Seriously, it’s amazing that Trump even continues to talk at these things when he is so far away from having an idea of things it’s not funny.
Sitting here in NZ watching the recovery from yet another extreme weather event and thinking of the poor people who have been hit so hard.
The rain that fell in many places hit already wet ground. These “preconditioned compound events”, where existing conditions amplify impacts, can have massive consequences for humans and ecosystems as we’re already seeing play out. We’ve seen many such events here in recent years unfortunately.
Bravo! Thanks for your example. Please write about it. I have not owned a car for over 10 years and find it very freeing from expense and insurance. Car shares for computers and support for small vehicle neighborhood transport going to transport hubs may be part of the answer. schools up to 1 mile from our students allow children to walk to school in groups. Thanks to all who make these changes part of your community.
I'm not Amish, but must respect their commitment to living with awareness of the impact of your choices. Radical thinking. For the last 40 years I have used a hand pump for drawing the water I use. I have never had any particular problems with this simple change, which never meant I couldn't have a washing machine or use a hose to wash my car. It never took more than 15 minutes a day, and it's good daily exercise. No one ever believes it. According to a report in the Guardian 75 % of the countries in the world have unsustainable water use. Also, water weighs about 8 lbs. per gallon, so moving it with electricity is a significant energy use. Just another existential threat we are blind to.
The growth of irrationality in the U.S. is sad and disturbing and a big part of the muck we're in. Read a post today in Bulwark about an influencer with 760,000 followers on You Tube who says that “sovereign citizens” should never report their childrens’ births to the government and that you should only wear sunglasses indoors. Stats show about 50% of Americans say their main news source is either influencers or social media.
Thank you for your in detail insights bill, I am an Indian and I appreciate your somewhat optimistic view on the future of India in natural sources but things are not so easy here, the Modi govt. Just wants to rely on the coal as much as they can, they just don't want to deal with the problems it will cause and also the aftermath drought and barren land with low organic content which leaves as the country having no means to feed the 1.6 billion population and the water level is so down that there will be crisis in water needs, it is going to be famine like situation and it is getting worse and worse day by day. So things need to change fast and big way 🙏
Just expressing gratitude Bill for giving us reasons to hope that we may find a way to save the world. I'm a Vermonter living in the UK who originally comes from Minneapolis and boy do we need hope and faith right now that the shortsighted people running the government and those who support them will in the end see the light. Your posts are both factual and inspiring. Just switched from free to paid subscriber. Best £5 I'll spend this month!
You've summed up the state of affairs in India perfectly. It's messy amalgam of Hindutva populism and development (possibly at all costs), and I maintain that Trump has followed Modi in tactics step-by-step for the past decade...except when it comes to embracing green energy! If anyone wants to get a sense of what big solar looks like on the ground in India, check out my New Yorker piece from a few years ago: https://www.newyorker.com/news/dept-of-energy/indias-quest-to-build-the-worlds-largest-solar-farms.
PV arrays work exceedingly well as shade & uv protection for structures .... while producing current .... "farms" should be last resort and defer to decentralized residential/business rooftops, irrigation canal shade & remote services that use small scale emergency neighborhood battery storage. longterm, the main grid can be computer adapted to instantly distribute power among regions, an entire county or even the word someday🙏🎸 with added geo/thermal plants
though initially more expensive, solar/thermal power plants simply use building materials that r readily availability for mirrors etc.
(recycling the rare earths for PVs is a concern -conflict minerals)
While bicycling through Amish communities in Holmes County Ohio and Muskegon County Michigan we frequently encountered Amish residence riding eBikes and homes with solar panels.
My daughter had solar panels installed by an Amish contractor near Mecosta, Michigan, they just needed to provide transportation to the worksite.
Thank you, Bill. that IS good news. It's every day difficult for me to see trees dying all around me, while living in my favorite place that has become a fire hazard zone. We have such a wonderful planet. I am grateful for all the work you have done to help me understand.
Thanks for this much needed break for encouraging news. Washes the noxious smell of dt and stupidity out of the air much like the way that solar panels remove the noxious smell of diesel.
Great to see some encouraging news! Indeed, we may survive (though Trump's "leadership" will surely keep it a struggle -- if there is a death-devil, he is certainly on its side.)
Thanks for the comments about the Ahmish view of technology and whether or not it impacts land and community, which I am sure includes wildlife. We can all use such standards, especially before we make our next order from Amazon or consider wether we really want an Urban Assault Vehicle for our next car. What ICE drives should not be our criteria for transport. What China drives? Maybe.
I love that in so much of the world, indeed in its most populous sectors, progress is being made. We in the U.S. sometimes lament thinking the power of our government and big business can thwart any forward progress in the world. Not so. The world outside U.S. borders has far more people than those darkened under its dictator and if we don't wise up quickly, we will be passed by and end up begging on the streets of Calcutta and Lagos.
Thank you Mr. McKibben, for this unusually (especially from you) upbeat report.
While the world's politics has gone bonkers from Venezuela to Greenland, the energy sector is showing glimmers of sanity and hope.
Seriously, it’s amazing that Trump even continues to talk at these things when he is so far away from having an idea of things it’s not funny.
Sitting here in NZ watching the recovery from yet another extreme weather event and thinking of the poor people who have been hit so hard.
