Climate Solutions” Issue, Spring 2008 Change Our Sources of Electricity Arjun Makhijani Is an Engineer Who’S Been Thinking About Energy for More Than 35 Years

Powerful Ideas, Climate Practical Actions Solutions Special Issue Stop Global yes!spring 2008 Warming

Bill McKibben: It’s Not Too Late to Save the World

13 Best Ideas in Clean Energy (Plus a Few Duds) How Your Family Can Get Carbon Free in 10 Years

The Secret Life of Plug-in Cars Author and climate activist Bill McKibben at home in Vermont Surprise Victory for Global Fairness “One way or another, the choice will be made by our generation, but it will affect life on earth for all generations to come.” Lester Brown , Earth Policy Institute

Tsewang Norbu was selected by his Himalayan village to be trained at the Barefoot College of Tilonia, India, in the installation and repair of solar photovoltaic units. All solar units were brought to the village across the 18,400- foot Khardungla Pass by yak and on villagers’ backs.

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Reprinted from the “Climate Solutions” Issue, Spring 2008 Change Our Sources of Electricity Arjun Makhijani is an engineer who’s been thinking about energy for more than 35 years. When he heard a presentation ISSUE 45 claiming we needed to go fossil-carbon free by 2050, he didn’t YES! THEME GUIDE think it could be done. X years of research later, he’s changed his mind. His book, Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy, tells exactly how it can be done. Here’s how Makhijani sees the energy supply changing for buildings, CLIMATE SOLUTIONStransportation and electricity. Makhijani’s plan uses a substantial amount of biofuel from limate change used to be somethingalgae. that Guy Dauncey, would whose happen work appears elsewhere in this issue, says we can go carbon neutral with clean electricity. Cfar off in the future. Now the scienceThere’s says no single we path, otherhave than thejust path that starts 10 years to change course or things will getright now.scary. What do we do? What will actually make a difference? It turns out we have the means. The question is: Do we have the will?

2 Degrees from Disaster Quadrillion BTU 26 Here’s what it means to avert the 5,000 worst case—by the numbers. Combined Heat and Power Solar thermal and other Combined Heat and Power 4,000 Solar PV small scale Solar PV central station and intermediate Solar thermal and other 3,000 Wind Geothermal hot rock Solar PV small scale Biomass derived gas standby 2,000 Biomass (solid) Solar PV central station and intermediate 18 23 Geothermal, wood waste, landfill gas, etc. Hydropower Wind 1,000 Some just Rich and poor Nuclear Bill McKibben Steps Up. We’re in it Together. Oil Geothermal hot rock talk about the weather. McKibben countries met in Bali and decided to0 Natural gas shows what we can do about it. give global fairness a chance. 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050 Coal Biomass derived gas standby

Biomass (solid)

Geothermal, wood waste, landfill gas, etc.

Hydropower

Nuclear

Oil

Natural gas

Coal 30 32 36 39 What’s Possible in a Post-Carbon World ... Buildings. Carbon-neutral Electricity. Sun or coal, wind Transportation. Feet, bikes, Food & Forests. Changes homes and elegant towers. or nukes? You get to vote. buses, and an all-electric fleet. from the ground up.

How the Jones Family Gets Carbon Free in 10 Years 46 53 Heating, cooling. Getting to work. How you can have Climate First Responders. The The Greatest Danger. If you’re not it all, minus the carbon. people out in front changing the terrified, you’re not paying attention. political climate on, well, climate. But don’t get stuck there.

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that, the view from space looks very different indeed (not to mention the view from the office buildings of any coastal city on earth). What do I mean by large? Already higher heat is causing drought in arid areas the world over. In Australia things have gotten so bad that agricultural output is falling fast in the continent’s biggest river basin, and the nation’s prime minister is urging his First, people to pray for rain. Aussie native Rupert Murdoch is so rattled he’s an- nounced plans to make his NewsCorp empire (think Fox News) carbon neutral. Australian voters ousted their old government last fall, largely because of concerns over climate. Step Up What do I mean by large? If we’d tried we couldn’t have figured out a more thorough way to make life miser Bill McKibben able for the world’s poor, who now must deal with the loss of the one thing they could always take for granted—the At any given moment we face as a society an enormous planet’s basic physical stability. We’ve number of problems: there’s the mortgage crisis, the never figured out as efficient a method health care crisis, the endless war in Iraq, and on and on. for obliterating other species. We’ve never figured out another way to so Maybe we’ll solve some of them, and doubtless new ones fully degrade the future for everyone will spring up to take their places. But there’s only one who comes after us. thing we’re doing that will be easily visible from the moon. Or rather, we have figured out one other change that rises to this scale. That something is global warming. Quite literally it’s the That change is called all-out thermo biggest problem humans have ever faced, and while there nuclear war, and so far, at least, we’ve decided not to have one. But we are ways to at least start to deal with it, all of them rest on haven’t called off global warming. Just acknowledging just how large the challenge really is. the opposite: in the 20 years that we’ve known about this problem, we’ve What exactly do I mean by large? Last fall the scientists steadily burned more coal and gas and who study sea ice in the Arctic reported that it was melting oil, and hence steadily poured more even faster than they’d predicted. We blew by the old record Bill McKibben has been carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. for ice loss in mid-August, and by the time the long polar sounding the alarm on climate Instead of a few huge explosions, night finally descended, the fabled Northwest Passage was change since his 1989 book, we’ve got billions of little ones every open for navigation for the first time in recorded history. The End of Nature. He lives in minute, as pistons fire inside engines That is to say, from outer space the Earth already looks very Ripton, Vermont, where he and boilers burn coal. different: less white, more blue. teaches, writes, and works to Having put off real change, we’ve What do I mean by large? On the glaciers of Greenland, counter climate change. made our job steadily harder. But there 10 percent more ice melted last summer than any year for are signs that we’re finally ready to get which we have records. This is bad news because, unlike to work. Congress is for the first time sea ice, Greenland’s vast frozen mass sits above rock, and seriously considering legislation that when it melts, the oceans rise—potentially a lot. James would actually limit U.S. emissions. Hansen, America’s foremost climatologist, testified in court The bills won’t be signed by President last year that we might see sea level increase as much as six Bush, and they don’t do everything meters—nearly 20 feet—in the course of this century. With that needs doing—but they’re a start. »

18 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org www.yesmagazine.org :: YES! Spring 2008 19 ISSUE 45 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS Pandora’s Icebox We need a movement. We need a political swell larger than Climate’s Vicious Cycles the civil rights movement—as passionate and as willing to Madeline Ostrander sacrifice. Without it, we’re not going to best the fossil fuel companies and the automakers and the rest of the vested s early as 1892, Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius devised a basic for- Amula to explain geologic changes in climate: add carbon dioxide, things interests that are keeping us from change. heat up. Simple. But scientists have since learned that a little atmospheric temperature rise can unlock vicious feedback loops that speed global warming. Some of » And the international community We need to change our habits— January 2007. Before the year was out, these feedbacks are already taking effect. Others may be triggered by further meeting in Bali in December overcame really, we need to change our sense of we’d helped organize 2,000 demon- warming. If global temperatures continue to rise, some of these feedbacks U.S. resistance and began the steps what we want from the world. Do we strations in all 50 states—and helped could spiral beyond our ability to reverse them. Here are four examples. toward an international treaty that will want enormous homes and enormous take our once-radical demand for an be ready in 2009. The talks are going cars, all to ourselves? If we do, then 80 percent reduction in U.S. carbon slowly, largely because of American we can’t deal with global warming. emissions by mid-century into the Vanishing arctic ice Melting Permafrost intransigence, but George Bush won’t Do we want to keep eating food that halls of power. be president forever, so there’s at least travels 1,500 miles to reach our lips? We haven’t won yet—but we’re way Temperatures rise Temperatures rise a chance we’ll re-engage with the rest Or can we take the bus or ride a bike beyond what we could have expected of the world. to the farmers’ market? Does that when we began. Last November, If we do, there are steps we can take. sound romantic to you? Farmers’ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stood Permafrost Because the problem is so big, and markets are the fastest growing part at a podium in front of 7,000 college bogs thaw. coming at us so fast, those steps will of the American food economy; their students gathered from around the Arctic sea ice need to be large. And even so, they heaviest users may be urban-dwelling country at the University of Maryland melts. Bogs release won’t be enough to stop global warm- and led them in a chant: “80 percent methane, immigrants, recently enough arrived a greenhouse ing—at best they will slow it down and from the rest of the world that they can by 2050.” I’m as cynical as the next gas 25 times As reflective guy, but it feels like our democracy is more powerful give us some margin. But here’s the remember what actual food tastes like. ice disappears, than CO2. deal: Which leads to the next necessity: starting to work. darker ocean We need to conserve energy. That’s We need to stop insisting that we’ve It will need to work much better, waters absorb the cheapest way to reduce carbon. figured out the best way on Earth to though. We’ll need to see a whole new more heat. Screw in the energy-saving lightbulbs, live. For one thing, if it’s wrecking the level of commitment—to nonviolent but that’s just the start. You have to Earth then it’s probably not all that protest, to electioneering, to endless blow in the new insulation—blow it in great. But even by measures of life sat- lobbying. We’ll have to be committed so thick that you can heat your home isfaction and happiness, the Europe- to an environmentalism much broader with a birthday candle. You have to ans have us beat—and they manage it and more diverse than we’ve known— plug in the new appliances—not the on half the energy use per capita. We younger, browner, and insistent that the Clogging the Ocean Sink Amazon flat-screen TV, which uses way more need to be pointing the Indians and people left out of the last economy won’t Rainforest Temperatures rise power than the old set, but the new the Chinese hard in the direction of be left out of the new one. And we’ll Temperatures rise Die-Off water-saving front-loading washer. And London, not Los Angeles; Barcelona, need to see it not just here but around once you’ve got it plugged in, turn the not Boston. the world. Because they don’t call it Drought and dial so that you’re using cold water. global warming for nothing. If we’re go- wildfires The dryer? You don’t need a dryer— Building a Movement ing to have a fighting chance, we’ll need increase in the Amazon. that’s the sun’s job. Most of all, we need a movement. every nation pitching in—which means, Warming Rainfall We need to generate the power we We need a political swell larger than in turn, that we’ll have to understand waters decreases. use cleanly. Wind is the fastest growing the civil rights movement—as passion- where we all stand right now. shut down exchange of source of electricity generation around ate and as willing to sacrifice. Without CO2 from the the world—but it needs to grow much it, we’re not going to best the fossil What about China and India? surface to the Here’s the political reality check, Ocean waters deep ocean. faster still. Solar panels are increasingly fuel companies and the automakers dissolve less common—especially in Japan and and the rest of the vested interests that just as sobering as the data about CO2 (and may More trees Fewer sea ice and drought: China last year even release die and Germany, which are richer in political are keeping us from change. rainforest some). decompose, will than they are in sunshine. Much Some of us have spent the last cou- passed the United States as the biggest trees mean or burn, of the technology is now available; ple of years trying to build that move- emitter of carbon on Earth. Now, that less water is releasing CO2. we need innovation in financing and ment, and we’ve had some success. doesn’t mean the Chinese are as much pumped into the subsidizing more than we do in gener With no money and no organization, to blame as we are—per capita, we atmosphere. ating technology. seven of us launched StepItUp in pour four times more CO2 into the Sources: available at www.yesmagazine.org/feedbackloop; » photos from istock

YES! MAGAZINE GRAPHIC 2008 Source: xxxxxxxxxxxx 20 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org YES! Magazine www.yesmagazine.orgGraphic 2008 :: YES! Spring 2008 21 ISSUE 45 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

