Google, Faith vs Climate & Paris Discord
A newsletter for people serious about advancing the low carbon economy.
This is Issue No. 1 of Carbon Creed, a curated newsletter for people serious about advancing the low carbon economy.
My name is Walter McLeod, and I’m so glad you’ve joined our tribe! I hope to hear from you regularly, as we navigate this weekly journey through the good, bad and ugly of carbon and climate. My email is mcleodwl@carboncreed.com.
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INSIGHTS
Caring About Climate Change is the Christian Thing to Do
(NYTimes)
“I’m a climate scientist. I’m also an evangelical Christian.
And I’m Canadian, which is why it took me so long to realize the first two things were supposed to be entirely incompatible.”
In this thought provoking op-ed, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe explains why faith tradition and climate change are compatible, but climate science is not a religion. (link)
Discrediting Science is a Political Strategy
(The Guardian)
In her new book Why Trust Science? Dr. Naomi Oreskes, professor of the history of science at Harvard University, argues that if more people heard scientists talk personally about their values, it would help turn back the creeping tide of anti-science sentiment, especially when it comes to climate change. (link)
Climate in the Commonwealths: Virginia and Kentucky Rise in the South
(Inside Climate News)
Virginia democrats capture both executive and legislative branches, paving the way for the state to lead the south on clean energy, while Kentucky’s new governor-elect sends a warning shot to the U.S. Senate Majority leader on the decline of coal. (link)
CORPORATE CITIZENS
More than 1,000 Google employees signed a letter demanding the company reduce its carbon emissions (Vox)
Google employees are publicly calling on their employer to reduce its contributions to climate change, including a commitment to zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030. The demands come in the wake of a growing movement by tech employees pushing their employers to reduce the industry’s contribution to climate change. (link)
Google Climate Accelerator Overshadowed by Questions About Its Own Sustainability Record (Forbes)
Google’s sustainability officer, Kate Brandt, came to Web Summit in Lisbon to announce that Google is launching a sustainable development and climate change-focused accelerator program, and was met criticism over the use of conflict minerals and employee climate protests. (link)
Google’s Reverse Auctions net 1.2 GW of Renewables in 60 minutes (PV Magazine)
In a newly released white paper, Google pre-qualified bidders and used reverse auctions to obtain the lowest prices for renewable energy and cut the process to minutes rather than years. Google is understandably enthusiastic about the results, but how well a reverse auction would work for smaller corporate renewables purchasers, and whether it works well for solar developers, are open questions. (link)
Google and AES Announce Cloud-Based Partnership for Clean Energy (GTM)
Google announces a “strategic alliance” with independent power producer AES on artificial intelligence and data analytics to modernize the electric grid and support new renewable projects. What if one day Google was your electric company? (link)
Does Google Embrace Climate Misinformation? (HEATED)
Changing the underlying trend of global carbon emissions requires national policy changes—and the climate denial groups funded by Google are doing everything they can to ensure such national policy changes never happen. This is Google’s moment of truth on carbon. (link)
GOVERNMENTS
What U.S. Withdrawal From Paris Climate Deal Means for a Warming Planet (PBS)
This week, President Trump notified the rest of the world that one year from now, the day after the 2020 elections, the U.S. will formally withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. (link)
Most Countries Aren't Hitting 2030 Climate Goals, and Everyone Will Pay the Price (National Geographic)
The majority of the carbon emission reduction pledges for 2030 that 184 countries made under the Paris Agreement aren’t nearly enough to keep global warming well below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius). Some countries won’t achieve their pledges, and some of the world's largest carbon emitters will continue to increase their emissions, according to a panel of world-class climate scientists. (link)
There is one way forward on Climate Change (Financial Times)
Climate policy is dangling between the cynicism of Donald Trump and the radicalism of Greta Thunberg. The US president has just pulled the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases out of the Paris climate accord. Ms. Thunberg demands significantly more than a 50 per cent cut in global net emissions by 2030. The former is certainly irresponsible. But the latter seems inconceivable. To succeed in tackling the climate emergency, we need dramatic policies that are effective, legitimate and global. (link)
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a staunch opponent of action on climate change, now supports U.S. participation in the Paris Agreement. Amy Harder spells out the implications @ Axios (link)
CLEANTECH
RMI’s latest report, Breakthrough Batteries: Powering the Era of Clean Electrification, shows that cost and performance improvements are quickly outpacing forecasts, as increased demand for EVs, grid-tied storage, and other emerging applications creates positive feedback loops for further investment and research, setting the stage for mass adoption. Now, analysts expect the capital cost for new battery manufacturing capacity to drop by more than half from 2018 to 2023.
RESOURCES
The Keeling Curve - a daily record of global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
Congressional Policy Tracker - a summary of current federal energy legislation before Congress in ten different areas.
Click Clean - find out if your favorite apps and tech company are powered by renewables or dirty energy. http://www.clickclean.org
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Curated by Walter McLeod, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Carbon Creed and Managing Partner with Eco Capitol Energy.
- mcleodwl@carboncreed.com