, as an element of alternative to fossil fuels, the process to mine and obtain lithium has harmful effects on the environment. 

Lithium is a soft, light metal found in rocks and subsurface fluids called brines. The mining of battery materials and manufacturing the batteries can generate significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. The disposal of these batteries is also a concern, as the battery cells can release toxins such as heavy metals into soil and groundwater if not properly disposed of. In these cases, lithium ion batteries have also been found to cause fires, which is especially dangerous if misplaced in a landfill. There is a growing effort  to recycle these batteries due to the environmental issues and demand for batteries, but that faces obstacles as well. 

A New Alternative

Due to the concerns around the safety, cost and supply of materials for lithium-ion batteries, the industry is in search of more sustainable elements to use for batteries, such as manganese. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory are developing lithium-ion cathode technology that has sustainable increased use of manganese. 

When a battery charges, lithium ions flow from the cathode to the anode, a process that reverses when the battery is discharged. Researchers have already created a nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cathode material that is rich in lithium that has the potential to have increased storage capacity over conventional materials. The Argonne National Laboratory is working on a version of NMC technology that boosts the lithium and manganese content to improve the batteries energy density and safety while decreasing costs. 

A battery with a manganese-rich cathode is less expensive and safer than one with high nickel concentrations, but not without caveats. Increasing the manganese and lithium content can decrease the cathode's stability, impacting its performance overtime.

Future of Batteries

The U.S. Department of Energy has made it a priority to find more sustainable materials for electric vehicle batteries. Other strategies include decreasing the amount of cobalt by using higher percentages of nickel, but this also poses challenges. Nickel is more abundant than cobalt but less than a fifth of the current supply is suitable for battery use. In reality, there is less nickel than expected and increased use could cause a spike in prices. 

At the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a consortium of scientists is developing the commercialization of a new family of battery cathode materials called DRX, or disordered rock salt. DRX could provide batteries with higher energy densities than conventional lithium-ion batteries that contained metals in short supply, like nickel and cobalt. The consortium is focused on making DRX cathodes out of more affordable and abundant metals, like manganese and titanium. 

About our Guest

Dr. Jason Croy is a Materials Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory whose work focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of high-energy lithium-ion electrode materials. Prior to his work at the Argonne National Laboratory, Croy was a musician and toured with his rock band for nearly ten years before attending college. He taught himself physics before enrolling in college, then going on to earn his Ph.D. in Physics from University of Central Florida. Croy is an internationally recognized expert on lithium- and manganese-rich cathode materials and has published numerous articles on the atomic-scale mechanisms governing the performance of lithium-ion electrodes.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/improving-lithium-ion-batteries-the-magnesium-solution/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/large-scale-solar-with-shannon-eddy/

Climate change is increasing flood risk worldwide.  

Climate change is intensifying flood risk around the world, with potentially devastating consequences for communities and infrastructure.  As the planet gets hotter, the atmosphere's capacity to hold water vapor increases, leading to more frequent and intense precipitation events in certain regions.  Extreme rainfall events can overwhelm stormwater and other drainage systems and result in dangerous flash flooding. A 2021 study published by the American Meteorological Society found that for every 1°C rise in global temperature, the intensity of extreme rainfall events increases by 7 percent.  Sea level rise, driven by melting glaciers, is also causing coastal flooding and erosion in many parts of the world.  Sea levels could rise by an average of 10 - 12 inches in the U.S. in the next 30 years (2020 – 2050)—as much as the rise measured over the last 100 years (1920 - 2020).  By the end of the century, sea levels could be as much as 3.6 feet higher than they are today, putting nearly 200 million people at risk.   

These changes are already having real-world consequences. In 2021, severe flooding in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and other European countries killed over 200 people and destroyed entire towns.  In the United States, severe coastal flooding from Superstorm Sandy was partially caused by unusually high storm surges attributed to sea level rise.  

While these challenges may be daunting, there are concrete actions we can take now to increase our resilience, such as greater investment in flood control infrastructure and natural interventions to mitigate flood risk.  These and other solutions are discussed in more detail below.   

A recent study indicates that climate change is increasing the risk of a “megaflood” in California.

California has experienced great floods every century or so for many millennia, according to historical and climate records. The last great flood in California was in 1862, which inundated a 300-mile-long stretch of the Central Valley, including highly populated areas such as Sacramento.  The “Great Flood of 1862” is widely considered the benchmark for a “plausible worst-case scenario” flood in contemporary California. 