» atmosphere. And we’ve been doing embrace mass transit and local food the environmental changes coming at it for a hundred years, which means and co-housing and you name it, or we us, and we need that kind of commu- it will be decades before they match will go down clinging to the wreckage nity to survive the changes we can’t us as a source of the problem. But of our privatized society. prevent. And we need that kind of they—and the Indians, and the rest of Which leaves us with the one piece community because it’s what makes the developing world behind them— of undeniably good news: we were us fully human. are growing so fast that there’s no way built for community. Everything we This is our final exam and so far to head off this crisis without their know about human beings, from the we’re failing. But we don’t have to put participation. And yet they don’t want state of our immune systems to the our pencils down quite yet. We’ll see. y to participate, because they’re using state of our psyches, testifies to our

all that cheap coal not to pimp out desire for real connection of just the Bill McKibben is the author of The End of Nature, an already lavish lifestyle, but to pull kind that an advanced consumer Wandering Home, and Deep Economy, and a people straight out of deep poverty. society makes so difficult. We need founder of StepItUp, which has recently joined Which means that if we want them that kind of community to slow down forces with 1sky. not to burn their coal, we’re going to need to help them—we’re going to need to supply the windmills, efficient boilers, and so on that let them build decent lives without building coal-fired power plants. Which means, in turn, we’re going Who’s Willing to Step Up? to need to be generous, on a scale Asking people to make sacrifices to stop Global Warming that passes even the Marshall Plan 100% is political suicide, right? Evidently not. that helped rebuild post-World War II Europe. And it’s not clear if we’re Ready to make significant changes to the way capable of that any more—so far our they live to reduce climate impact politicians have preferred to scapegoat China, not come to its aid. 80% I said at the start that this was not just another problem on a list of problems. It’s a whole new lens through Favor a tax only if it’s which we look at the world. When we used strictly peer through it, foreign policy looks to develop 60% entirely different: the threats to our clean energy

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 security can be met only by shipping 1.0

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 China technology, not by shipping mis- 1.0 siles to China’s enemies. When we peer through the climate Favor lens, our economic life looks com 40% increasing pletely changed: we need to forget the taxes on the endless expansion now adding to the types of cloud of carbon and concentrate on the energy that kind of durability that will let us last most cause climate out the troubles headed our way. 20% change

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 Another Way to be Human 1.0 Our individual lives look very different through these glasses too. Less individual, for one thing. The kind of extreme independence that derived United States United Kingdom Germany India China from cheap fossil fuel—the fact that we need our neighbors for nothing Source: BBC World Service Poll based on interviews with 22,182 at all—can’t last. Either we build real people in 21 countries in May, June, and July 2007. community, of the kind that lets us YES! MAGAZINE GRAPHIC 2008

22 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org Global Fairness Ed wray / ap

Climate negotiations in Bali moved An environmental activist (in polar the world just a bit back from the brink bear suit) at Kuta Beach after the end of the U.N. Climate Tom Athanasiou Change Conference in Bali. The international climate negotiations that South, the Group of 77, or G77. took place in Bali, Indonesia, in December Their earlier focus had been on unity. But brought us to a new and more difficult level unity has allowed the G77’s most retrograde in the climate game that we’ll be playing for members (the Saudis come to mind) to over- the rest of our lives. ride the interests of weaker parties (like the We knew going into Bali that if the old Alliance of Small Island States). That’s why routine continued we’d be in trouble. The it’s so important that China, South Africa, skeptics had been discredited; the Intergov- and Brazil stepped forward from self-defeat- ernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ing unity to signal a new willingness to make had delivered clear and unequivocal warn- binding commitments to limit emissions. ings; Al Gore and the IPCC had won the This was a real breakthrough, not least Nobel Prize. So it’s with great relief that I because the attached condition—measurable, can say that although Bali wasn’t the break- reportable, and verifiable assistance from the through that we need, the game has indeed industrialized to the developing countries— changed. The critical next two years of nego- was widely understood as being both just and tiations have begun in earnest. inevitable. The most important change was the new And that takes us to the second major devel stance taken by the countries of the global opment at Bali. The once radical idea that rich »

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» countries have responsibilities to the solutions are a terrible danger, so too is develop without pushing us all over the ECUADOR CHINA poor has now emerged as a near- the illusion that by exposing that dan- edge into catastrophe. And such break- consensus position. Today, to be serious, ger we have done all we need to do. throughs will depend upon negotiating Protecting Diverse On Climate, Hu’s Leading Whom? you have to admit that wealthy countries “burden sharing” agreements that take became wealthy by following a fossil-fuel Our One Chance to Get it Right proper account of not only the North/ Forests and People Last summer, Chinese President Hu Jintao toured the country in short intensive development path that led To be sure, there are serious short- South divide, but also the rich/poor sleeves to show that his countrymen could turn their air conditioners Rafael Correa won the Ecuadorian presi- directly to today’s climate crisis. And if comings in the final Bali Action Plan. It divide within both northern and south- down. In China, conservation is “in.” dency on the strength of his promises we truly expect today’s developing coun- did not lay out national obligations for ern countries. Fashions do change. Global warming denial is out of vogue. Unfor- to deliver much-needed social programs tries to take a different path, we’ll have to emissions reductions, nor even a global And, as if this wasn’t enough, we’ll tunately, though, the climate change do-nothing set is sporting a new to his country’s largely impoverished provide the means by which those coun- target. But the truth is that Bali was also need to bring the rules and priori- line: “Why should we bother fighting climate change when China’s population. He also pledged to protect tries can leapfrog over fossil-fuel depen- never going to lay out the details, or ties of the WTO, World Bank, IMF, and emissions are increasing?” Ecuador’s natural heritage of biodiver- even a comprehensive framework. And It’s true that China’s galloping economy means that the country’s dence and directly into an efficiency- and others quickly into line with the imper- sity. Add to this political mix a lot of for- total emissions are on the rise—they are now the world’s number-one renewables-based economy. it did manage to open the way forward. atives of the climate regime. eign debt and a billion or more barrels of emitter. But China has also unveiled aggressive emissions reduction There’s a huge challenge here. Just as When we get down to cases, we’ll All of which is to say that we’ll need oil located under a UNESCO bioreserve policies. Indeed, it may be the United States that will need to play rich-world politics are finally acknowl- have no choice but to face the details to put justice at the center of the cli- in the Ecuadorian Amazon, and it’s clear catch-up with China, not the other way around. edging the need for sharp domestic of an extremely daunting reality. The mate agenda, right along with envi- why some observers saw the nation as China boasts one of the most fuel-efficient vehicle fleets in the emissions reductions, the international climate threat demands emergency ronmental adequacy in the face of an caught in a classic stalemate between world, with estimated averages of 37 miles per gallon already, in 2008. community is moving ahead to an even action. The truth here is more than astonishingly severe threat. For without development and environment. The U.S. will reach 35 mpg—by 2020. more difficult truth.T he rich cannot inconvenient: it’s shocking and even justice there will not be cooperation or Now, though, the ITT oil fields—locat- China pumped $10 billion into clean energy in 2007 (twice the simply act within their own borders. terrifying. We’re going to have to get solidarity. And without global solidarity, ed within Yasuní National Park, one of amount invested by the U.S. in 2006) and is on track to meet and ex- They are also responsible for financing this right, and soon. we will fail. y the world’s most biodiverse places and ceed targets to obtain 15 percent of its energy from renewables by There’ll be no way to do this without home to a number of indigenous com- parallel reductions and the large-scale 2020, and 30 percent by 2050. munities—have become an experiment efforts to adapt to now inevitable climate both trust and technology, globally and Tom Athanasiou is the author of Divided Planet: The Already leading in solar hot water and small hydropower technolo- Ecology of Rich and Poor, and co-author (with Paul in the possibility of having it both ways. change impacts in the developing world. on a grand scale. Which means we’ll gy, China will likely become the world leader in solar and wind power Baer) of Dead Heat: Global Justice and Global Warm- In May 2007, Correa proposed a What does this mean in practice? Tech- need breakthroughs in international ing. He is the executive director of EcoEquity and a manufacturing in the next three years. Unless the United States gets unique solution: if the international nology transfer, for one thing, and this financing to provide the means by core member of the Greenhouse Development Rights busy and starts setting higher standards for a climate friendly econo- community will agree to pay or excuse time it has to mean the best of the new which poor countries can continue to team; see www.ecoequity.org/GDRs. my, the world may look to China as the global trend setter. debt worth $350 million annually for technologies, not the worst of the old. —Anna Fahey, Sightline Institute And large-scale funding for adaptation 10 years (half the anticipated value and poverty alleviation, because without it Who’s Responsible? 100 Years of C02 of the oil) to help fund sustainable 350 development in Ecuador, then the oil, there’s little chance of finding the global Bars represent total CO2 emissions 1900-2002, by country the forests, and the indigenous groups solidarity that we’ll need to manage the Total Dots represent per capita CO2 emissions in 2002, by country gigatonnes threatened by the encroachment of oil transition. And a whole lot more. 300 companies will all be left alone. Fortunately, Bali saw the long-overdue These countries These countries It’s a proposal that many are taking Rooftop solar hot water tanks in the Yunnan capital city of Kunming. encounter between the climate move- represent represent seriously. In addition to the danger China is poised to overtake Europe, Japan, and North America in the 1.16 billion people 5.4 billion people ment and the global justice movement posed to biodiversity and indigenous manufacture of solar panels and wind turbines, and it already dominates finally take place in earnest, and neither 250 rights, development of the ITT fields the markets for solar hot water and small hydropower.

movement will ever be the same. Even 20 would be a climate change disaster, Even Rogers Pay mainline climate activists talk often now Metric generating an estimated 436 million about equity, even though they fear its 200 tons tons of CO2 and destroying a huge implications, which, frankly, they’re right per capita swath of tropical rainforest crucial to to do: Climate justice has the potential 15 sequestering carbon and regulating to raise the stakes dangerously high, so 150 weather patterns. high that both our politicians and our Though the Bali climate agreement populations could easily balk. Which is all endorsed the importance of forest pres- the more reason to marvel, for today few 10 ervation, it failed to safeguard against 100 people within the climate movement can the transformation of forests into inter- imagine a future without justice. nationally traded and managed “carbon sinks” that would exclude indigenous Nor will the greens be the only ones 5 transformed by this encounter. The 50 people and traditional livelihoods from global justice movement, which has their borders. Ecuador’s example may largely built its climate politics around point toward a way to protect forests without compromising a future that opposition to carbon offsets and market 0 0 United StatesEuropean UnionRussia and UkraineJapan Canada Australia China India values equity and human rights. mechanisms, is now coming to see that Rest of World —Brooke Jarvis such opposition is not enough. If false

