Robb Hirsch's Blog (23)

The business community, civil society, indeed people all around the world are waking up to - and speaking out about - the fact that if we sincerely care to address human induced climate change we no longer can externalize the cost of our greenhouse gas emissions but rather we must put an escalating price on the carbon dioxide and methane pollution that pervades our economy. See the article below on the host of responsible voices including business leaders that are pressing for progress on…

President Obama stepped up yesterday June 25, 2013 and delivered a speech on human induced climate change that is worthy of commendation and worth a read (check it out at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-25/-we-need-to-act-transcript-of-obama-s-climate-change-speech.html). His statement at Georgetown University was not just words or empty promises. He…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

The Climate Change Leadership Institute (CCLI) invites you to Cool the Climate at www.takeresponsibility.us.

As the politics of global warming heats up, as fossil fuel interests fight to keep a stranglehold on our economy, we the people must stay cool-headed & focused on the facts regarding human-induced climate change. Fear will govern us to be divided and in denial about this…

Clean energy was the major focus of innovation leadership that President Obama called for in the State of the Union address -- see more details in the Daily Energy Report and Climate Solutions: http://www.dailyenergyreport.com/2011/01/obama-state-of-union-address-80-clean-power-by-2035/  ;  …

In 2010, our nation regrettably did not enact meaningful climate legislation, we did not institute a price for emitting carbon dioxide, nor did we enact a national renewable energy~electricity standard -- all of which are critical to our future success and sustainability. But the United States did make some incremental progress which is worth noting, protecting and building on in 2011.

Vital tax incentives were extended for renewable energy development (see the NYTimes story…

On Wednesday Eco Flight (http://www.ecoflight.info/) which gives politicians, business leaders and students an eagle eye perspective of the polluting and non-poluting energy projects around the country, Bill Brown a Taos based renewable energy expert with the Climate Project (http://www.theclimateprojectus.org/ourpresenters.php?id=61) and CCLI (…