December 21, 2015
WHAT DO YOU DO IF HE'S THE VALEDICTORIAN?:
We Haven't Even Done the Little Things : The U.S. has done so little on the climate change front that we have the potential to make enormous reductions with minimal sacrifice. (Charles Wheelan, Dec. 21, 201, US News)
[T]he good news is that the U.S. has done so little on the climate change front that we have the potential to make enormous reductions with minimal sacrifice.We are like a college student who is failing all his classes. When summoned to the dean's office, the student explains that he has not bought the books or attended a single class. The dean is both appalled and encouraged. Yes, the student's behavior to date is absurd - but it will not be very hard to improve his grades.
Mr. Wheelan accidentally undermines the case for government action, in noting we've taken none, given that....
US carbon emissions set to fall to lowest level in two decades (Ed King, 10 April 2015, The Guardian)
US efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions look set for a huge boost this year, with carbon pollution from the power sector set to fall to its lowest level since 1994.Record numbers of US coal-fired power plants are set to close this year, and analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) say this will likely see power sector emissions drop 15.4% below 2005 levels.Research published today indicates 23GW, 7% of US coal capacity, will come offline due to a combination of low gas prices, new mercury emission standards and the age of closing power plants."On an emissions rate basis (t/MWh), 2015 will be the cleanest year in over 60 years for which we have historical data," says the report.
Posted by Orrin Judd at December 21, 2015 11:38 AM