The Climate Minute - Is Big Green to Blame for Lack of Climate Action?

Welcome to The Climate Minute, your source of news and views.  This week we take a ook at the little dust-up between Naomi Klein and Joe Romm, discuss hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs), and indulge boyhood fantasies of electric racecars....

Now for the links:

As I mentioned, we discussed Naomi Klein's interview with Earth Island Journal.  In it she lays some of the lack of real climate action on the "Big Green" groups that try to work with business and end up supporting less-than-paradigm shifting programs (like cap and trade). Here's Grist's coverage of the mini-kerfuffle her comments made, as well as Joe Romm's "take down" of her piece.

Interestingly, Rolling Stone is becoming a reliable source of interesting climate news.  Here's a very good piece explaining the IPCC and what the most recent report will say.  For your amusement, here's a piece they ran back in June compiling the "Top Ten Dumbest Things Ever Said About Global Warming."

For your friends who may have some confusion over weather and climate, here's a nifty video that helps explain the difference between trend and variation:

We briefly discussed recent international agreements to reduce soot carbon and HFCs.  For a full discussion of the importance of these treaties, check out Climate Central's story here.

The only thing I worry about with electric car racing is the lack of the "vroom vroom" sounds.  Will children of the future move their Matchbox cars while making a "hmmm hmmm" or "buzz buzz" noise?

Things to Do:

The Massachusetts updated Bottle Bill will be heard this Tuesday at 1pm in the Gardner Auditorium of the State House.  As we mentioned on the podcast, the Bottle Bill is first an important piece of legislation which will increase recycling and eliminate the incineration of plastic bottles, but is also a great issue to show the leadership of the Massachusetts legislature that the people want action and will not be ignored!

350.org's Bill McKibben will be at Harvard this Tuesday, the 17th also, giving a talk titled "Oil and Honey, Notes from a Rapidly Changing Climate," hosted by the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement.  The event is free, but registration is required.

For more about 350.org's "Draw the Line Against Keystone" events, and to find one near you, go here.  You can enter your zipcode in the box on the upper left and find an event near you, or create your own event.

You can support a great organization while helping to honor an excellent local activist at the Clean Water Action's Annual Benefit party on Saturday, September 21st from 3 to 5pm, where Boston Climate Action's Loie Hayes will be recognized for her tremendous activism on the local level.

There's an interesting event coming to the State House on September 25th.  The 4th Massachusetts Sustainable Economy Conference will take place in the Great Hall, where you can here from speakers such as Alicia Barton of the Mass Clean Energy Center, Steven Clark with the Secretariat of Energy and Environment, and John Kassel, head of the Conservation Law Foundation.  You can learn more and register here.

If you're thinking about changing careers toward something more sustainable, the Fifth annual Green Careers Conference is coming up Thursday, October 3rd, at the Marlboro Holiday Inn.

Remember, for more climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar.  You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do.

As always, it’s been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you.  You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here.  Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email.  You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog.

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So we will close the way we always close, by saying that because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions,  because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is a patriotic duty as citizens, we insist that the US put a price on carbon. Good bye and see you next week…