Source: World Resources Institute 24 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org YES! Magazine graphic 2008 www.yesmagazine.org :: YES! Spring 2008 25 Change Our Sources of Electricity Arjun Makhijani is an engineer who’s been thinking about ISSUE 45 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS energy for more than 35 years. When he heard a presentation claiming we needed to go fossil-carbon free by 2050, he didn’t think it could be done. X years of research later, he’s changed his mind. His book, Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy, tells exactly how it can be done. Here’s how Makhijani sees the energy supply changing for buildings, We are 2 degrees fromtransportation and electricity.disaster. A 2-degree rise in temperature is the most the Earth can tolerate without dangerous climate change, scientists tell us. The International Panel on Climate Change says that as temperature rises, these effects will kick in: Makhijani’s plan uses a substantial amount of biofuel from algae. Guy Dauncey, whose work appears elsewhere in this 2 1 issue, says °Cwe can go carbon neutral with clean electricity. 3°C 4°C Today °C There’s no single path, other than the path that starts right now. • Increasing illness and death from • Grain production decreasing in low lati- THRESHOLD OF DANGEROUS • 30% of coastal wetlands lost • Wide- • Significant extinctions heat waves, floods, drought tudes • 30 percent of species at increased CLIMATE 60 CHANGE spread death of coral reefs • Grain worldwide • All grain Quadrillion BTU Efficiency • 15% of ecosystems affected, changing biologicalEfficiency production decreasing • Substantial production decreases • Hundreds of millions of people extinction risk • Increasing malnutrition, 50 lack drinking water • Weather waterborne disease, and infectious disease sinks to carbon sources • Coastal flooding • Corals burden on worldwide healthElectricity services • 40% of ecosystems affected; changes shift species’ ranges • Change in range of mosquitos and other bleached40 • Ecosystems disrupted by weakening of “sink to source” changes Petroleum • Increased wildfires disease vectors “ocean conveyor” system accelerate

30 Biofuels

20 Electricity Quadrillion BTU 5,00010 PetroleumZero-Carbon Electricity www.YesMagazine.org/earthunderfire Combined Heat and Power Photo essay from Gary Braasch’s book Earth Biofuels 0 Solar thermal and other Combined Heat and Power Under Fire. At left, rising sea levels threaten the 4,000 tiny Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu, inhabited 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050 Solar PV small scale by Polynesians for 3,000 years. Tuvalu residents Solar PV central station and intermediate Solar thermal and other now face a drowning country. 3,000 Wind Gary Braasch Geothermal hot rock Solar PV small scale Biomass derived gas standby 2,000 Biomass (solid) Solar PV central station and intermediate Geothermal, wood waste, landfill gas, etc. Hydropower Wind 1,000 Nuclear Here’s What We Can Do Oil Geothermal hot rock 0 Natural gas Act Quickly Protect Biological Sinks 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050 Coal Biomass derived gas standby Arjun Makhijani has been thinking about cleaner, more efficient energy for more than 35 years. When he heard Biomass (solid) that we need to go fossil-carbon free by 2050, he doubted it was possible. Research changed his mind, and his book, Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy, tells exactly how it can be done. Here’s Geothermal, wood waste, landfill gas, etc. how Makhijani sees the energy supply changing for buildings, transportation and electricity. Makhijani’s plan relies in part on biofuel from algae. Guy Dauncey, whose work follows in this issue, says we can go carbon neutral Hydropower with clean electricity. There’s no single path, other than the path that starts right now. Nuclear

Zero-Carbon Buildings Oil 35 Zero-Carbon Transportation Quadrillion BTU Efficiency Natural gas 30 Efficiency 60 brasil2 / I-S Coal Quadrillion BTU Efficiency EfficiencyElectricity 25 50 One of the biggest threats to the Earth’s ability to soak up CO2 is Electricity deforestation, especially loss of rainforests. Think deforestation is Solar thermal U.S. emissions in If we do nothing 20 40 gigatonnes of CO2 caused by poor practices in the developing world? Petroleum Source: Blair Henry, Climateand CO2 Change: emissions Playing to Win Indonesia and Malaysia are slashing rainforest to make palm oil Electricity 15 continue to rise 15 30 Biofuels plantations. But they export most of their palm oil to the European Biofuels The green line is the familiar goal: 80 percent CO2 reduction Petroleum Solar thermal Union, China, Russia, and the U.S.—traditionally for food, but increas- Electricity 12 by 2050. If we get there, we’re climate cool, right? Actually, 10 20 Petroleum if we follow that course, we have a 50% chance—a coin ingly for biodiesel. Brazil is also carving cattle pasture and sugar cane fields out of the rainforest. It’s the world’s No. 1 exporter of beef, feed- Petroleum toss—of staying within the 2 degrees the IPCC says is the 5 Biofuels 10 Natural gas 9 critical range. The sooner we start and the faster we de- ing the EU, Hong Kong, and the U.S., and aims to double production of Natural gas sugar cane ethanol, to sell to the U.S. and other countries. crease CO2 emissions, the better our odds. Petroleum 0 Biofuels What’s the key to stopping deforestation? Getting the developed 0 50% chance of limiting 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050 6 temperature increase world to leave resources where they are, for use by locals. to 2 degrees Source: Institute for Energy and Environmental Research YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org www.yesmagazine.org :: YES! Spring 2008 27 26 3 Kyoto standards would have put us here already 0 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Kyoto Target

Max. 2°C; Stabilize 450ppm

Chart 4. US GHG Emissions BAU - Kyoto

35 Quadrillion BTU Efficiency 30 Efficiency

25 Electricity

20 Solar thermal Electricity 15 Biofuels Petroleum Solar thermal 10 Petroleum

5 Biofuels Natural gas Natural gas Petroleum 0 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050 ISSUE 45 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

Archives. They say that the warming crisis is quite normal on planets that have a large store of fossilized energy. They recommend a rapid switch to simple energy, starting with the sun, wind, earth, and ocean. They’re also telling us not to wait too long!

Earth to Apollo: You’re creating quite a stir down here, Apollo. But that aside, how long do we have? There’s talk of an 80 percent reduction in carbon Welcome to emissions by 2050—will that cut it? Apollo to Earth: ‘Fraid not, Houston. They’re say- ing 25 years, max, and similar planets that failed to make the switch suffered a 15 percent loss rate—to- the Post-Carbon tal civilizational and ecological meltdown. Not a pretty picture. Ten million years for partial ecological recovery. You really don’t want to go there, sir.

World Earth to Apollo: Any advice that might help us?

Apollo to Earth: Yes. It seems that the planets that It doesn’t have to be the end of the world. went down panicked. The Archives show that advanced intelligences get energized by vision, not Buildings, ELECTRICITY production, fear. It’s like football, sir—you win by determination Transportation, and Food Between Panic and and passion, not by reducing failure. The planets Denial is a place that failed forgot how to work together. Inspiration where forward- stopped, and the breakthroughs dried up. As & Forestry contribute the bulk of the thinking people have the panic took over, people started hoarding and been working for stopped believing in the future. Once that happened greenhouse gases. But climate-friendly options many years—Real it was effectively all over, even though it took a Solutions for a couple of hundred years. are ready. Author Guy Dauncey takes us out sustainable world. Earth to Apollo: You’ve got us rattled here, Apollo. of this world as we begin to imagine some Do they show any turnarounds? Any planets that were going down, that somehow made it? down-to-earth solutions. Apollo to Earth: Yes—many. The Archives show that successful planets transformed their carbon Guy Dauncey crises into positive evolutionary leaps. They stopped blaming and started appreciating the intellectual Apollo to Earth: Houston, we’re reporting a major capital that fossil fuels had given them, enabling carbon overload in the atmosphere. You’re going to them to develop solar and geothermal power. They suffer serious overheating if you don’t get it under stopped being fearful and defensive, and worked control. together to achieve a rapid transition. By re-igniting the creative impulse, they made the switch to new Earth to Apollo: We hear you. We spotted it 20 years ! Magazine

YES technologies and lifestyles far more easily. ago, but the White House tells us not to worry and keeps cutting our budget. Any bright ideas?

nn for Earth to Apollo: Thanks, Apollo. Seems we’ve got

Du our work cut out down here. Over and out! l

Apollo to Earth: Hello, Houston? We have an inter u a P esting development here. We’re getting clear visual Guy Dauncey is a speaker, organizer, consul- AND signals, and they’re not from Earth. Can you give tant, and author with Patrick Mazza of Stormy

us five minutes? ... You’re not going to believe YLE Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate K this, but it’s true: we’re not alone. We’re being fed Change, New Society Publishers.

material from something called the Intergalactic ZACH

28 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org www.yesmagazine.org :: YES! Spring 2008 29 ISSUE 45 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS Let the Sun Shine In (and some wind, too)

The U.S. emits the equivalent of 7.26 gigatonnes of CO2 annually. Thin Solar Cells A company in Palo Alto, California, will began manufacturing wafer-thin solar-electric photovoltaic cells by “printing” them onto aluminum foil, which insiders say will cut the cost of solar-cells in half. (Photovoltaics convert sunlight directly into electricity.) Nanosolar’s aim is solar panels that cost Our electricity production contributes 99 cents per watt—a number that has been the 2.43 gigatonnes of that. holy grail of solar cell manufacturers for 40 years. The company is one of several in Japan, Europe, China, and the U.S. racing to develop thin film solar. Nanosolar is owned by Martin Roscheisen, an Inter- net millionaire, with support from the founders of WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT Google and other Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Offshore Wind Power

Rod del pozo, delpozophoto.com Offshore wind turbines could power the nine ELECTRICITY Lummi Island Wild Co-op in Washington state launched the world’s coastal states from Massachusetts to North Caro- first solar-powered fishing vessel last year and is converting the rest lina, according to a new assessment of off-shore wind potential. Another study published earlier in ur story of energy begins when humans discovered focus solar energy to heat a gas or liquid.) of the reefnet salmon fleet this year. Reefnetting dates back more than 2,000 years; it uses little machinery and minimizes by-catch. 2007 shows that connecting dispersed wind farms the secret of fire. We burned wood and brush to pro- We can also gather solar electricity directly using photo into a single grid in the Midwestern U.S. can create tect ourselves from predators, cook food, and, later, voltaics as many people are already doing in Germany, The boats use the solar panels to operate seven heavy winches that O position the stationary reefnet boat into the tide and haul in the a source of reliable, base-load (steady, rather than to survive the ice age. In 12th-century Europe, with the for- Japan, and California. We can gather energy from the nets. They use no other power sources on the boats. intermittent) power, even without storage. ests fast disappearing, we started burning the strange black wind—North Dakota alone has enough wind energy for www.lummiislandwild.com stones we called coal. Later, we used coal to produce steam, 33 percent of current U.S. demand for electricity. We can Storing Wind Underground launching the Industrial Revolution. gather energy from the waves and tides, and from under- A Dallas Center, Iowa, plant will store wind energy It is astonishing how far we have come. To anyone from ground, where the potential store of geothermal energy by pumping air underground, where it will be the 18th century, our world today would be unbelievable. in granite, six to 10 kilometers down, could power all U.S. Instead of More Coal Plants ... compressed for energy storage and later released We burned the black stones, and their fossilized relations, needs for 20,000 years. What’s the potential for carbon-free electricity production? to boost the efficiency of a natural gas turbine. A oil and gas, and for those who have had abundant access to The numbers do add up, especially when you look at the Three countries—the U.S., India, and China—have plans in the 3,000 megawatt wind farm in west Texas, being these resources, it has been good. But today the over-use of full global potential of each technology. The challenge is to next decade to build up to 850 new coal-fired plants, with an developed by TXU Corp. and Shell Wind Energy, will these fossil fuels is threatening life on Earth. ramp up fast enough to make the transition in time. The average capacity of 386 Megawatts. Together these plants would use a similar storage technique. The Electric Power Now we are poised to move into our next era. We are com- numbers improve considerably when you consider that we burn about 900 million tons of coal each year, producing about Research Institute says there may be subterranean ing to terms with the havoc we are creating by burning mil- could improve efficiencies throughout our economy by two 2.5 billion tons of CO2. How many coal plants could we replace if features under more than 85 percent of U.S. soil that lions of years of the planet’s stored sunlight in the blink of a to 10 times, using today’s technologies, and that the transi- we turned to carbon-free renewables instead? could hold compressed air, making storage of large geologic eye. And we are realizing that it is time to lay down tion to electricity instead of liquid fuel for transport reduces quantities of wind or solar power possible. these fossil fuels, while understanding that we could never the energy needed considerably. Adapted from: Rachels Newsletter, The Guardian, and Business Week. have developed a solar photovoltaic (PV) cell, electric car, Why, then, is there talk of nuclear power when it carries or super-efficient LED light bulb without the energy gift of such dangers, and of as-yet unproven “clean” coal, with Random Rays of Hope those ancient life-forms. The sunlight they stored over mil- carbon capture and sequestration? The answer is probably • Production of photovoltaics jumped 50 percent lions of years has enabled us to build the intellectual capital financial—investors find it hard to walk away from their in 2007 over 2006. At the end of the year, cumula- necessary to meet our needs using current renewable energy investments. They continue to side with the coal and oil tive global production stood at 12,400 megawatts, from the sun, wind, earth, and oceans. industries that pay for their jet planes and mansions, even enough to power 2.4 million U.S. homes. Solar energy, for example, offers an abundance of energy. though they are fueling a climate catastrophe. • After almost tripling its PV production in 2006, China is believed to have more than doubled output Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation has We need non-corrupted governments to cap the oil wells; Realizable Potential Power Plants in 2007. China is planning a 100-megawatt solar PV calculated that each year, a square kilometer of hot desert lock up the coal mines; require super-efficiency in buildings, (in Terawatt hours) Replaced farm in Dunhuang City in Gansu Province, which receives solar energy equivalent to 1.5 million barrels of oil. cars, and appliances; and redirect investments into renew- Wind 4,890 (by 2040) 1,746 would have five times the capacity of the largest PV Worldwide, this is several hundred times more energy than able energy—as Sweden’s government is doing with its com- Solar Thermal 16,000 (by 2040) 5,714 power plant in the world today. we need. Similarly, analysts who have evaluated the solar mitment to end the country’s dependency on oil by 2020. It Solar Photovoltaic 5,000 (by 2030) 1,786 • The average price for a PV module, excluding install resources in the southwest United States found that concen- is all doable: we just need the courage and belief to do it. Geothermal 138,000 (by 2020) 49,286 ation and other system costs, has dropped from trating solar power could provide nearly 7,000 gigawatts of —Guy Dauncey almost $100 per watt in 1975 to about $4 per watt. Source: citations at www.yesmagazine.org/cleanelectricity; photos from istock capacity, seven times more than the current total U.S. electric www.YesMagazine.org/cleanelectricity YES! MAGAZINE GRAPHIC 2008 Excerpted from “Solar Cell Production Jumps 50 Percent in 2007” by capacity. (Concentrating solar power uses parabolic mirrors to for links and other resources Jonathan G. Dorn, Earth Policy Institute.

