Climate Change

Climate Change

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

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

Chart: Wind and solar overtook coal on the US grid in 2024

By Carrie Klein,

Canary Media

  • In 2024, the United States witnessed a significant milestone in its transition to renewable energy, with solar and wind power generating more electricity than coal for most of the year.
  • According to data from Ember, a think tank, solar and wind energy provided a record 17% of U.S. electricity from January to November, while coal contributed 15%.
  • This shift marks a substantial decline in coal’s share of electricity generation in the U.S., which accounted for 51% at the start of the 21st century and dropped to 16% by 2023.
  • Currently, 10 states in the U.S. generate half or more of their electricity supply from renewables, with Iowa and South Dakota leading the way due to their abundant wind power.
  • Notably, Texas saw solar power generate more electricity than coal for the first time in March, highlighting the growing importance of renewable energy in the state.
  • The decline of coal power is not limited to the U.S., as Europe has also seen a significant reduction in coal-generated electricity, with the European Union producing more electricity from solar and wind than from coal and gas combined in the first six months of the year.
  • The United Kingdom has completely phased out coal from its grid, having shuttered its last coal-fired power plant in September.
  • Globally, coal still remains the largest source of electricity generation, producing more than a third of electricity worldwide in 2023, but its share has fallen over the last decade.
  • Despite this progress, the world is still burning through more tons of coal than ever, with coal being used in various processes such as steelmaking.
  • In the U.S., five of the nation’s 10 largest coal plants have planned closure dates between 2028 and 2038, and experts expect another 8 gigawatts worth of coal plants to be shuttered by 2040, although this may not be soon enough to meet global climate goals.
By Abe Mazliach, ago

Three electric appliances, countless health benefits

Rewiring America

By switching our fossil fuel-powered home appliances to electric versions, we improve outdoor air quality, making our nation healthier. Rewiring America senior research associate Wael Kanj explains how switching to heat pump furnaces, water heaters, and clothes dryers can prevent thousands of premature deaths, hospital admissions, asthma attacks, and other adverse health impacts in our nation each year.

Explore the full report: https://www.rewiringamerica.org/research/home-electrification-health-benefits

By Abe Mazliach, ago

Calling all Californians: It’s Time to Electrify Your Home, Rebates are Here

Do you have an old gas furnace or gas water heater you have been thinking about replacing? Now is the time to re-think your options for air heating/cooling and water heating your home. It’s time to go electric! By upgrading our homes and buildings to electric and making them more energy efficient, we can save money and eliminate a major source of carbon and indoor air pollution. Did you know that households would save $1,800 per year on average by going fully electric, that burning fossil fuels indoor is a major source of health problems like childhood asthma and fossil fuel burning in buildings is a major source of climate pollution?

The Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law in August 2022 and tax incentives and rebates for California households are available now. You can get tax credits up to $2,000/year for heat pump space & water heaters and now rebates are available. The Inflation Reduction Act offers other incentives to electrify, such as, induction stoves, other electric appliances, rooftop solar, electric vehicles, etc.

If you want to replace your gas furnace, now, you can get rebates of up to $8,000 per unit (80% Area Median Income) or $4,000 per unit (80-150% Area Median Income) for a new Air (HVAC) Heat Pump. In addition, TECH Clean California will give you an additional $1,500 on top of the other rebate. If you want to replace your water heater, you can get a rebate of $1,100 per unit for a Heat Pump Water Heater.

What is a Heat Pump? HVAC Heat pumps use electricity to move heat from one place to another to cool & warm buildings, so are two appliances in one — they heat and cool your home! They are are 2–3x more efficient than most current fossil fuel heating systems. It’s easier to move heat around than to generate it. Heating and cooling are responsible for 60 percent of our home emissions — and a heat pump can reduce your heating-related fossil fuel use by 40 percent or more.

If you want to save money, stay healthy and help the environment, go to THE SWITCH IS ON, switchison.org to find your savings and qualified contractors. To learn more about the Inflation Reduction Act Residential Energy Rebate Programs, go to https://www.energy.ca.gov/.

