The Climate Minute

In the second of our series about the nitty-gritty of decarbonizing your home, we talk with a homeowner who had an oil burner in the basement.

Does that creepy feeling you get from seeing strange weather foretell our doom? But what is "doom" and who are "we?" Plus updates on the Healy Admininstration's plans for coordinating climate planning.

We try to make sense of the SOTU, decarbonization, eclipses and other timely climate topics.

Hearing about climate action from trusted leaders in a community is a good strategy for progress. The non-profit MassEnergize seeks to support that path, community by community. Listen in as we hear the details.

Widespread use of electric bikes would be a great way to reduce carbon emissions and provide accessible transportation options to more people. A program in Worcester is helping the state of Massachusetts to learn more about how e-bikes can help us address climate change.

Wherever you live, you are probably using fossil fuel to warm your dwelling, heat your water or cook your food. Doing that without emitting carbon dioxide pollution is called 'decarbonization.' Everyone's path to decarbonize is a little bit different, so hearing about the ups and downs of other's efforts will sharpen your own understanding of what to do. Listen in to the first of an occaisonal series about personal stories in decarbonizing.

A visit to Uganda provides a chance to consider climate issues from a bigger perspective.

Over the last few decades, large fossil fuel companies have profited while creating huge amounts of carbon dioxide pollution. A new Massachusetts bill would "Make Polluters Pay." If enacted, the money would pay for climate actions the state must take anyway, and it would support real progress on environmental justice. LIsten in as we talk with an expert on this exciting new proposal.

A pause in the permitting of a new LNG plant will probably have a lot of implications, and is good news for climate activists. New rules that will require hydrogen to be produced in a climate friendly way are another good thing. Listen in.

The decisions we make today, in a time of dramatic change in our social and energy systems, will have lasting consequence. We touch on the ideas of "Critical Junctures" and "Path Dependence" as ways to understand and make sense of what is happening.

Massachusetts is rolling out a new program to help communities eliminate carbon emissions. We talk to a local town official to learn the requirements and benefits of becoming a “Climate Leader Community.”

The MA DPU issued a landmark decision that will define how we transition away from methane. It is a big win for climate advocates.

COP28 (the Conference of the Parties) is finishing up in Dubai. There is a agreement on loss&damage, but a fossil fuel phaseout has been cut from the final draft. Will it get back in?

We discuss lots of different news stories and see connections to a new report from the MA climate chief.

A detailed, almost ‘3D’ map of the earth’s terrain created using special technology might help address climate issues. We talk to the leader of a startup that hopes to provide new data for these important questions.

The expansion of private jet capabilities at Hanscom is being opposed by a grassroots coalition of activist groups. Listen to one of those activists describe the issues and what is being done. Political pressure on the Governor is needed. You can sign a petition to Governor Healy in a link at at massclimateactiondotorg/blog.

In the first of two episodes, we hear about private jet traffic at Hanscom Field. Spoiler alert: it is mostly rich people taking relatively short (and consequently very carbon polluting) flights to vacation getaways. Should your state government (in the form of MassPort) permit the expansion of these polluting luxury trips? You will have a better answer after listening. Check our showpage at massclimateactiondotorg/blog for the live links.

“Stopping climate change is easy,” said nobody ever. From nuisance lawsuits designed to stall wind turbines, to mis-alignments in state laws, to very real and impactful choices in Somerset we grapple with current issues in addressing global warming here in Massachusetts.

The Supreme Court has decided to hear a case that could upend how government functions, and make it more difficult to address climate issues. We discuss that plus the proposed pipeline expansion in New England, as well as a cool new electric bike.

We talk to State Representative Jeffrey Roy about Massachusett’s efforts to implement wind power. Jeff provides insights from Along the way we find out about the Northern Ireland Parliament not having met in 3 years and the origin of Robert's Rules of Order in New Bedford.