32 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org www.yesmagazine.org :: YES! Spring 2008 33 ISSUEISSUE 4545 CLIMATE CLIMATE SOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS of 83% in PV installations in 2007, accord- Policies ing to the Earth Policy Institute. Plug In Cars, Scooters, Shift the subsidy Bikes, and Trains What: Shift government subsidies from Technologies Why: Plug-in hybrids and electric cars are climate-trashing fossil fuels to climate- friendly renewables and energy effi- Profits forE fficiency efficient and—when powered by renew- What: Build incentives for conservation ables—climate friendly. (See page 37.) ciency. Each year, U.S. taxpayers subsidize the oil and gas industry to the tune of $39 by de-coupling utility profits from sales. Why: If utilities can profit through selling billion and the coal industry by $8 billion. Why: You get what you subsidize. efficiency, they will do so. Examples: Belgium, France, and Japan Examples: California, Oregon. Net Metering, have phased out subsidies for coal. 13 Best Energy Ideas China, Indonesia, and Nigeria have cut Feed-In Tariffs (Plus a Few Duds) What: Require utilities to buy renew- subsidies. able energy produced by households or Get Efficient independent energy producers at a price What: Efficiency upgrades for appliances, Sarah van Gelder set in advance. cars, electronics, industry, buildings. Recycling. Waste reduction. This is the nvestments in energy projects will total $16 trillion in the next two Why: A known market with a set price pro- Grow Trees vides certainty that spurs investment. A low-hanging fruit. decades. That investment—along with spending for long-lived build- What: Preserve forests as part of ecosys- I decentralized clean energy system results, Why: These are the cheapest and least Nuclear Guarantees tems. Plant trees in cities and suburbs— ings, transportation, manufacturing, and public works—could lock us challenging to the American Way of Life, What: Using taxpayer money to subsidize which taps the entrepreneurship of many especially fruit and nut trees. and can cut associated carbon emissions into climate chaos. Or it could set us on the path toward a sustainable nuclear power. diverse players. Why: Trees sequester carbon, underpin by half or more. Long-term jobs for effi- future. How can we make sure that this new infrastructure is climate Why: Investors know that nuclear power Example: As a result of Germany’s Renew- diverse life-supporting ecosystems, ciency retrofits strengthen the economy. isn’t economical without subsidies to able Energy Act of 1999, which includes a reduce the heat in population centers, friendly? For starters, it will have to be both highly efficient and powered Examples: Germany and Japan require cover waste disposal and catastrophic feed-in policy, renewable energy jobs are feed people, and provide vital resources. by renewable energy—the sun, wind, earth, or ocean. A combination of some cars, appliances, and office equip- insurance. Nuclear power is expensive, a up to 200,000, renewable energy is at 12% Examples: Ecuador is seeking international the right policies and the right technologies can get us there. Here are ment to be recyclable. potential target for terrorism, and a source of total energy production, and annual help to preserve virgin forests, home of our picks for the best (and a few of the worst) ideas: of nuclear weapons materials. installation of solar PV systems exceeds indigenous peoples. (See page 25.)

those in all other countries combined. Caution: Forests should be managed to enhance local ecosystems, indigenous control, and water and soil conservation. Livable Communities lent of burning about 100 lbs. of coal. Coal Plants What: Compact communities where Examples: Australia is banning the sale people can walk, bike, or take the bus. What: Allow new coal plants only after Localize Economies of incandescent bulbs as of 2010, and Why: This is the most efficient way to live. sequestration technology is proven What: Make, service, buy, and sell locally Canada, as of 2012. Brazil has replaced It builds community and improves quality Put a Price on Carbon and required, and only if mountain-top whenever possible. half its bulbs with CFs. New York is replac- Tax Credits for of life, especially for youth and elderly. What: Carbon pollution costs the pol- removal is ended. Meanwhile, clean up and Why: Cuts the climate costs of long-range ing traffic lights with ultra-efficient LEDs. Renewables And it can have major carbon benefits. luter nothing; all the rest of us pay the increase efficiency of old coal plants—or transport. Local economies support long- What: Tax credits for those who install Examples: Most of Europe, where quality price. Carbon taxes and “cap & trade” shut them down. term jobs, living within ecological means, climate-friendly technology. of life is high and emissions are half those mechanisms make it expensive to be a Why: Coal-fired plants account for 70% of diverse cultural expression, resilience, and Why: A tax credit makes renewables of the United States. carbon polluter (see page 43 for how to do decentralized power. greenhouse gas emissions from electricity affordable and builds the market to cap-and-trade right). Carbon taxes can be Make Fuels from Waste Also: Use scarce energy for essential production. Technology to safely capture achieve economies of scale. matched by reductions in income taxes to What: Transform landfill methane, transport, not for shipping Florida oranges CO2 from the coal stack remains unproven. Examples: A tax credit of up to $2,000, offset the higher prices consumers pay for animal manure, or straw and other agri- to California. Examples: Germany has cut coal use by available under the U.S. Energy Policy Act energy and energy-intensive products. cultural wastes into fuel. over a third since 1990 through increased of 2005, helped to achieve a growth rate Why: Making carbon emissions expensive Why: These produce energy without efficiency and by substituting wind power. encourages a switch to less carbon-inten- competing with food production. sive energy. Methane capture reduces emissions of Build Smart Grids Examples: Sweden taxes CO2 emissions, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent What: It’s like the Internet, only for carbon-based fuels, and domestic flights, than CO2. electricity. Smart grids can transport elec- and cut taxes for labor and green fuels. Cautions: Genetically modified microbes Food-Based Biofuels tricity from many, decentralized sources— designed to break down cell walls in order What: Ethanol, palm oil, soy oil, and other including wind, solar, and other sources to convert agricultural waste into food crops yield little net energy, drive up whose output varies over time—to where a fuel are possible sources of life- food costs, use up scarce fresh water, and the demand is, in real time. destroying super bugs. Also, in some cases, harm the environment. Why: Smart grids facilitate transition to Ban the Bulb agricultural waste may be more valuable Also: A new study shows that just under renewable energy and vehicle-to-grid stor- What: Ban incandescent bulbs. as organic fertilizer, displacing artificial half the biofuels studied cause more age schemes (see page 37). Why: Changing a 100-watt bulb to a com- nitrogen fertilizers that emit nitrous environmental disruption than fossil fuel pact fluorescent (CF) bulb cuts the equiva- oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas. burning.

34 YES! Spring 2008 :::: www.yesmagazine.org www.yesmagazine.org :::: YES! Spring 2008 35 ISSUE 45 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

The U.S. emits the equivalent of 7.26 gigatonnes of CO2 annually.

Our transportation contributes 2.01 gigatonnes of that.

