Stacey Meinzen 
William K. Reilly, a Republican and one-time head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was recently interviewed by Christian Schwägerl of Yale e360. Reilly is dismayed that a climate change skeptic has been named to lead his former agency, but he insists environmental progress can be made. Reilly, who was head of the EPA under … Read more
Since November we have all heard much about the January 21st Million Women Marches against Donald Trump being planned in Washington D.C. and beyond. Many will use it as an outlet for their anger. Neo conservative pundits will use it to feed into a narrative about “those lefty urban activists marching again.” Personally, I plan to attend … Read more
In a new report, the World Economic Forum has concluded that renewable energy is becoming competitive with fossil fuels, but the industry needs institutional investments. The World Economic Forum analysis shows that the cost of generating electricity from renewables has plunged over the last three years and is now equal to that of coal and … Read more
What can we glean from Tuesday’s debacle? House Republicans attempted to gut an independent ethics committee. They were met with such public outcry – plus a negative tweet from Trump – that they abandoned their plans. Let’s hope that this episode foreshadows the ability of a vocal public to impact what happens in Washington DC. Imagine … Read more
I spent the first part of last weekend feeling depressed about recent headlines. However, over the weekend I was reminded of the many committed and powerful people who surround us by way of a conversation with a friend about an ecology project she did with her daughters. This person has led many efforts to help tomorrow’s leaders gain a … Read more
The Department of Energy recently released a report, Revolution…now about the current state of the clean energy revolution. The fossil fuel industry is clearly reacting against the momentum of the renewable energy industry. During the Obama administration, clean energy costs dropped up to 94 percent. Here are statistics that indicate that renewable energy can win the … Read more
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to choose ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson to be secretary of State, according to MSNBC host Joe Scarborough. This is very disturbing when we think about what it means for climate protection, as well as Trump’s personal interests. Exxon has numerous partnerships with Rosneft, Russia’s state-owned oil company, and has lost more than … Read more
In an interview with the New York Times on Tuesday, Donald trump provided some hope to climate protection advocates: “On climate change, Mr. Trump refused to repeat his promise to abandon the international climate accord reached last year in Paris, saying, “I’m looking at it very closely.” Despite the recent appointment to his transition team … Read more
While the national stage is looking rather bleak, in California there’s plenty to be grateful for when it comes to climate protection champions in public service. Governor Jerry Brown has been leading climate protection efforts for several years. In September of 2016, he signed SB 32, which requires California to slash greenhouse gas emissions to 40% … Read more
October has been a remarkable month for global cooperation on climate change mitigation. Three landmark agreements illustrate a new willingness to work together to tackle the problem. October 5th: Paris Agreement reached threshold to take effect November 4th October 6th: New accord to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from aviation established October 15th: Deal to phase out … Read more
