Abe Mazliach

I am passionate about Justice and Freedom for all people.

Is Taiwan’s “Recycling Miracle” too good to be true?

There are almost no public trash cans in Taipei. This is due to a “pay-as-you-throw” policy where citizens must buy specific bags for general waste, while recycling is free. This approach encourages waste sorting and reduces the volume sent to incinerators.

The law created an immediate financial incentive for every household to sort their waste rigorously. If you don’t recycle, you pay more. The nightly ritual of the “singing garbage trucks” enforces this policy. Playing Beethoven’s “Für Elise,” these yellow trucks summon residents to the street five nights a week to hand-deliver their sorted waste. It’s a community event that adds a layer of social pressure—nobody wants to be the neighbor caught throwing recyclables in the expensive trash bag.

Taiwan also built an economic engine fueled by Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). By imposing taxes on manufacturers, Taiwan established a stabilization fund that ensures recyclers remain profitable, irrespective of fluctuations in the global market.

“Pay-as-you-throw” hit the wallet and transformed the country from a polluted mess in the 90s to a global green leader today. It turns out, the best way to change human behavior isn’t just to ask nicely—it’s to put a price tag on waste.

Watch more about the psychology of “Pay-As-You-Throw” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YnYwWiSiuE

By Abe Mazliach, ago

Epstein suspected Trump was laundering money for a Russian oligarch

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON Sept. 7

Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo notes that journalist Michael Wolff, who interviewed Epstein at length during Trump’s first presidency, says that Epstein suspected it was Trump who told the authorities about his systemic sexual assault of girls. But if so, Marshall explains, such evidence is damning rather than exonerating.

It’s widely known that Trump and Epstein fell out in 2004 when Trump secretly purchased an estate in South Florida that Epstein desired. But at the time, Trump was headed toward bankruptcy, and it was not clear where he was getting the money to buy the estate.

Marshall calls attention to a recent interview in which Wolff said that Epstein suspected Trump was laundering money for a Russian oligarch—and indeed, Trump did flip the property to a Russian oligarch for a profit of more than $50 million a few years after buying it—and threatened to sue Trump, bringing the money laundering to light. At that point, the Epstein investigation began.

By Abe Mazliach, ago

Heat pumps can help clean up factories—and save lives

Canary Media Article Author: Alison F. Takemura – Published: 2025-08-15

Industrial heat pumps have the potential to revolutionize public health and climate action. A new study highlighted in Canary Media shows that replacing fossil-fuel-burning boilers in U.S. factories with electric heat pumps could save $1.1 trillion in health costs and prevent over 77,000 pollution-related deaths by 2050. While heat pumps currently supply just 5% of industrial heat, scaling up adoption would also cut 1.6 billion metric tons of CO₂ emissions. It’s a win-win for cleaner air and a safer climate.

Industrial heat is responsible for 9% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Electrifying this sector with heat pumps is a major opportunity for climate and public health gains.

Industrial boilers burning fossil fuels are major sources of air pollution and greenhouse gases, contributing to asthma, heart attacks, and premature deaths.

The American Lung Association study estimates that transitioning 33,500 low- and medium-temperature boilers (<200°C) to electric heat pumps could:

  • Save $1.1 trillion in public health costs
  • Prevent 77,200 deaths, 33 million asthma attacks, 204,000 new asthma cases, 13 million lost school days, and 3.4 million lost work days (2030–2050)
  • Cut 1.6 billion metric tons of CO₂ emissions by 2050 (worth $351 billion in avoided climate costs)

Policy recommendations: Incentives for manufacturers, education campaigns, and regulations to require nonpolluting equipment. California is leading with a phased ban on combustion boilers starting in 2026.

By Abe Mazliach, ago

Rising climate anxiety is reshaping the mental health of young people

The Daily Climate, by EHN Curators

As climate disasters increase, young people worldwide are reporting unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and fear about the planet’s future. Jeffrey Kluger reports for TIME. In short: One study shows that nearly 60% of young people globally feel very or extremely worried about climate change, with many reporting impacts on daily functioning.