Ian Page-Echols, v8media.com

Of the original 1,115 EV1’s WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT produced in 1997, only 40 or so still exist. These were disabled The Secret Lives by General Motors and given to universities and museums with TRANSPORTATION the stipulation that they not be of Plug-ins driven as electric vehicles. en years ago, many people thought the transporta- 10-fold. In transit-friendly cities, buses have GPS and elec- Passionate and eclectic alliances tion fuel of the future would be hydrogen. Then came tronic timetables, so you know exactly when they’ll come. wildfire of demand for plug-in hybrids. Tthe hopes of biofuels. Today, both dreams have gone, We need to make a huge public investment in transit, bus are fueling hybrid passion, and, Why are they so driven to plug in fallen to the reality of their full life-cycle energy equations rapid transit (like light rail transit, but on regular roads) and their cars? And why the surge of activ- and unsustainable sources. luxury commuter coaches with laptop plug-ins and frappuc- well ... it’s electric ity around plug-in vehicles in the past There will still be a role for hydrogen, and for biofuel cinos. If 20 percent of our trips are thus, that’s a cumulative year? where it can be harvested sustainably from sewage, algae, 35 percent reduction, but since hybrid buses still need liquid People concerned about climate seaweed and prairie grass. The emerging winner, however, fuel, we’ll call it 30 percent. Sherry Boschert and SUVs that California clean-air change like the idea of moving away is electricity. The electric vehicle, far from being dead, is Add teleworking and teleconferencing for 5 percent, regulators forced automakers to pro- from gasoline-powered cars and trucks, being reborn as both pure electric (EV) by Tesla, G-Wiz, and trains and high speed trains for 5 percent, and ridesharing Marc Geller of San Francisco has duce between 1996 and 2003. As told which produce 33 percent of U.S. green- Modec and as a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). for 5 percent, and we’ve reduced our liquid fuel need by 45 driven gasoline-free in electric cars for in the 2006 documentary Who Killed house gas emissions. Groups like the Our exploration of post-carbon travel should start with percent. Now turn to cars. Since 80 percent of the car trips six years and more than 65,000 miles. the Electric Car?, once the state’s Zero Rainforest Action Network and Global our legs, however. Our ancestors walked all around the we take are within battery range of an EV or PHEV, this A sales rep for a solar installer, he of- Emission Vehicle Regulation in 2003 Exchange have formed an unusual al- planet, so let us reclaim the right to walk in safety and can further reduce our need for liquid fuel. If we use mod- ten travels hundreds of miles in a day no longer mandated electric cars, the liance with conservative organizations beauty on our Earth. Let us redesign our communities and ern lightweight materials, trimming a vehicle’s weight by without using a drop of oil. car companies reclaimed the leased that see liberation from foreign oil as suburbs with winding lanes that lead to woodlands and vil- as much as 80 percent, demand falls to around 5 percent, Felix Kramer of Redwood City, cars and crushed them for scrap. a necessary step in improving national lage stores. If 5 percent of our post-carbon travel is by foot, which could be covered by biofuels from wastes or algae. California drives a Toyota Prius he had Geller co-founded the nonprofit Plug security. Former CIA Director and de- that’s a 5 percent reduction in our need for liquid fuel. To reduce the need for long-distance trucking, we must converted to a plug-in hybrid—one In America (www.PlugInAmerica.org) fense hawk James Woolsey (whose own Next comes the bicycle. In Copenhagen, Denmark, rebuild our local economies to meet most of our needs, and that, unlike standard hybrids, plugs and helped lead a grassroots protest home is partly solar-powered) calls the 33 percent of commuters bike to work. In Davis, California, use hydrogen-enhanced hybrid biofueled trucks for what’s into a regular 110-volt wall socket for movement that saved more than 1,000 campaign for plug-in cars an alliance of where they have been building bike routes since the 1960s, left. For ocean shipping, the answer may be wind-powered recharging overnight. Kramer typically of the vehicles, one of which he drives hawks, tree huggers, do-gooders, reli- 17 percent of commuters do the same. In Paris, the govern- SkySails and hydrogen harvested on mid-ocean platforms gets more than 100 miles per gallon in today. gious evangelicals, and farmers (whose ment has placed 20,000 Vélib’ (“vélo liberté,” or “bicycle from the sun, wind and waves. For flying, maybe slow biofu- daily driving. Kramer wanted a car that used elec- biofuels could be the backup fuel to freedom”) bikes on the city’s streets for anyone to use for a eled helium dirigibles, but otherwise, no easy answers. Both men say that driving on electricity, but he didn’t want to stop every electricity in plug-in hybrids). small charge. If your muscles ache, a quick electric con- A hundred years ago, most people were either walking, or tricity has not inconvenienced them. 120-250 miles to recharge, as electric Many environmentalists had to over- version will make your bike fly up the hills. In snow-clad riding a horse. The carbon age has provided us with a step- It’s been easier, in fact, because they cars must. Plug-in hybrids go 10-60 come an initial fear that driving on winters, cyclists ride with studded tires. If 10 percent of our ping stone between the past and the future. It is time to step seldom or never have to stop at a gas miles on electricity but also have a electricity would be dirtier than driv- trips are by bike, that’s a cumulative 15 percent reduction. off it, and into the future. station. gasoline tank and engine, so that they ing on gasoline, since more than half Then there’s transit. Boulder, Colorado, has redesigned —Guy Dauncey The hard part was getting the cars. operate like conventional hybrids for of U.S. electricity comes from coal, a its service to make the buses smaller and more frequent— www.YesMagazine.org/coolcars Geller and thousands of other driv- long distance driving. Kramer founded notorious polluter. That fear turned increasing ridership five-fold. Hasselt, Belgium, has made for links and other resources ers were clamoring to buy the more the nonprofit California Cars Initiative out to be unfounded. Dozens of stud- its buses free, paid for by city taxes—increasing ridership than 5,000 leased electric cars, trucks (www.CalCars.org), which generated a ies have shown that all-electric vehicles »

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» are cleaner than conventional cars, hybrids, or futuristic hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles even if you count pollution from power plants as well as from tail- pipes (called well-to-wheels emissions). The Natural Resources Defense Council teamed up in 2007 with the Electric Power Research Institute to AMANDA KOVATtANA amandakovattana.blogspot.com release the most detailed and sophisti- cated study of electric drive ever done. Sherry Boschert offers Sierra Club convention-goers a test Plug-in hybrids can decrease green- ride in an electric car. She was competing with automakers house gas emissions by 7 percent to 46 who had paid convention organizers $3,000 per car for the percent between 2010 and 2050 com- right to offer rides in their green cars. pared with gas cars and conventional hybrids, depending on such variables could be stored in the batteries, either demand power plants, which tend to as number of hybrids on the road and for driving or for use by other parts of be the dirtiest. National security hawks carbon emissions from the grid. The society through V2B and V2G. cheer the move away from petroleum more it runs on electricity, the clean- The Sacramento, California, and the fact that every building with er the car. (See www.epri-reports.org.) Municipal Utility District estimated, solar panels and every plug-in car with In fact, driving an all-electric vehicle for example, that plug-in cars with V2G constitutes “distributed” energy cuts greenhouse gas emissions up to V2G capability in just 39 percent of that is less vulnerable to terrorist attack 65 percent, according to my review of local households could store enough than a centralized power plant. more than 40 studies on well-to-wheels wind power on summer nights to Today, advocates like Geller and emissions. feed the grid 1,500 MWh of electric- Kramer are encouraged by the grow- And as more clean, renewable power ity—about half the demand for a peak ing momentum for plug-in cars like gets added to the electrical grid—some- hour of summer cooling. Wireless the ones they drive every day, and thing that has to happen to have any communication systems would leave frustrated at the same time. New plug- hope of mitigating climate change— enough charge in the car for driving. ins probably won’t be available from plug-in vehicles will get even cleaner. Utilities might even pay drivers up major automakers until 2009, but a That’s just the start of the benefits of front for the power, leading Federal number of small companies hope to plugging in. The Federal Energy Regu- Energy Regulatory Commissioner Jon offer conversions of hybrids to plug-in latory Commission and utilities across Wellinghoff to dub plug-in cars “cash- hybrids starting in 2008. Meanwhile, the United States are studying plug- back hybrids.” consumers needn’t sit quietly and wait, in cars equipped to feed some of the Drivers, utilities, environmental- says Geller—they can help ensure that electricity stored in car batteries back ists, and national security hawks all see plug-ins hit the road and avoid political to buildings or to the grid if needed. something to like in plug-in vehicles. detours. The most exciting application of this Consumers might make a profit of The more people who call the car vehicle-to-building (V2B) or vehicle-to- $400-$2,500 per year by buying less companies at the phone numbers grid (V2G) technology is to store inter- gasoline and having V2G contracts, listed at www.PlugInAmerica.org and mittent renewable energy like wind or Wellinghoff estimates. Utilities are say they don’t want gasoline-dependent solar power. interested in V2G because it can help cars, the sooner we’ll see plug-ins, he The sun doesn’t always shine, and “level” demand for electricity, shifting suggests. “Tell them, ‘I won’t buy an- the wind doesn’t always blow, mak- some demand to nights and reducing other new car unless it has a plug on it. ing it hard for society to rely on these peak strain on power plants during the No plug? No deal,’” says Geller. “Then ubiquitous forms of renewable power. day. Environmentalists like the ideas of we’ll get these cars.” y The wind tends to blow mostly at increasing renewable power use (the Sherry Boschert is author of Plug-in Hybrids: The night, when few people are awake to U.S. Department of Energy estimated Cars That Will Recharge America (New Society Pub- use wind power. Nighttime also hap- that V2G cars could more than double lishers) and is on the board of Plug In America. pens to be the time when plug-in cars our access to wind power) and of re- www.YesMagazine.org/electriccar tend to be recharged. Wind power ducing reliance on conventional peak- to see the trailer for Who Killed The Electric Car?

38 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org Total global emissions are the equivalent of 31.6 gigatonnes of CO2 annually.

The world’s agricultural meat industry contributes 5.7 gigatonnes of that, and 6.3 gigatonnes comes from forest destruction.

WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT Food & forests

he farm industries that put beef, pork, and dairy on black charcoal soil that stores huge quantities of carbon our dinner tables account for 18 percent of global while making the land more fertile (see page 42). Tgreenhouse emissions—a larger share than all the As we enter the post-carbon world, we must learn how world’s transportation. to reharmonize farming and forestry with nature’s carbon Animal agriculture unleashes some of the most bane- cycles. ful greenhouse gases—methane from cows’ stomachs —Guy Dauncey (25 times stronger than CO2) and nitrous oxide from ani- Interested? Read about journalist Alan Weisman’s journey to remote Gaviotas mal manure and the use of nitrogen fertilizer (298 times at www.yesmagazine.org/gaviotas more potent than CO2). And too often, both cows and animal feed are raised on slashed and burned rainforest land, www.YesMagazine.org/foodandforests for links and other resources releasing more CO2. The solution lies on our dinner plates. We need to eat less meat and dairy, turning instead to the tastes, pleasures, and health benefits of vegetarian food. If locally grown and organic, so much the better, since organic farming stores carbon in the soil, and eating locally grown reduces the carbon emissions from shipping. Research shows that organic farming can produce as much food as industrialized farming in the developed world and increase yields two to three- fold in developing countries (because many of their existing farming methods are less productive to begin with). The destruction of the world’s tropical rainforests releases 17 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. We must go out of our way to protect the forests in the Amazon, Congo, and Indonesia by buying threatened forests, placing them in trust for indigenous inhabitants, and paying for policing against illegal loggers. Gaviotas, a social experiment in the barren savannah lands of eastern Colombia, provides one inspiring model. The visionary Gavioteros have created a thriving carbon-neutral community complete with hospital, solar water treat- ment plant, and wind turbines. By planting trees, they have DAGMAR NELSON, MILKAWAY.SMUGMUG.COM begun changing local rainfall cycles and restoring ancient rainforest—all in what was an almost uninhabitable land- Eighteen percent of the climate change problem is associated with scape, proving that anything is possible. raising, feeding, and transporting meat. Cutting back on meat Another miracle goes by the name terra preta—rich, consumption is a way to immediately reduce climate impact.

www.yesmagazine.org :: YES! Spring 2008 39 ISSUE 45 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