 

By Abe Mazliach, ago

Climate change is costing the US $150 billion a year

By Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 

  • The United States experiences an extreme weather event that produces $1 billion worth of damage every three weeks, according to the latest US National Climate Assessment report, which is a significant increase from 40 years ago when such events occurred once every four months on average.
  • As of November 8, there have been 25 weather and climate disasters with losses exceeding $1 billion, exceeding last year’s count, and the total cost of extreme weather events is estimated to be $150 billion per year.
  • The $150 billion annual cost includes direct impacts such as infrastructure damage, worker injuries, and agricultural losses, and is expected to grow in the near term due to a projected rise in sea levels and temperatures.
  • Notable examples of extreme weather events include the devastating wildfires in Hawaii, which cost $5.6 billion, and hurricanes that can result in higher mortgage delinquency rates, lower home prices, and strain government budgets.
  • Research has shown that property damage from hurricanes can lead to higher mortgage delinquency rates, and flooding and rising sea levels can lower home prices and property values, as people relocate to areas less prone to flooding.
  • Hurricanes can also lead to substantially higher social safety net disbursements, including unemployment insurance and public medical payments, according to research by Tatyana Deryugina, a finance professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
  • The National Climate Assessment report’s estimate of the total annual cost of climate change in the United States does not take into account loss of life and health care-related costs.
  • To put the $150 billion annual cost into perspective, it is a significant amount that can be compared to various other large-scale expenditures and investments.
By Abe Mazliach, ago

total U.S. school-bus fleet has gone electric

San Francisco startup Zum is deploying electric school buses in Oakland, aiming to turn them into grid batteries that can help support the power grid. The company plans to electrify 10,000 school buses, which could significantly reduce harmful emissions and improve air quality. Electric buses can also charge during off-peak hours and provide power back to the grid during peak times, making them a valuable resource.

Author: Jeff St. John

URL: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-fleets/the-biggest-electric-school-bus-as-grid-battery-project-in-the-us-goes-live

When Ritu Narayan, CEO and co-founder of [Zum](http://www.ridezum.com/), looks at the 74 electric school buses and chargers her startup has deployed at a former industrial site in East Oakland, California, she sees a future where clean transportation and a clean and reliable grid come together.

“Today marks the next phase in our evolution,” Narayan said at an [event last week](https://www.ridezum.com/press-release/nations-first-all-electric-school-bus-fleet-oakland-ca/) marking the official launch of the country’s first all-electric school-bus fleet. By financing and installing thousands of electric school buses for the Oakland Unified School District, and tapping their spare battery capacity to support the power grid, the San Francisco–based, transportation-as-a-service startup plans to ​“become a fully fledged energy company,” she said.

The 74 electric buses in Zum’s Oakland fleet, which serve the district’s special-needs students, will ​“eliminate 25,000 tons of harmful emissions, improving air quality and health outcomes for students and families,” Narayan said. Swapping out the roughly 500,000 diesel school buses in the U.S. for electric buses could slash an estimated 8.4 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.

A [dream of EV enthusiasts for decades](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/ev-charging/evs-are-one-step-closer-to-becoming-roaming-grid-batteries), vehicle-to-grid charging is something for which electric school buses are [particularly well suited](https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/electric-school-bus-fleets-test-the-u.s-vehicle-to-grid-proposition). Unlike cargo trucks or city buses, they operate only a few hours per day while picking up and dropping off students. That leaves plenty of time for them to plug in and soak up off-peak electricity in the middle of the day — including the [surplus solar power that floods California’s grid](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/batteries/batteries-are-taking-on-gas-plants-to-power-californias-nights) when it’s sunny out — and discharge it in late afternoons and evenings, when California’s grid faces its most [severe imbalance of supply and demand](https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/grid-edge/californians-saved-the-grid-again-they-should-be-paid-more-for-it).

By Abe Mazliach, ago

What has the Inflation Reduction Act Accomplished for American Families on it’s Two Year Anniversary?

The Inflation Reduction Act became a law on 8/16/2022.