Climate-related disasters correlate with long-term mental distress, particularly among teens who have experienced repeated severe weather events.Young people often feel ignored when discussing climate fears and are calling for adults to engage more openly and take responsibility. Key quote:“It’s the people who have contributed the least to the problem who are facing the challenge of dealing with the consequences.”— Emma Lawrance, Climate Care Center lead at Imperial College London and study co-author.

Why this matters: Climate change is a growing public health crisis, especially for the young. The developing brains of children and adolescents are especially vulnerable to psychological distress, and the overwhelming exposure to climate-related disasters, dire predictions, and perceived adult inaction amplifies feelings of fear, helplessness, and anger. This distress can have long-term effects on mental health, academic performance, and social development. Researchers are documenting a surge in depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms tied directly to climate fears, with some young people reconsidering life choices such as having children. Lower-income and marginalized communities, often hardest hit by climate disasters, face additional mental health burdens due to fewer resources and support systems.

By Abe Mazliach, ago

IRA Cuts Would Sacrifice $1 Trillion of Economic Growth

The article discusses a proposed budget bill by House Republicans that could significantly harm the clean energy sector in the United States. If this bill passes, it would make it much harder for companies to access tax credits that support clean energy projects, like solar and wind power.

Research shows that these changes could lead to a loss of over $1 trillion in economic growth over the next ten years. This would also mean that by 2030, American households could pay an extra $120 each year for energy costs, with that amount rising to over $230 by 2035. Additionally, the bill could result in the loss of more than 700,000 jobs in the clean energy sector by 2035.

The proposed changes include ending tax credits for clean technologies earlier than planned and making it more difficult for companies to qualify for these credits. This would likely lead to fewer clean energy projects being built and higher energy prices for consumers. The article highlights that even though the bill aims to lower costs for oil and gas, demand-driven price increases would likely outweigh any benefits.

There is also concern from various groups and some Senate Republicans about the potential negative impacts of the bill, especially regarding jobs and energy costs. Overall, the article warns that this budget bill could have serious consequences for the clean energy industry and the economy.

Heatmap News

by Emily Pontecorvo

By Abe Mazliach, ago

Sir David Attenborough Ocean Film ‘Greatest Message He’s Told’

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0wjxg0ex1o?ref=thewild.news

Sir David Attenborough is launching what he says is one of the most important films of his career as he enters his hundredth year.highlight-noteshighlight-tags

He believes his new, cinema-length film Ocean could play a decisive role in saving biodiversity and protecting the planet from climate change.highlight-noteshighlight-tags

Sir David, who will be 99 on Thursday, says: “After almost 100 years on the planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.”highlight-noteshighlight-tags

The ocean is the planet’s support system and humanity’s greatest ally against climate catastrophe, the film argues. It shows how the world’s oceans are at a crossroads.highlight-noteshighlight-tags

The film documents how the state of the world’s oceans and our understanding of how they function have changed in the course of Sir David’s lifetime.highlight-noteshighlight-tags

Ocean contains some of the most graphic footage of the damage that bottom trawling – a common fishing practice around the world – can do to the seabed. It is a vivid example of how industrial fishing can drain the life from the world’s oceans, Sir David claims.highlight-noteshighlight-tags

The new footage shows how the chain that the trawlers drag behind them scours the seafloor, forcing the creatures it disturbs into the net behind. They are often seeking a single species: more than three-quarters of what they catch may be discarded.highlight-noteshighlight-tags

Sir David says the state of the ocean has almost made him lose hope for the future of life on the planet. What has kept him from despair is what he calls the “most remarkable discovery of all” – that the ocean can “recover faster than we had ever imagined”.highlight-noteshighlight-tags

Sir David’s key message in the Ocean film is that all is not lost. Countries have promised to protect a third of the world’s oceans. He hopes his new film will spur leaders to take firm action on this promise at a UN conference next month.highlight-noteshighlight-tags

A healthier ocean ecosystem would also be able to trap more carbon dioxide, helping protect the world from climate change, according to scientists.