Appalachia

HHFF roanoke times Down a Greener Road Jason Rutledge’s Healing Harvest Forest Foundation is one of the regional initiatives promoting responsible forestry in the Appalachians. He uses horse-powered forestry and ecosystem science “to address human needs for Slowly—but Surely forest products while creating a nurturing coexistence between the forest and the human community.” Putting the Trees Before the Horse Madeline Ostrander Healing Harvest Forest Foundation combines old and new. Its More than a decade ago, when farm- approved by the health department and climate-friendly sustainable forest prac- supermarkets, and other retail venues forestry practitioners rely on horse-drawn carts, which may seem quaint, but their logging techniques are inspired by some of the ers, loggers, and entrepreneurs from available to local farmers and chefs tices to 14,000 acres of timberland, with sustainable food, wood, and other best ideas in forest science. Workhorses can selectively take Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, for new business ventures that use re- letting trees grow older and manag- products. The vast majority of these out trees more gently than machines, leaving young understory and West Virginia set out to re-energize products are selling regionally within gional food. A second kitchen incubator ing soil to store more carbon. CAN poplars and oaks intact so they can mature into the next timber a 400-mile radius, reducing shipping flagging local economies, they weren’t launched a few years later in Tennessee, partners have also raised $3 million of giants. Healing Harvest trains apprentices to cut the “worst first.” by 75 percent or more. The essential thinking about climate change. They in a renovated former primary school. ginseng under forest shade. New floor- Trees prone to insect infestation—with cracks, dead limbs, and were creating jobs and building com- These two facilities hatched hundreds ing businesses have sprouted, using infrastructure for regional, sustain- scars—become saw logs and pallet lumber. Occasionally, practi- munities. But as they rediscovered local of businesses and generated millions of sustainable wood dried in solar and able economies is emerging, including tioners harvest high-grade logs from “worst first” trees for furni- living, they set in motion a regional dollars in organic, local sales. wood-waste kilns. produce packinghouses and regional ture and flooring. The strategy promotes “all ages” forests, with economy that can last in a low-carbon CAN’s strategies have yielded power- They created an art and farmers’ distribution networks. 50-year-old trees next to saplings, creating a diverse ecosystem world. They formed the Central Appa- ful results. In Virginia and Tennessee, market where several hundred West It’s not just “foodies” and “hippie that supports wildlife and healthy soils. lachian Network (CAN) to reinvest in former tobacco growers turned to or- Virginia artisans now sell pottery, wood, farmers,” but working families, low- “When practicing restorative forestry … we believe we are cre- their region’s ecology and people. ganic vegetables. Soils at organic farms, and food. West Virginia stores, eager to income seniors, farmers, and entre- ating a ‘carbon positive’ method,” says Healing Harvest president Central Appalachia is rich in ecologi- according to Rodale Institute research, cash in on new business opportunities, preneurs who together are creating Jason Rutledge. “We grow the healthiest trees to as large as pos- cal capital: hardwood forests, rivers, capture carbon (bound up in compost began featuring their local wares. everyday products for ordinary folks. sible, increasing carbon storage.” and productive farmland. For more and organic matter) and keep it out of CAN partners now operate loan At a farmers’ market, a patron of- than a century, Appalachian wealth has the atmosphere. And the vegetables funds that support environmentally fered this reflection on the region’s Interested? www.healingharvestforestfoundation.org been overused and undervalued—with now make shorter trips that use less and socially responsible businesses. To burgeoning green economy: “I used to www.YesMagazine.org/Rutledge timber, coal, and tobacco shipped to fuel. These growers now sell thousands date, CAN has invested more than $14 think ‘living green’ was just about what Jason Rutledge’s vision of a sustainable Appalachia distant markets, leaving behind local of cases of local organic fruits and million in local businesses whose prod- I had to give up, but now I feel like my communities wrestling with poverty vegetables and free-range eggs every ucts range from solar hot water heaters life is much richer because of it.” and ecological devastation. week. The high quality “seconds” from to arctic char, a freshwater fish that can Anthony Flaccavento, executive director of In 1997, CAN partners opened the these farms reach low-income families be raised in reclaimed mine pits. Appalachian Sustainable Development—a member region’s first “kitchen incubator” in through a partnership with a food bank. More than 1,000 farms and small organization of CAN—contributed substantially to Athens, Ohio, a shared kitchen space Several CAN groups have brought businesses now provide 750 grocers, the content and ideas in this piece.

40 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org www.yesmagazine.org :: YES! Spring 2008 41 ISSUE 45 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

Terra Preta, a Solution Buried in the Dirt

Brooke Jarvis

With so many nutrients caught up in the and returned to the soil can remain sta- life cycles of lush forest plants, most soil ble for hundreds and even thousands of in the Amazon Basin is nutrient-poor years—keeping carbon out of the atmo- clay. But throughout the region, pock- sphere far longer than other, more cycli- ets of fertile, dark soil (“terra preta” in cal biological sinks like no-till farming Portuguese) can be found. or planting trees. Terra preta is the product of slash-and- The challenge with agrichar (as mod- char agriculture practiced centuries ago ern bio-charcoal is called) is to avoid the by indigenous farmers who baked wood negative side effects that plague many to charcoal and worked it into the soil. Cen- biofuels. Producing biomass for agrichar turies later, the soil they created remains the doesn’t have to come at the cost of deforest region’s most fertile farmland: productivity is ation or increased industrial farming. Instead, higher, far less fertilizer and fallow time are required, the millions of tons of agricultural waste discarded and soils support a larger variety of more nutritious crops. every year—plus municipal and yard waste, manure, and But the real reason that terra preta is big news today is that even, potentially, sewage—can be used, much of their car- these dark soils represent the possibility of natural, long- bon sequestered for centuries rather than returning quickly term carbon sequestration, a way to return some of the car- to the atmosphere as CO2. bon once stored in fossil fuels back to the ground. In addition to reducing the amount of carbon circulating Carbon in charcoal does not reoxidize to become CO2, into the atmosphere, agrichar also creates some handy by- as does the carbon stored in plants when they decompose. products: bio-oil and gases that can be used to generate heat Nearly half of the carbon content of biomass that is charred and electricity.

The Amazing Power of Green Slime

Margit Christenson

Soybeans and corn have long domin The oil in algae can be converted into ated the biofuels arena, leaving unas- biodiesel and its carbohydrate components suming, unicellular algae overlooked into ethanol. Both burn cleaner than coal as a viable energy crop. Far more effi- or petroleum, and neither relies on defor- cient than their agricultural counter- estation and land depletion like most bio- parts, algae are also a biological sink, fuels. While an acre of oil-palm trees, now consuming the carbon dioxide we spew the world’s largest source of biodiesel, pro- into the atmosphere. The more CO2 duces approximately 650 gallons of oil, al- algae consume, the more they reproduce gae has the potential to produce more than and grow into a rich source for biofuels, 10,000 gallons of oil per acre. forming a beautiful, green, and gooey cycle. Start-up costs are high to mass-produce al- The vitality of algae relies on carbon dioxide. gae, a plant that’s fussy about temperature and C02 emissions from industrial plants can be pumped levels of CO2. But the payoff could be vast. through algal screens, reducing emissions into the atmo- Michael Briggs of the University of New Hampshire sphere by 40 to 80 percent and feeding one of the most ef- Biodiesel Group hypothesizes in his 2004 report that one- ficient biofuel sources known to scientists.T he captured CO2 eighth of the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern United emissions are released when the algae biofuel is burned, but States, if dedicated to algae farming, could supply the trans- because the CO2 waste is recycled, it replaces a fossil fuel. portation fuel needs of the United States.

42 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org Claim Your Piece of the Sky —It’s Going Fast

davis ayer

Peter Barnes How Carbon he atmosphere is different from In 2005, the European Union was less private property—all living beings Capping Works successful when it applied the sulfur Tshare it, which makes it a com- If done right, a descending economy- model to carbon. Big companies used mons. But that doesn’t stop corporations wide carbon cap is the single best their political clout to get free permits, from trying to privatize it by persuading tool to fight climate change. which led to huge windfalls for them, Congress to grant them free pollution If done wrong, a cap won’t reduce and higher prices for everyone else, and rights in the future, becoming, in effect, emissions sufficiently and will transfer no reduction in carbon emissions. landlords of our common sky. hundreds of billions of dollars from Europe’s experience shows that cap- Who should own the sky? Polluting families to corporate polluters. ping carbon can generate large private corporations? The government? Or all windfalls or equally large public rev- of us as co-owners? How we answer enues, depending on how it is set up. this question will determine the kind of The right way • Cover all carbon as it enters the carbon capping system we have. How to Cap Carbon economy Carbon capping comes in three vari- • Sell permits rather than giving The Right Price for Carbon them away free eties: In cap-and-giveaway, permits are From a climate perspective, we want • Allow no offsets given free to historic polluters, leading carbon prices to be as high as possible: • Rebate permit revenue to indi to high windfalls for these companies. the higher the carbon price, the less viduals in the form of dividends In cap-and-auction, permits are sold dirty coal we’ll burn, and the more we’ll to polluters, and the government col- invest in clean alternatives like wind lects the revenue. In cap-and-dividend, and solar power. The wrong way permits are also sold, but the income At present, the price of emitting car- • Exempt sectors or industries doesn’t go to the government—it goes bon is zero. The right price of carbon is • Give polluters free permits to all of us equally. This would be the price that maintains climate stabil- • Put the burden of higher energy similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund, ity. Capping carbon (without allowing costs on families which draws from an investment fund offsets) will move us toward that price. built with state oil income to pay all A carbon cap functions through Alaskans equal yearly dividends. the issuance of permits, the number The cap-and-dividend system reduces of which is reduced each year. As the carbon emissions while protecting number of carbon permits falls, their would face border fees, which would household incomes. The system works price rises, and this spurs investment in financially protect climate-friendly by auctioning permits and returning the clean alternatives. manufacturers and workers. revenue to all residents equally. Since Carbon permits can be traded, giving This falling carbon cap is the best everyone gets the same amount back, businesses flexibility in reducing emis- way to guarantee a pre-determined you gain if you conserve and lose if you sions. To simplify the capping process, decrease in carbon emissions by a pre- guzzle. The winners are thus everyone carbon would be capped where it enters determined date. That’s because it’s who conserves fossil fuel—plus our chil- the economy, not where it enters the an absolute limit on emissions, rather dren who inherit a stable climate. y atmosphere. This could be easily admin than just an incentive or a regulation. istered because only a few hundred com- The idea of pollutant cap and trade got Peter Barnes is a writer, senior fellow at the Tomales its first major test with theC lean Air Act Bay Institute, and former president of Working panies bring fossil fuels into the U.S. or Assets Long Distance. This article was excerpted “produce” it here. Imports of products of 1990, which cut sulfur-dioxide emis- from Climate Solutions: A Citizen’s Guide (Chelsea from countries with low carbon prices sions and is widely considered a success. Green, 2008).

