TWO LARGE CAP-AND-TRADE SYSTEMS for carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) exist in the U.S. — the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) that currently covers ten Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states; and the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), which now includes California and the...
Issues Plague Industry Study on I-1631
This article was originally published by Carbon Washington A newly released study exploring the impacts of initiative 1631 by the NERA economic consulting group, funded by the No on 1631 coalition, should not be used by lawmakers or voters when evaluating Initiative...
A scientific wake up call: What the IPCC report means for all of us
A new report from the IPCC, released on Monday, warns of the serious and irreversible consequences of global warming if we do not enact “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.” It also brought to the forefront...
11 SMART questions answered: the facts on Massachusetts’ new solar program
Released last Wednesday (September 26), the much-awaited regulations for the SMART program, will impact solar development in Massachusetts for the coming years. The new program is complicated, so to make it easier to understand we answered eleven of the most...
Boston Development is Missing Out On Climate Innovation
Today was energy efficiency day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Communities across the state are setting ambitious goals to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. However setting goals is easy, meeting them is the challenge. When it comes to achieving their energy...
California commanded headlines last week when Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill committing the state to go 100% renewable in its electric sector. The move is significant, as California is the most populous state, and the 5th largest economy in the world....
California governor Jerry Brown opened the Global Climate Action Summit this week, days after committing his state to new ambitious steps to fight climate change. The summit commenced with a speech from Brown, who was joined by leaders representing cities, global corporations,...
Last month, Nathaniel Rich made national headlines with his New York Times Magazine exposé entitled Losing Earth: The decade we almost solved climate change. The story takes you through the political decisions and unheard calls of early scientists who were some...
Data quietly released last week by the Baker administration uncovered a problem: emissions rose in the latest years data is available. When considering other energy trends, the data challenge the notion that Massachusetts will achieve its legally binding mandate to...
A Conversation with Claudine Schneider: Board Member and Climate Champion
Last week we sat down to talk with Claudine Schneider about politics, climate change, women running for office and the MeToo movement. She is our first guest for the second season of our podcast Cooler Earth, and we could not...
Trump’s Replacement Clean Power Plan Underscores Need for State Leadership
On Tuesday, the Trump administration revealed its replacement of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP). Dubbed the ‘Dirty Power Plan’ by opponents, it significantly sets back existing efforts and provides a financial boon to coal plants. This is the latest...
The Climate Bills That Weren’t [A Eulogy]
As tradition dictates, the Climate XChange editorial team has composed this eulogy to the late climate and clean energy bills of the Massachusetts’ 190th legislative session (born 2017—died 2018). So let us reflect upon the life and death of the...
‘Hothouse Earth’: What is it and what can we do about it?
This week, an international team of scientists published a new study, suggesting we are now dangerously close to the tipping point for a “Hothouse Earth”. While that might sound like an almost humorous term, it describes an entirely new climate system, characterized...
What if we treated Earth like it was our business?
BY MARIA VIRGINIA OLANO, AUGUST 2nd 2018 Much like a business, our planet has a budget. If it exceeds that budget it is borrowing resources, like a business requiring a line of credit. The difference is that the business owner is...
5 End-of-Session Climate Takeaways for Business Leaders
BY TIM CRONIN, AUGUST 2nd 2018 In Massachusetts the two-year legislative session is over, withthe passage of two new laws addressing climate action and clean energy. As we reflect on what these laws do (and don’t do), here are our top five...
The world ablaze: How wildfires are fueled by climate change
On July 29th, Captain Brian Hughes and his crew were engaged in tactical fire operations on the east side of the Ferguson fire in California, when he was struck by a tree. Hughes was treated on scene, but passed away...
[Massachusetts] End of Session Climate Policy Summary
With the Massachusetts’ two-year legislative session over, we summarize the climate action policies lawmakers decided to make into law. Massachusetts’ two-year legislative session is over and lawmakers have decided on the climate policies that they want to become law. With negotiations...
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