By Abe Mazliach, ago

Let’s fire all the lawyers

  • The recent firing of three senior military lawyers, Army Lt. Gen. Joseph B. Berger III, United States Air Force | Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles L. Plummer | Charles Plummer, and Navy Rear Adm. Lia M. Reynolds, by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has sent an ominous message to the entire country, suggesting that the Secretary is uninterested in legal niceties and willing to remove anyone who might stand in his way.
  • The Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces | Judge Advocate General (JAG) of each service branch plays a crucial role in upholding the rule of law in the military, providing independent legal advice to commanders, prosecuting war crimes, and representing unpopular defendants in military trials, as seen in the case of Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift | Charlie Swift, who challenged the military commissions set up by the George W. Bush administration.
  • Military lawyers have a long history of standing up for the rule of law, including during the Bush administration’s attempts to set up a system of military commissions to try non-citizen enemy combatants, and have been instrumental in enforcing statutory prohibitions on mistreating detainees, with internal critics like then-Air Force TJAG Lt. Gen. Jack L. Rives | Jack Rives speaking out against abuses.
  • The independence of JAG lawyers is codified in statute, with United States Congress | Congress providing that no officer or employee of the United States Department of Defense | Department of Defense may interfere with the ability of the Judge Advocate General to give independent legal advice, and Hegseth’s firing of the TJAGs may violate the spirit of this statute, even if it does not violate the letter.
  • The firing of the TJAGs has significant implications, particularly given the military’s increasing role in domestic operations, such as along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the potential use of the Insurrection Act of 1807 | Insurrection Act to call out troops for domestic law enforcement operations, which highlights the need for independent legal advice in the military to prevent excesses and ensure that the rule of law is upheld.
  • The author, Stephen Vladeck, argues that the fate of the three senior military lawyers is not a minor issue, but rather a critical one that could have far-reaching consequences for the rule of law and the military’s role in society, and that the need for independent legal advice in the military may soon take on critically important proportions, both within the ranks and outside them. “Concerns Rise Over Secretary of Defense’s Dismissal of Military Legal Leaders”1. Dismissal of Senior Military Lawyers:- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fired key military legal leaders, including the Judge Advocates General (TJAG) of the Army, Air Force, and Navy.- This move suggests a disregard for legal protocols and raises alarms about the influence on military justice.2. Military Lawyers’ Role in Justice:- Military lawyers have historically defended the rule of law, notably challenging unlawful military commissions during the War on Terror.- They play crucial roles in representing defendants, prosecuting war crimes, and ensuring legal compliance in military operations.3. Independence of Legal Advisors:- Congress codified the independence of TJAGs in 2004 to protect their ability to provide unbiased legal advice to military leaders.- Firing TJAGs undermines this independence and sends troubling messages to junior JAG officers about legal support.4. Potential Implications of Dismissals:- The military’s growing role in domestic issues emphasizes the need for independent legal advice in future operations.- The dismissals could hinder the military’s capacity to resist unlawful actions from senior leadership.5. Historical Context of Legal Representation:- The quote from Shakespeare highlights the dangers of undermining legal authority as a precursor to eroding the rule of law.- The firings of military lawyers might reflect an intent to weaken legal challenges within the military.
By Abe Mazliach, ago

Assault on our Constitution

Heather Cox Richardson

Senator Angus King (I-ME) took his Republican colleagues to task February 6, 2025 for their willingness to overlook the Trump administration’s attack on the U.S. Constitution.

“[W]e’re experiencing in real time exactly what the framers most feared. When you clear away the smoke, clear away the DOGE, the executive orders, foreign policy pronouncements, more fundamentally what’s happening is the shredding of the constitutional structure itself. And we have a profound responsibility…to stop it.”