The rain that fell in many places hit already wet ground. These “preconditioned compound events”, where existing conditions amplify impacts, can have massive consequences for humans and ecosystems as we’re already seeing play out. We’ve seen many such events here in recent years unfortunately.
What kind of transportation do you use, Jonathan? Are you ready to carpool within your neighborhood?
I bike
Bravo! Thanks for your example. Please write about it. I have not owned a car for over 10 years and find it very freeing from expense and insurance. Car shares for computers and support for small vehicle neighborhood transport going to transport hubs may be part of the answer. schools up to 1 mile from our students allow children to walk to school in groups. Thanks to all who make these changes part of your community.
We do have one car for our family -- we'd struggle to not have one right now, but I bike 20km a day to and from work or take the bus occasionally.
Bravo! Thanks for your example for change. Write about it.
I'm not Amish, but must respect their commitment to living with awareness of the impact of your choices. Radical thinking. For the last 40 years I have used a hand pump for drawing the water I use. I have never had any particular problems with this simple change, which never meant I couldn't have a washing machine or use a hose to wash my car. It never took more than 15 minutes a day, and it's good daily exercise. No one ever believes it. According to a report in the Guardian 75 % of the countries in the world have unsustainable water use. Also, water weighs about 8 lbs. per gallon, so moving it with electricity is a significant energy use. Just another existential threat we are blind to.
The growth of irrationality in the U.S. is sad and disturbing and a big part of the muck we're in. Read a post today in Bulwark about an influencer with 760,000 followers on You Tube who says that “sovereign citizens” should never report their childrens’ births to the government and that you should only wear sunglasses indoors. Stats show about 50% of Americans say their main news source is either influencers or social media.
Thank you for your in detail insights bill, I am an Indian and I appreciate your somewhat optimistic view on the future of India in natural sources but things are not so easy here, the Modi govt. Just wants to rely on the coal as much as they can, they just don't want to deal with the problems it will cause and also the aftermath drought and barren land with low organic content which leaves as the country having no means to feed the 1.6 billion population and the water level is so down that there will be crisis in water needs, it is going to be famine like situation and it is getting worse and worse day by day. So things need to change fast and big way 🙏
Just expressing gratitude Bill for giving us reasons to hope that we may find a way to save the world. I'm a Vermonter living in the UK who originally comes from Minneapolis and boy do we need hope and faith right now that the shortsighted people running the government and those who support them will in the end see the light. Your posts are both factual and inspiring. Just switched from free to paid subscriber. Best £5 I'll spend this month!
You've summed up the state of affairs in India perfectly. It's messy amalgam of Hindutva populism and development (possibly at all costs), and I maintain that Trump has followed Modi in tactics step-by-step for the past decade...except when it comes to embracing green energy! If anyone wants to get a sense of what big solar looks like on the ground in India, check out my New Yorker piece from a few years ago: https://www.newyorker.com/news/dept-of-energy/indias-quest-to-build-the-worlds-largest-solar-farms.
great work 🎸❤️🌵
PV arrays work exceedingly well as shade & uv protection for structures .... while producing current .... "farms" should be last resort and defer to decentralized residential/business rooftops, irrigation canal shade & remote services that use small scale emergency neighborhood battery storage. longterm, the main grid can be computer adapted to instantly distribute power among regions, an entire county or even the word someday🙏🎸 with added geo/thermal plants
though initially more expensive, solar/thermal power plants simply use building materials that r readily availability for mirrors etc.
(recycling the rare earths for PVs is a concern -conflict minerals)
While bicycling through Amish communities in Holmes County Ohio and Muskegon County Michigan we frequently encountered Amish residence riding eBikes and homes with solar panels.
My daughter had solar panels installed by an Amish contractor near Mecosta, Michigan, they just needed to provide transportation to the worksite.
Searching online I found these interesting links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBVnSFRLqi4
https://www.reddit.com/r/homestead/comments/zla095/6_offthegrid_secrets_of_the_amish_find_an_amish/
Although it has a certain frisson when using it, Trump isn’t descending into madness but rather into dementia.
Thank you, Bill. that IS good news. It's every day difficult for me to see trees dying all around me, while living in my favorite place that has become a fire hazard zone. We have such a wonderful planet. I am grateful for all the work you have done to help me understand.
Thanks for this much needed break for encouraging news. Washes the noxious smell of dt and stupidity out of the air much like the way that solar panels remove the noxious smell of diesel.
Great to see some encouraging news! Indeed, we may survive (though Trump's "leadership" will surely keep it a struggle -- if there is a death-devil, he is certainly on its side.)
Fingers crossed that if the Donut CEO is NOT fantasizing or lying, the company is not bought and erased by a filthy fuel company.
Thanks for the comments about the Ahmish view of technology and whether or not it impacts land and community, which I am sure includes wildlife. We can all use such standards, especially before we make our next order from Amazon or consider wether we really want an Urban Assault Vehicle for our next car. What ICE drives should not be our criteria for transport. What China drives? Maybe.
I love that in so much of the world, indeed in its most populous sectors, progress is being made. We in the U.S. sometimes lament thinking the power of our government and big business can thwart any forward progress in the world. Not so. The world outside U.S. borders has far more people than those darkened under its dictator and if we don't wise up quickly, we will be passed by and end up begging on the streets of Calcutta and Lagos.