www.yesmagazine.org :: YES! Spring 2008 43 ISSUE 45 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS Brooke Jarvis and Doug Pibel eet the Joneses. They’re your average U.S. energy consumers. They haven’t yet up- graded to energy-efficient appliances, their house needs better insulation, and they keep Count Your Carbon The Rest of the Story theM place as cool in the summer and warm in the winter Want to keep up with the Joneses? The Joneses only changed their as most Americans do. The two adults commute 30 miles Here are the numbers we used. housing and transport habits. each per day, in separate cars with average fuel efficiency, Use them to find—then shrink— How can you go further? and every year they each drive an additional 4,500 miles your own carbon footprint. Eat meatless. For every day of running errands and taking their child to soccer games CO2 output, the week you skip meat, you’ll Beyond and violin practice. The family takes one vacation trip per in pounds save 215 lbs. per year. year, flying to visit grandparents 1,350 miles away. How Gallon of gas 19.36 Buy local. Most food eaten in much CO2 do their house and cars produce? We figure it Gallon of fuel oil or diesel 22.38 the U.S. has traveled 1,500 miles at 60,000 pounds, or 10 tons for each family member. Kilowatt hour of electricity 1.43 to your plate. Lately, though, the Joneses have been reading about cli- (national average) Be a low-impact consumer. Lightbulbs mate change, and they’re getting worried. Ecological crisis Therm of natural gas 11.71 Choose local products, reduce has never felt so urgent before. Even little Joey Jones is Gallon of propane 12.67 the stuff you buy, and save em- talking greenhouse gases—he learned at school that sci- Per passenger: bedded energy by buying used. The Jones Household Goes entists are predicting a worldwide climate catastrophe that Airplane mile 1.28 Reduce waste. Stop junk mail, START will change the rest of his life, unless we stop the worst Train mile 0.42 reduce packaging, and reduce HERE effects by making big changes in the next ten years. The Long-distance bus mile 0.18 Carbon Free in 10 Years the 2,020 lbs. each American’s Joneses decide: change is necessary, and they’re ready to Local mass transit mile 0.50 Year 1 waste produces annually. do their part. But how much can they really do? A lot, it Electric bike mile 0.02 turns out. Avoid the McMansion. A A Big Difference In 10 years, without sacrificing their way of life, the smaller house saves a lot of from Small Changes Jones family eliminates the CO2 emissions that their carbon: on average, 11.4 lbs. of The family starts off with home and transportation used to create—the bulk of their CO2 per square foot per year. easy changes: They wash carbon footprint. clothes in cold water and air dry them in the sum- Year 2 mer, replace incandes- Year 3 cent bulbs with compact Home Improvement fluorescents (CFLs), House and Car Year 6 turn off their computer They stop donating Year 10 when not in use. That’s Year 9 so much heat to the The bus commute’s gone Green Power an instant, virtually free outdoors: attic and base- well, so Mr. Jones now Hot and Cold savings of 6,200 pounds Electric Bikes ment insulation, sealing buses to work all the They improve their The Joneses’ furnace of CO2. They make one and insulating heat time. They’ve worked Year 4 water system, includ- While the Joneses have has been groaning simple transportation Year 7 ducts, and patching the on consolidating trips ing insulating their hot been on this journey, and working overtime. change: One of the adults large air leaks typical of outside work, and find Shed Carbon water heater and their Year 8 their town has responded They replace it with commutes by bus three Close to Home standard construction they can do without the on Vacation Year 5 pipes, and also lower to citizen pressure and an electric heat pump, days a week—enough saves them a whopping second car altogether. the temperature of Grandma and Grandpa A Few More Things gone bike friendly. The which also cools the to see whether it can be Car Upgrade 7,100 pounds. These That’s 5,900 pounds gone. Instead of flying for their water heater: 1,000 retire and move nearby. Around the House new bike paths make it house in summer. They done, but keeping the sec- savings aren’t free up They finish weatherproof- their annual vacation, Time to replace the car. pounds down. When the The Joneses now vacation An efficient clothes easy for both to ride to also buy certified green, ond car just in case. That’s front, but the savings in ing their house: beefing the Joneses take the Thanks to consumer old refrigerator kicks within the range of their washer saves carbon on work. To ease the hills, renewable power from worth another 2,200 heating and cooling bills up wall insulation, train: a leisurely way to demand, electric cars the bucket, the Joneses electric car, saving 3,300 its own, and saves dryer they buy electric bikes. their electric company, pounds. They’re down will repay the cost over weatherizing doors and save 7,200 pounds every have become widely buy a new energy-ef- pounds of CO2 each year. time. With all the money There are four months of and the switch from coal to 51,600 pounds and it time. Besides, Mrs. Jones windows, and upgrad- year. (If they took the available, and they buy ficient one and finally The city converts its bus they’re saving, they the year when they can’t plants eliminates the hasn’t cost them anything is handy with home ing to high performance bus, they’d save even one. Even charging on unplug a second fridge fleet to clean electricity, decide it’s time to invest bike, so they continue remaining 8,300 pounds but the price of the CFLs repair, and does a lot of windows. Another 1,800 more.) They’re at 29,600 dirty power, they save in the garage, knocking which saves another in a solar hot water sys- their usual commute pat- of CO2 produced by and a clothesline. They’re this work herself. Down pounds disappear. pounds per year—half- 9,000 pounds. Household off another 1,300. Total 1,200 pounds. They’re tem. Total: 2,000. Leaving terns then. Savings: 3,500. the electricity for their actually saving money. to 44,500 per year. They’re at 36,800. way there a year early. total is now 20,600. remaining: 18,300. down to 13,800. 11,800. Total remaining: 8,300. house and car.

60,000 lbs 51,600 lbs 44,500 lbs 36,800 lbs 29,600 lbs 20,600 lbs 18,300 lbs 13,800 lbs 11,800 lbs 8,300 lbs 8,400 lbs 7,100 lbs 7,700 lbs 7,200 lbs 9,000 lbs 2,300 lbs 4,500 lbs 2,000 lbs 3,500 lbs 8,300 lbs 51,600 lbs 44,500 lbs 36,800 lbs 29,600 lbs 20,600 lbs 18,300 lbs 13,800 lbs 11,800 lbs 8,300 lbs 0 lbs

Sources: Rocky Mountain Institute, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, University of Chicago. 44 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org Illustration by Kayann Legg / I-S www.yesmagazine.org :: YES! Spring 2008 45 ISSUE 45 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

years old, in South Africa helping draft the Youth Caucus activists. We experience our power, and we feel the love Energy Policy. It was not the first time I had learned about for one another. The movement is alive and breathing the climate change, but it was the first time the impacts felt smoggy air all around us. real to me. I listened to youth that had their own personal The momentum is building. My generation outnumbers stories of the impacts of climate change in their lives. I the baby-boomers by 3 million, and we are the largest age Leading theWay watched political leaders negotiate my future in a haphaz- group in the United States. We are in every congressional ard way. This scared me to my core, and it became clear to district, and polls show that youth are coming out to vote in me that something needed to be done. larger numbers than ever before. As U.S. leaders take half-measures or worse, During the next years, I worked with those same youth, And we are organizing. Here in the United States, if youth, evangelicals, mayors, and others step into the void and many others, to develop the Energy Action Coalition, our representatives are not doing their job to push for which unites a diversity of youth-led organizations to cre- bold and just climate solutions for all peoples then they ate just climate solutions on campuses, in communities, should start browsing the job ads to get ready for Novem- and nationally. ber 2008. That same coalition went on to create the Campus We must each carry this burning fire within us as we Climate Challenge, a campaign on over 700 campuses and work in our local communities, remembering to tend it high schools in support of just climate solutions. and take care of ourselves so that it does not burn out. Our It was many of the same youth who were among the movement stays strong when we are strong. So, share your group that envisioned and brought to life Power Shift dinners, your fears, and your hopes. Love those around 2007, the first national youth summit aimed at solving the you, so we can truly have a power shift. climate crisis. Shadia Fayne Wood, 20, is editor of itsgettinghotinhere.org, Dispatches from Youth are motivated. We have the raw passion, the edge, the Global Youth Climate Movement, and an organizer and photo-journalist. and now—through skill shares, youth-led conferences, panel discussions, and the largest youth convergence on climate change in history—we have the skills and the knowledge to make our vision a reality. As youth, we are literally fighting for our lives. We are Evangelicals from communities already feeling the impact of climate change, and we are from the generation that has the most to lose. & Climate Scientists We are scared of the destabilization in our climate, but we also see this as an opportunity to shift our society and Genesis of an unlikely alliance Shadia Fayne Wood to be allies to the people who are especially affected by At Power Shift 2007 in November, young people put climate change—communities of color, indigenous com- Calvin B. Dewitt politicians on notice. They want action, not more rhetoric, munities, and low-income communities. on an issue that will define their lives. Youth are tired of living in a broken system built on Twenty-eight senior evangelical leaders and world- the back of racism. And we are ready for this opportunity renowned climate scientists took a leap of faith when they to change the systems to actually serve the people—all met at Melhana, a secluded Georgia plantation, in December people. 2006. and then just turned away as her little girl gaped up at In November, 6,000 of us gathered in Washington, Years of politically charged dissent over evolution had Youth Feel the Power the photo. D.C., for Power Shift 2007. What was it like? distanced the mostly pro-Bush, socially conservative evan- They have the most to lose, I was floored. This, in a nutshell, is how youth are left to Power Shift 2007 was a transformation we could feel in gelicals from scientists—and the case for preventing global but they’ve got the energy to win deal with a problem that we had little part in creating. our stomachs. We talked late into the night, questioning warming. But the Melhana group had reasons to believe I wanted to kneel down beside this child and tell her that what we knew and speaking truth to what we are build- that understanding between the two sides was possible. I’m sorry. I’m sorry that we now have to fight for our future. ing. We participated in the largest lobby day on global Reverend Richard Cizik, a leader with the National Asso Shadia Fayne Wood I’m sorry that children her age are already dying from the warming, demanding that any climate legislation include ciation of Evangelicals and organizer of the Melhana meet- impacts of climate change and from the extraction, pro- 5 million new green jobs, a moratorium on coal-fired ing, had converted from a climate skeptic to a believer four “Mama, what’s that?” a little girl urgently asked her cessing, and use of dirty energy in New Orleans, in Iraq, in power plants, and a reduction in fossil fuel emissions of years previously at a Christian environmental forum. As he mother. I was visiting the National Museum of Natural Detroit, on Native American reservations, and the list goes 80 percent by 2050 and 40 percent by 2020. This is not heard evidence of shrinking ice caps and increasing hur- History one morning in Washington, D.C., when I on. I wanted to explain why, because that is at least what is the ideal; this is what is necessary. We danced on the front ricane intensity, he had an experience “not unlike my ear- overheard this conversation. owed to us. lawn of the Capitol of the United States of America. We lier conversion to Christ,” he says. Cizik has since fought “It’s a polar bear, honey,” her mother said after looking at And I wanted to tell her that she’s not alone. There’s a poured in from all over the country and from different staunch opposition within the evangelical movement to a giant photograph of a polar bear clinging to the remains whole world of youth mobilizing around this issue, and we parts of the world to be part of it. Power Shift 2007 was speak out for action on climate change. of an iceberg in the midst of the vast ocean. are only getting stronger. excitement palpable enough to wear. The tension between the climate scientists and evangeli- “Why is everything melting, mama?” Looking at her The Youth Climate Movement began for me at the World Whether we are gathering in the thousands, hundreds, cals dissolved at Melhana. “We quickly came to realize that daughter, the mother seemed to ponder the question, Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. I was 15 or by the handful, we are realizing our potential as climate we shared exactly the same reverence and the same con- »

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Mayors Stand Up Cities lead where feds fear to tread Madeline Ostrander