“[T]he reason the framers designed our Constitution the way they did was that they were afraid of concentrated power,” King said. “They had just fought a brutal eight-year war with a king. They didn’t want a king. They wanted a constitutional republic, where power was divided between the Congress and the president and the courts, and we are collapsing that structure,” King said. “[T]he people cheering this on I fear, in a reasonably short period of time, are going to say where did this go? How did this happen? How did we make our president into a monarch? How did this happen? How it happened,” he said to his Senate colleagues, “is we gave it up! James Madison thought we would fight for our power, but no. Right now we’re just sitting back and watching it happen.”

“This is the most serious assault on our Constitution in the history of this country,” King said. “It’s the most serious assault on the very structure of our Constitution, which is designed to protect our freedoms and liberty, in the history of this country. It is a constitutional crisis…. Many of my friends in this body say it will be hard, we don’t want to buck the President; we’ll let the courts take care of it…. [T]hat’s a copout. It’s our responsibility to protect the Constitution. That’s what we swear to when we enter this body.”

 

“What’s it going to take for us to wake up…I mean this entire body, to wake up to what’s going on here? Is it going to be too late? Is it going to be when the President has secreted all this power and the Congress is an afterthought? What’s it going to take?”

By Abe Mazliach, ago

Why I’m optimistic about cleantech over the next four years

Guest Author
Vic Shao
Canary Media

Optimism and the Golden Era of Cleantech (2024-2028)

  • Despite the current doom and gloom in the cleantech industry, the author is optimistic about its future over the next four years, citing the potential for a golden era in renewable energy and clean transportation deployments.
  • The author believes that the combination of renewables and storage solutions will dominate energy economics, with lithium-ion battery prices continuing to fall due to manufacturing expansion and technological innovation.
  • By the end of the decade, renewable energy combined with storage solutions will offer the lowest cost of energy for most hours of the day, surpassing fossil fuels on economic competitiveness and transforming energy markets.
  • However, dispatchable sources like virtual power plants and biogas will still be essential for delivering consistent energy, especially at night or on days with low solar or wind output.

Key Technologies and Market Drivers

  • Virtual power plants aggregate decentralized energy generators and loads to dial down grid loading in real time, while biogas offers a carbon-negative, dispatchable energy source that can be ramped up quickly when needed.
  • Geothermal energy is also gaining traction, with recent advances in drilling and heat-extraction technologies making it reliable and cost-competitive, providing a consistent baseload power supply regardless of weather conditions.
  • Electric vehicle adoption is accelerating, with passenger EVs reaching cost parity with internal-combustion-engine vehicles and commercial trucks next in line to electrify, driven by advances in battery technology and increased manufacturing.
  • Lower interest rates will reduce the cost of capital, unlocking investments in clean energy infrastructure and enabling more projects to move forward, accelerate timelines, and ensure economic viability.
  • The private sector is driving these transformative trends, with entrepreneurs, investors, and corporations aligning around the economic opportunities presented by clean energy and transportation, and scaling these technologies quickly and efficiently without relying on grants and subsidies.

Shifting Focus from R&D to Deployment

  • The author, Vic Shao, a 3x cleantech entrepreneur, believes that the next four years will be transformative for the cleantech industry, with a shift in focus from research and development to deployment of proven technologies.
  • The success of these technologies will now depend on economic efficiency rather than government intervention, with the profit motive driving the transition to scale.
  • While government subsidies were crucial in the past, they often created market distortions, and the private sector performs best when allowed to compete on a level playing field.

The Role of the Private Sector and Policymakers

  • The convergence of cost-competitive technologies, rising demand, and favorable market conditions is creating a once-in-a-generation opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors in cleantech.
  • Policymakers should pivot from funding innovation to creating stable regulatory environments that facilitate deployment, while industry leaders must prioritize execution, scaling proven solutions, and delivering measurable impact.