Recent research suggests that climate change has already increased the risk of extreme floods in California, and that it is likely to significantly increase the risk of even more extreme floods in the future. A 2022 study by UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain and fellow researcher Xingying Huang found that despite the recent prevalence of severe drought, California faces a broadly underappreciated risk of severe floods. The study indicates that climate change has already doubled the risk of a present-day megastorm, relative to a century ago, and more than tripled the risk of a trillion-dollar megaflood like the Great Flood of 1862.  It further found that larger future increases are likely due to continued warming.  These ominous findings have direct implications for flood and emergency management, and climate adaptation activities.

Governments should implement strategies to mitigate and adapt to the growing risk of floods.

According to Dr. Swain, addressing flood risk is a societal challenge that requires action at the local, state, and federal government levels. He recommends action to assess flood risk, strengthen flood control infrastructure, implement natural interventions to mitigate flood risk, and explore innovative approaches to flood management: 

• Assess flood risk: FEMA’s flood maps, which are now known to be woefully inadequate, should be improved and updated.
• Strengthen flood control infrastructure: Weaknesses in levees, dams, and urban flood conduits should be identified and rectified through research and funding.
• Implement natural interventions to mitigate flood risk: Long-term flood risk mitigation may involve natural interventions such as floodplain restoration or moving levees away from the river, giving rivers more room to expand without flooding highly populated cities or critical infrastructure.
• Explore innovative approaches to flood management: Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) and Flood Managed Aquifer Recharge (Flood-MAR) are innovative approaches that could drive advances in flood management. FIRO involves using high-quality weather forecasts to dynamically operate reservoirs and water releases, while Flood-MAR involves leveraging flood flows to store water in natural aquifers underground (which can have the added benefit of returning water to depleted aquifers).

Who is Daniel Swain?

Daniel Swain, Ph.D., is a climate scientist who holds joint appointments at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, the Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and as the California Climate Fellow at The Nature Conservancy. His research focuses on the dynamics and impacts of the Earth's changing climate system, with a particular emphasis on regional climate extremes such as droughts, floods, and wildfires. Dr. Swain's work includes understanding the processes driving severe droughts and "megafloods" in a warming climate, as well as the climate-related factors behind increasingly severe and destructive wildfires in the American West. He also engages in extensive science communication and outreach efforts, including authoring the Weather West blog, providing real-time perspectives on California weather and climate, and working with media outlets to ensure scientifically accurate coverage of climate change.

Sources:

• NY Times, The Coming California Megastorm (August 12, 2022)
• The Public Policy Institute of California, Commentary: Catastrophic Floods and Breached Levees Reveal a Problem California Too Often Neglects (April 7, 2023)
• PBS, Climate change increasing chance of ‘mega storm’ in California, scientists say (Sept. 6, 2022)
• Journal of Climate, Changes in Annual Extremes of Daily Temperature and Precipitation in CMIP6 Models (2021)
• NOAA, 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report
• IPCC, Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, Chapter 4, Sea Level Rise and Implications for Low-Lying Islands, Coasts and Communities
• World Economic Forum, The Global Risks Report 2020
• United Nations, 2021 floods: UN researchers aim to better prepare for climate risks
• BBC News, Europe's floods: Lessons from German tragedy (2021)
• NOAA, Climate.gov, Superstorm Sandy and Sea Level Rise
• Swain, ARkStorm 2.0: Climate change is increasing the risk of a California megaflood (2022)
• Scientific American, The Coming Megafloods (2013)
• Science, Climate change is increasing the risk of a California megaflood (2022)
• Smithsonian Magazine, Federal Flood Maps Are Outdated Because of Climate Change, FEMA Director Says (2022)
• The Washington Post, America underwater: Extreme floods expose the flaws in FEMA’s risk maps
• The Nature Conservancy, How Nature Can Help Reduce Flood Risks: Conservation is an economical way to avoid costly flood damages. In some areas the benefits are 5x the cost (2020)

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/recharging-aquifers-with-flood-waters-with-daniel-swain/

What are the problems with current beer production methods?

Beer is primarily composed of water—making up about 90 percent of its content. Annually, over 100 billion gallons of beer are produced and shipped, meaning nearly 90 billion gallons of water are being transported in the form of beer. This is significant because approximately 20 percent of a beer’s carbon footprint is attributed to transportation. In response, Sustainable Beverage Technologies (SBT) has proposed a new type of beer that can reduce transportation costs, material use, and overall emissions. 

A Sustainable Solution

SBT’s approach allows beer to travel through the supply chain as a concentrated liquid, reducing its water content to one-sixth that of conventional beer. In practical terms, one 13-pound bag of concentrated beer can yield the equivalent of 48 pints of fully hydrated beer. The condensed form of the beer significantly decreases the weight and physical size of the beer as it moves through the supply chain, which in turn reduces between 450 and 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions for every 48 pints produced. 