Here is what has been accomplished:

American families have claimed more than $6 billion in credits for residential clean energy investments on 2023 tax returns filed and processed through May 23, 2024. Over 3.4 million American families saved a total of $8.4 billion on clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades in 2023 due to tax credits.

  • Weatherization
    • Nearly 700,000 families claimed investments in insulation and air sealing
  • Residential solar
    • Residential solar electricity tax credits was claimed by over 750,000 families
    • Household installing residential solar have saved a median of $2,230 annually
  • Heat Pumps
    • Heat pump water heaters were claimed by over 100,000 families
    • Households that installed efficient heat pumps and improved building efficiency are expected to save up to $600, $1,200, or $3,100 per year, based on the type of heating and cooling system that was being replaced
  • Electric Vehicles
    • American consumers saved over $1 billion in upfront costs on over 150,000 clean vehicle purchases since January 1, 2024
    • The U.S. witnessed around 1.5 million clean vehicle sales in 2023, a 50% increase from 2022, marking the highest ever
  • Jobs
    • The IRA has incentivized the creation of higher-quality and higher-paid jobs in the clean energy sector
    • 334,000 and counting jobs created, with an economic value of $265 billion
Still waiting for clean energy rebates for most states
By Abe Mazliach, ago

Thank you, Joe

Here is a statement from Brett Walter, Founder & CEO, Climate Action Now:

Although it sometimes doesn’t feel that way, the last four years have seen unprecedented progress on climate. Millions of people worldwide worked tirelessly to achieve these gains, but the achievements of one person in particular stand out above all others: those of President Joe Biden.
Under Joe’s leadership, the U.S. government:

  • Rejoined the historic Paris Climate Agreement and reclaimed a measure of U.S. leadership on climate that had been forfeited under Trump.
  • Passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which allocated significant funding for climate-related projects, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure, public transit, and clean energy research and development.
  • Passed the historic Inflation Reduction Act, which unlocked hundreds of billions of public and private dollars to accelerate the energy transition, creating hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs.
  • Paused expansion of a catastrophic build-out of LNG infrastructure.
  • Passed historic regulations to reduce emissions in our transportation and energy sectors.
  • Protected 3.5 million acres of natural areas for future generations.
  • Tailored policies to address environmental justice and promote equity in climate.
    And so much more.

It has been an extraordinary record of achievement on climate.

On Sunday, July 21, President Biden made the ultimate sacrifice for any politician — he put aside his political ambitions for the sake of the nation.
We grieve the loss of Joe’s leadership after his current term, and we are immensely grateful to him for his vision, his perseverance, and his unwavering commitment to protecting our planet for future generations. His legacy as a great climate president will be remembered. We dedicate ourselves to protecting and building upon that legacy.

Although we have entered a new period of uncertainty, we believe the next few months will see a rebirth of hope and democratic energy. Trump’s strongest line of attack — Joe’s apparent infirmity — has vanished with a single Tweet. Big donors sitting on the sidelines will come flooding out onto the field. Young minds that were closed to Joe because of Gaza will reopen. Those who had decided against him because of his debate performance are back in play. And those climate warriors who have soldiered on under a cloud of dread will have their hearts lifted with new hope. The 2024 Democratic Convention will be the most watched and exciting event of the year and a testimony to the vitality of our democracy. We can’t wait to watch it unfold!

The only question that remains is whether Joe’s sacrifice and the newfound hope and energy will be sufficient to defeat a Republican Party that, until Sunday, was jubilant and confident of victory. Today, they are not so jubilant. And perhaps a bit less confident.

In the coming months, we will spend countless hours writing postcards and sending texts to disengaged environmental voters. We will dig so deep into our pockets that our arms will hurt. We will use the CAN app to send hundreds of thousands of messages to media organizations, business leaders, politicians, and others urging them to make climate an issue because this is the issue on which Trump is most vulnerable.

The good news is that this fight is winnable. Trump is a weak candidate. Most Americans do not share his values or goals and don’t want him to be president again. Our job is to ensure that he isn’t.

Action is the antidote to despair. Our actions have more power than we often realize—especially when we’re not acting alone. And now, more than ever, we are united.

So, let’s get to work!

By Abe Mazliach, ago