Overcoming Challenges and Seizing Opportunities

  • Despite challenges such as supply-chain constraints, workforce shortages, and geopolitical uncertainties, the author believes that the opportunities far outweigh the obstacles.
  • The cleantech industry is entering a golden era in which economics, innovation, and environmental urgency align, and the clean energy transition is happening now.
  • The author is optimistic about the future and encourages others to seize the moment, with limitless possibilities for those ready to invest and take action.

Personal Action and Call to Further Action

  • The author is taking personal action by investing in household renewable energy production and storage, and securing energy supply and price, and believes that many others will do the same to solidify gains and push for broader relevance.
  • The profit motive is driving the renewable energy project considerations, and the author emphasizes the importance of not giving up and instead moving faster to achieve progress.

By Abe Mazliach, ago

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Over $735M in Selections for Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles as Part of Investing in America Agenda | US EPA

Program Overview and Funding

  • The Biden-Harris Administration has announced the selection of 70 applicants to receive over $735 million in funding for the purchase of over 2,400 zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles, as well as infrastructure and workforce development projects.
  • The funding is part of the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program, created by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to replace existing internal combustion engine heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles and support the build-out of clean vehicle infrastructure.
  • The selected projects will reduce harmful emissions from heavy-duty vehicles, support good-paying jobs, and improve air quality in communities across the country, particularly in those that have been overburdened by air pollution.
  • The program will accelerate the adoption and deployment of eligible Class 6 and 7 zero-emission vehicles, including battery-electric box trucks, cargo trucks, emergency vehicles, and other vocational vehicles, as well as a small number of hydrogen fuel cell transit buses.
  • The funding will also support the development of zero-emission vehicle fueling infrastructure, such as electric vehicle charging stations, and workforce development and training.
  • The selected applicants are from 27 states, three Tribal Nations, and one territory, and will help to reduce pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, which is associated with respiratory and cardiovascular disease, among other serious health problems.
  • EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan stated that the program will “slash air pollution and enhance the country’s infrastructure for cleaner transportation solutions, creating good-paying jobs along the way.”
  • Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, John Podesta, emphasized the importance of reducing pollution from heavy-duty transportation to tackle the climate crisis.
  • White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi highlighted the Administration’s sector-wide approach to decarbonizing transportation, which is delivering economic, social, and environmental benefits to communities across the country.

Funding Allocation and Impact

  • The Biden-Harris Administration has announced over $735 million in selections for the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program, supporting the implementation of the National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization and the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy.
  • Approximately 70% of the selected projects will support the purchase of clean school buses, providing clean air for children and complementing EPA’s Clean School Bus program, which has awarded nearly $3 billion for nearly 9,000 clean school buses to date.
  • The Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, aiming to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities, and prioritizes communities facing air quality challenges.

Project Implementation and Workforce Development

  • Funding may also be used to support zero-emission vehicle adoption and deployment by providing zero-emission vehicle refueling infrastructure, workforce development and training, and project implementation costs.
  • The EPA will work with selected applicants to finalize awards, anticipated to be completed in early 2025, and project implementation will occur over the next two to three years depending on the scope of each project.
  • The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has been selected to receive $190,000 to replace its laundry truck with an all-electric alternative, utilizing existing charging infrastructure and planning for new infrastructure installation.

Future Workforce Development Initiatives

  • The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Labor plan to launch a separate grant program in early 2025 focused on strengthening the workforce development ecosystem.
  • The primary goal of this grant program is to develop curricula that prepare workers to maintain and repair Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs).

Additional Information and Contact

  • For additional information and updates on the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program, applicants can visit the program’s webpage.
  • Applicants with questions can also reach out to the EPA via email at cleanhdvehicles@epa.gov for further assistance.
  • The EPA is currently working with tentatively selected applicants to finalize awards and implement their projects as part of the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program.
By Abe Mazliach, ago