Additionally, the only packaging that is not recyclable is the bag of beer itself. All of the boxes used in transportation are recyclable, which significantly reduces the waste from beer production and transportation. Current partnerships allow SBT to ship this concentrated beer formula to various vendors, who then rehydrate the beer before selling it to consumers. SBT is actively working to expand these partnerships to further reduce emissions in the beer industry. 

Effect on Consumers

This new beer will have minimal effect on the end consumer and will mainly influence partners and suppliers. SBT’s beer requires rehydration at its final destination; SBT is developing specialized technology to facilitate this. This beer allows consumers to keep enjoying their drinks while knowing they are contributing to a sustainable solution. 

About Gary Tickle 

Gary Tickle serves as the CEO of Sustainable Beverage Technologies.Alongside his partner, the original founder, he leads a team of innovators focused on crafting sustainable solutions for the beer industry while maintaining the beer flavor and feel. 

For a transcript of this episode, please visit: https://climatebreak.org/raising-the-bar-brewing-a-greener-future-with-concentrated-beer-with-gary-tickle/

In 2018, nearly one-third of the 39 million tons of waste in California landfills was compostable organic material. Organic material – food and agricultural waste – releases methane, a very potent greenhouse gas, as it decomposes. As a result, California’s Short-Lived Pollutant Reduction law, SB-1383, targets such food waste by establishing methane reduction targets and takes aim at food insecurity in the state. The implementation of SB-1383 is vital in supporting California’s climate goals. Methane is produced when organics rot, and it is critical to reduce methane emissions levels as the gas is eighty-four times more potent than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over a 20 year period. When implemented, SB-1383 will reduce California’s methane emissions from organic materials in traditional landfills by an estimated twenty percent.

SB 1383 also supports California's commitments to improving human health, creating clean jobs, and supporting local economies. Some of SB-1383 targets include: expanding California’s organics infrastructure, ensuring all residents and businesses have access to recycling and organics collection services, a seventy-five percent reduction in organic waste disposal from 2014 levels, and that no less than twenty percent of currently disposed edible food is reserved for human consumption by 2025. The bill also requires jurisdictions to conduct outreach and education to all businesses, residents, solid waste facilities, and local food banks. 

Chris Seney is the Director of Organics Operations at Republic Services and has operated organic facilities for over twenty years in California. Seney helped lead the development of organics infrastructure and enactment of SB-1383 across the state. The implementation of SB-1383 has resulted in an increase in demand for composting facilities, which, in turn, has increased energy demand. Now, California has its first fully solar-powered compost facility,  Republic Services’ Otay Compost Facility in Chula Vista. The facility runs completely on renewable energy, processes one hundred tons of organic waste a day, and helps the San Diego region meet the demands of SB-1383. 

Compost also supports California’s climate goals as it promotes a “an economy that uses a systems-focused approach and involves industrial processes and economic activities that are restorative or regenerative by design.” A circular economy focuses on sustainability and  the lifecycle of materials, maximizing resources while minimizing waste. Compost is a critical part of a circular economy as the compost produced from recycled organics preserves natural resources, nutrients, and water that would otherwise be lost in landfills. Along with preserving resources, the composting initiatives in SB-1383 are expected to significantly support decarbonization goals. Whendee Silver, a UC Berkeley ecosystem ecologist, “has estimated that applying an inch of compost to just 5% of California’s rangelands would suck enough carbon out of the atmosphere to equal pulling 6 million cars off the road.” Composting may be the next climate crusade and SB-1383 is leading the nation in efforts reducing both food waste and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Sources: 

• SB 1383 Resources - CalRecycle Home Page
• Chris Seney - COMPOST2023 - USCC Conference Site (compostconference.com)
• SB 1383: Cal Recycles Organic Waste Recycling Requirement | City of Corona (coronaca.gov)
• Organic Materials Management and Climate Change - CalRecycle Home Page
• Understand Senate Bill (SB) 1383 - Recycling & Waste Reduction Division - County of Santa Clara (sccgov.org)
• Republic Services (RSG) Opens Solar-Powered Compost Facility | Markets Insider (businessinsider.com)
• https://www.scsengineers.com/californias-first-fully-solar-powered-compost-facility-shines-brightly-scs-engineers/
• https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-12-09/trash-compost-california-climate-change-law
• https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/what-circular-economy#:~:text=It%20is%20a%20change%20to,manufacture%20new%20materials%20and%20products.
• https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/speech/methane-action-tackling-warming-planet#:~:text=Methane%20in%20the%20atmosphere%20is,also%20delivering%20air%20quality%20benefits.

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/using-solar-energy-to-power-large-scale-compost-with-chris-seney/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/president-biden-has-signed-the-infrastructure-bill-what-will-happen-next/

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/corporate-climate-policy-advocacy-with-bill-wiehl/