All Blog Posts (52)

Among the skepticism that has abounded regarding the United States' climate and clean energy leadership, there are some remarkable glimmers of hope of late that are worth not only acknowledging but giving our energizing attention to - as follows:

(1) The Federal Government and US Auto industry have established outstanding fuel efficiency standards over the coming decade(s) that will lead the world and effectively double our fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. “This is truly…

The Students for a Sustainable Future (SSF) and the Climate Change Leadership Institute (CCLI) are together leading a 2012 direct action project called LIFT THE FOG which stands for Launching Integrity and Facing Truth in Fracking for Oil & Gas. It is vital that we the people hold the oil and gas industry accountable for practicing sustainable development in the extraction of these fossil fuels and likewise we must call on our elected officials to regulate fracking to comply with the…

What: Come speak at the Environment Improvement Board Hearing for 3 minutes on why New Mexico should not repeal the cap on greenhouse gas emissions for the largest power plants 

When: Tuesday and Wednesday (tonight and tomorrow), December 6th & 7th, 2011 at 6:30 pm

Where: PERA Building,1120 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, Apodaca Hall

All of our voices are needed to show how much we the people care about this matter. 

The Climate…

Bill McKibben spoke eloquently at the Lensic last night about the grim realities of human induced climate change playing out harmfully all over the world including in the form of extreme droughts in the Southwest; but he also spoke of the real hope (spurred on by groups like his own called http://www.350.org/) when people bear…

Come out for the Climate Ride (see event details and links below).

It's a beautiful fall day, perfect for biking and supporting a great cause.

Come to the Tesuque Village Market later this morning.

Bike rides depart at 10am (for the 60 miler), 11am (for the 40) and Noon (for the 20 and Chidlren's guided loop)and the after ride luncheon starts at 2pm.

Join us!…

The Climate Change Leadership Institute (CCLI) participated in the American Renewable Energy Day (AREDAY) conference in Colorado this past weekend with many clean energy leaders from civil society (including Ted Turner, General Wesley Clark and T. Boone Pickens), the non-profit sector (including the National Wildlife Federation, Center for Public Integrity) and business sector (including GE Water & Power and Shell WindEnergy) along with the all important active citizenry as well as media…

The state of the economy is grim. The DOW has plummeted, the US credit rating has been downgraded (because of political ineptitude and inability to address our long term structural deficits), fears have heightened of slipping back into recession and, most concerning of all, the unemployment rate remains unacceptably high and may be climbing. These are very tough times for a vast majority of Americans (not to mention people the world over), and we all should be humble and offer foremost…

The most recent and successful US covert operation against the terrorist mastermind is justice. President Obama, who made this his number one CIA priority and who made the call with all the risks involved, deserves the most credit along with all the military, spies and Navy seals who carried it out: these service members deserve our abiding gratitude. Also CIA Director Leon Panetta and Defense Secretary Gates along with the whole national security team (who kept…

Giving up all hope in the System to get better, time to invest in life, love, and compassion. Hope is created in action, it does not produce itself. 

Action Today: Give a presentation to my Global Issues class on the Food Industry and GMOs. Spreading the Word :) 

The Future of International Climate Agreements

The Kyoto Protocol has failed. The stated objective of the Protocol is the “stabilization of greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system,” yet worldwide emissions increased by almost 40% from 1990-2009.[1] Although the commitment period does not end…

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/fugitive-methane-stirs-debate-on-natural-gas/

Our House of Representatives and our US Senate just tried and failed to pass legislation to bring down our Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and with it the protection of our clean air, clean water, safe soil and hospitable climate: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-epa-20110407,0,3087158.story. These are the basic foundations of life itself. Without them it…

Here we are in the middle of what is, in all probability, the most threatening event in the history of the human race. It is usually called global warming or climate change but these are mere euphemisms. A more accurate name could be the “polluting and scorching of the entire planet making it uninhabitable for the human race.”

But if it’s really that bad why aren’t we doing anything about it, and why are there still so many skeptics? There are many of reasons for the…

Our hearts go out to the Japanese people as they deal with the nuclear crisis and the aftermath of their most devastating earthquake and tsunami. We offer our support and affection as they nobly begin the long process of rebuilding their country.

It's clear that this very sad and unfortunate nuclear crisis will deeply affect the nuclear industry as far as safety perceptions and permitting of new projects go. And while it is also clear that nuclear offers the world a major way forward…

Beaches, music festivals, road trips, and old friends. Yep, Spring Break is here. But that doesn’t mean that we should take a break from being sustainable. Here are a few tips to help you and the environment:

1) Carpool - This is an easy one but, unfortunately, one that isn’t done often enough. I’m headed out to Cali this week. 8 days. 12 people. And only 1 car.

2) Conserve - Figures show that when we’re on vacation many of us use much more water and…

Our economic recovery is in serious jeopardy because of our dependency on foreign oil coming to the forefront now from the high price of crude oil with the turmoil in the Middle East. Even Saudia Arabia, and its immediate neighbors, are not immune to major changes from within which could lead to brutal retaliation from the top and then who knows what will ensue. We at CCLI applaud…

On December 19^th, 2009, Tim DeChristopher, a graduate student, posed as a bidder in a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) auction to sell over…

While natural gas could serve as an interim energy source that could among other things help in our vehicle fleet as we transition away from the dirtier C02 emitting fossil fuels of oil & coal and while it can also help provide us energy independence, the natural gas industry must come clean with the American public.  President Obama's inclusion of natural gas as a "clean energy" in his State of the Union is untrue and inappapropriate because the industry is concealing the truth and…

We're scorching our planet. I heard it, I believe it, and I'm trying to stop it. But I can't help but feel alone in my battle for the future of our home. But why does it seem like no one else is trying to stop this obvious and eminent disaster?

The disbelieving

There is a significant percentage of Americans that don't believe in anthropogenic (human caused) global warming, anywhere from 25-35% depending on the poll. Actually, it took me a while to believe in climate…