In the vacuum left by federal inaction on climate change, social movements have launched in unexpected places—including city hall. In 2005, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels rallied mayors across the country to commit to Kyoto standards in their cities. “We hoped against hope that we would sign up 141 cities, one for every country that had signed onto Kyoto,” Nickels says. But he unleashed a groundswell. Three years later, nearly 800 mayors, representing 1 in 4 Americans, have signed the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Some of the cities most actively pursuing climate protection lie in red states. For instance, in Texas in 2006, a pop!Tech institute FERMI PROJECT, fermiproject.com/q bipartisan coalition of roughly 30 cities and towns fought Van Jones of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights off eight proposed coal-fired power plants—a win driven Rev. Rich Cizik and Majora Carter of Sustainable South discusses the Green Collar Revolution at Pop!Tech 2007. by the fiery energy of Laura Miller, then mayor of Dallas, Bronx discuss environmental stewardship and why who spent three months haranguing on coal in larger cit- Christians should care at the 2007 Q gathering. ies and in towns so tiny they held public hearings in barns. standards, and institute a carbon tax. “I believe it’s time In November, at the Energy Action Coalition’s Power Two hundred miles away in Austin, Mayor Will Wynn has for both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue to come together Shift conference, more than 6,000 bright-eyed students put in place some of the country’s most ambitious climate around a national strategy on climate change and to lead and youth from all over the country converged on Wash- goals: all city operations and new single-family home con- the way on an international strategy,” he said. “And I ington, D.C., to demand bold solutions for the climate struction must be carbon-neutral in less than 15 years, not cern about what is happening to the creation,” said James believe that until they do, it’s our job as mayors to point crisis. Simultaneously, thousands more self-organized in » through offsets but by relying on solar, wind, and biomass. McCarthy, Harvard scientist and president-elect of the the way forward.” small and large groups for the national “Step It Up” day of Other cities on the Nickels climate team have longstand- American Association for the Advancement of Science. Madeline Ostrander served as a program manager and then consultant for action to call for change. ing green reputations. Mayor Richard Daley declared his the U.S. Conference of Mayors Environment Program prior to joining the YES! Together the group drafted an “Urgent Call to Action,” And in December, the president signed a tepid Energy goal to make Chicago “The Greenest City in America” in magazine staff as associate editor. stating, “We believe that the protection of life on Earth … Bill. While the package left many environmental activists 2002, after years of promoting city gardens, green build- requires a new moral awakening to a compelling demand, disappointed—and rightly so—there was at least one provi- ings, and urban renewal. Chicago’s climate program now clearly articulated in Scripture and supported by science … sion tucked into the Energy Bill that should give everyone targets city infrastructure, with plans to meet 20 per- We pledge to work together at every level to lead our nation something to cheer about: The Green Jobs Act of 2007. cent of municipal electricity demand through renewables toward a responsible care for creation.” For the first time in history, a U.S. law addresses both within the next five years. Chicago also claims the highest Green Jobs For All In the year since Melhana, evangelicals have continued the climate crisis and the poverty crisis by investing in installed photovoltaic energy production of any city outside to seek urgent action on global warming. The Evangelical green-collar job training. The Green Jobs Act authorizes California. People left out of the fossil fuel economy Climate Initiative has run a series of ads defining the issue $125 million annually for greening the nation’s workforce, Likewise, Portland, long known for promoting transit, as a moral imperative, and Reverend Jim Ball, representing stand tall in the green economy enough for training up to 30,000 people every year for bicycles, and livability, is one of the first cities to propose a more than 100 evangelical leaders, testified in July before jobs in emerging “green” sectors like the solar and wind carbon tax, targeting builders that fail to meet stringent the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, call- industries, green building construction, biofuel production energy efficiency targets on new construction. Ian Kim ing for a “vigorous response” to climate change, including and more. Even more unprecedented, it allocates $25 mil- Other cities have taken more modest steps toward Kyoto cap-and-trade, a carbon tax, and policies that protect the Global problems demand world-class leadership from lion for “green pathways out of poverty,” providing targeted goals: public education, tree planting, handing out compact poor. In August 2007, Cizik led another group of evangeli- every sector. Fortunately, the right kind of leadership and resources for low-income individuals who have the greatest fluorescents. But their collective action makes the case that cals and scientists through Alaska to witness firsthand organization is emerging to meet the challenges of climate need for training and career pathways in the clean energy more is possible. glacial melting and the devastation of an island village off change. economy. At a November congressional field hearing, the may- the Alaska coast. These new leaders are addressing questions too often Many grassroots and advocacy groups worked hard all ors of Miami, Seattle, New York, and Trenton excoriated The climate of discussion is changing within the evan- overlooked in mainstream debate: Can we build solutions year to achieve this victory, including the Apollo Alliance, the federal government for failing to regulate greenhouse gelical community, giving renewed hope for Earth—a hope that involve and include everyone, especially those most the Workforce Alliance, the Center for American Progress, gases. The hearing concluded a two-day U.S. Conference of that is widely shared by other faiths and communities. vulnerable to the impacts of climate change? How do we the Energy Action Coalition, the Ella Baker Center for Mayors meeting on climate in Seattle, during which New Calvin B. Dewitt is an ecologist, professor, cofounder of the Evangelical provide all people with equal protection from climate disas- Human Rights, and Green For All. The Act’s provisions York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg called on Congress Environmental Network and the Au Sable Institute, and author of Earth-Wise: A ters, as well as equal access to environmental solutions and were inspired by the local successes of grassroots organiza- Biblical Response to Environmental Issues. to fund more clean energy research, raise gas mileage opportunities? tions like Sustainable South Bronx, People’s Grocery, the »

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» Green Worker Cooperatives, and Solar Richmond. which claims 26 communities as members in the They’ve introduced the Totnes pound, a local currency It is especially important to note the growing num- United Kingdom, with 400 more worldwide expressing that has seen 10 thousand one-pound notes go into ber of “eco-equity” champions within Congress: House interest in becoming transition communities—people circulation in the last year. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Representatives George Miller, taking charge of preparing their communities to make a Transition Town initiatives are purely grassroots. John Tierney and Hilda Solis, and Senators Hillary graceful entry into a low-energy world. That is a matter of necessity, since even local govern- Clinton and Bernie Sanders all helped push, pull, and The essence of the Transition Town concept is build- ments are behind the curve on the issue. It is also a carry this victory across the finish line. ing resilience at the community level. As Hopkins matter of preference. If a low-carbon future means To be sure, we still have a long way to go. These points out, it is only in the last half-century that oil has reliance on community resources, no one knows those victories are just the beginning—small down-pay- become the central force in all aspects of our lives, mov- better than the locals. ments on the massive, necessary investments we must ing people, moving food, and removing both the sense The Transition Towns movement responds to the make to curb global warming. of community and the skills for local mutual support. challenges of peak oil, climate change, and sustain- But what you can see here is the start of a dream During World War II, Hopkins says, Victory Gardens ability. Not a happy combination. But, says Hopkins, team of solutioneers—a coalition of some of the were an important part of the food supply. At the time, “It feels to me that one of the reasons the Transi- nation’s best environmentalists, labor union leaders, growing food in the back yard was not a great chal- tion Towns movement has grown so fast is that it is social justice activists, and business entrepreneurs, all lenge—most people were at most a generation away positive in a time where it is hard to find positivity, working together and cultivating strong relationships from some sort of home food production. Those who solutions-based in a time when the problems are so with the right lawmakers. were not had ready access to the knowledge of neigh- glaringly obvious, and fun, in a time where we’re not We need solutions at every level, from people in bors or elders. supposed to have time for that any more.” every sector, if we are to save ourselves from the cli- In the years since World War II, we’ve so absorbed Doug Pibel is YES! Managing Editor. mate crisis. Indeed, efforts are doomed if they get the notion that food should come from trucks that a stuck in elite subcultures instead of including broad, Victory Garden would be beyond the capability of most. vibrantly diverse coalitions. Similarly, cheap clothing shipped across the world has What’s exciting is that it appears the right elements made sewing a quaint thing of the past. Skills that were are beginning to come together, with the potential to commonplace less than 100 years ago have disappeared. turn this climate crisis—one of the biggest challenges What we’ve lost, says Hopkins, is resilience. Unions, Churches, in human history—into a moment for deep, radical The Transition Towns movement aims to rebuild social change in this country. that, from the ground up. One key to the success of the & Schools Ian Kim is the director of the Green Collar Jobs Campaign at the Ella movement has been that it invites people on a journey Baker Center for Human Rights. of change, starting where they are right now, rather than using fear or guilt as motivators. The news about The power to make a green transition peak oil and climate change is still poorly understood by many; helping people adjust to what seems very bad Doug Pibel news is part of the transition town program. Communities Equally important is an emphasis on solutions and Two new groups in the state of Washington are meld- positive possibilities. Hopkins offered a 10-week ing an awareness of the urgency of climate change in Transition “Skilling Up for Powerdown” course in Transition Town with the organizing tools of the Industrial Areas Foun- Totnes, where he now lives. The course took partici- dation to produce jobs that employ young people and Less carbon—more skills and connection pants from an introduction to peak oil and climate can’t be moved overseas. change through all aspects of transition life—food, Founded in Chicago in 1940 by Saul Alinsky, the housing, energy, money, and personal preparation. Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) fosters social Doug Pibel Transition Town Totnes has an active program of plant- change by organizing among natural allies in trade ing nut trees in private and municipal spaces, an exer- Rob Hopkins was teaching permaculture in Kinsale, unions, churches, education, nonprofits, and other Ireland, when he encountered the concept of peak oil. cise in making carbon-consuming trees a food source. voluntary associations. The IAF is founded on a belief Hopkins and his students were shocked at the looming in deep democracy, and it draws its members and prospect of a world without cheap energy, and at the leaders from all strata of society. absence of plans to deal with the repercussions. Rather The Spokane Alliance, an IAF affiliate started in than wait for someone else to act—government or 2002, took on as an early project a demand that the otherwise—they figured out how to address the prob- Citizens of Transition Town Westcliff, in the United Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) stop hiring lem, one community at a time. Kingdom, are exploring how to prepare for a carbon- out-of-area workers for public-works projects. When 750 Hopkins says, “The idea emerged that the future constrained world. The town is creating an Energy Descent Spokane Alliance members showed up at a hearing to with less oil could be preferable. But we need to redis- Action Plan. From top to bottom: community gardens, negotiate with the BPA, the result was a commitment to cover what was actually good about life before cheap sustainable transportation, and a cardboard classroom. local hires, with 80 percent of the work on a half-billion oil.” dollar repair job done by locals. Photos by Fred Robinson, DEBBIE Burnett, In a world where buildings produce more than Their work led to the Transition Towns movement, and Graham Burnett »

50 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org www.yesmagazine.org :: YES! Spring 2008 51 ISSUE 45 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS If you’re really paying attention, it’s hard to escape a sense of outrage, fear, despair. Author, deep-ecologist, » 30 to 40 percent of CO2, the future is in making buildings cleaner. The building trades that belong to and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy says: Don’t even try. the Spokane Alliance are training young people in the skills that will transform existing buildings and build new ones to operate on tiny carbon budgets. Negotiations with the Spokane School Board around a $161 million bond for energy efficiency in school buildings resulted in training 63 apprentices during The Greatest Danger building retrofits.A n offshoot of the Spokane Al- liance, Sustainable Works NW, is working on four retrofit projects, with more in the pipeline. Joanna Macy Soph Davenport is a young sheet-metal worker How do we live with the fact that we are from the Puget-Sound based Sound Alliance. “In col- destroying our world? What do we make lege, I did some token stuff about the environment,” of the loss of glaciers, the melting Arctic, Davenport says, “but I had no sense of being able to island nations swamped by the sea, wid- do anything about climate change. Now I’m doing ening deserts, and drying farmlands? something that really makes a difference.” Because of social taboos, despair at “That sense of purpose is critical for the many the state of our world and fear for our young people who will not be going to college,” future are rarely acknowledged. The says Tom Cruver, of the Bethel Education Associ suppression of despair, like that of any ation. In his 37 years of teaching, Cruver has seen a deep recurring response, contributes steady decline in programs to prepare young people to the numbing of the psyche. Expres- for the trades. He’s joined with the Sound Alliance sions of anguish or outrage are muted, to push for developing a skill center in the Bethel deadened as if a nerve had been cut. School District, near Tacoma, Washington, to bring This refusal to feel impoverishes our back the classes that give direction to kids not emotional and sensory life. Flowers are headed for college. dimmer and less fragrant, our loves less During the next 30 years, 75 percent of build- ecstatic. We create diversions for our- ings will be replaced nationally, according to Dick selves as individuals and as nations, in Harmon, IAF Northwest lead organizer. With green the fights we pick, the aims we pursue, building techniques, new buildings can reduce en- and the stuff we buy. ergy use by more than half, Harmon says. The IAF Of all the dangers we face, from plans to be there, putting its empowered citizens to climate chaos to permanent war, none work in “good green jobs that can’t be outsourced.” is so great as this deadening of our re- Stopping climate change is not a job for the elite. sponse. For psychic numbing impedes “You have to have the middle class and the working our capacity to process and respond to poor to build political power to do anything about information. The energy expended in climate change,” Harmon says. The Spokane and pushing down despair is diverted from Sound Alliances and their citizen leaders are mak- more crucial uses, depleting the resil- ing those groups leaders in confronting climate ience and imagination needed for fresh change. y visions and strategies. Zen poet Thich Nhat Hanh was asked, “what do we most need to do to save our world?” His answer was this: “What we most need to do is to hear within us the sounds of the Earth crying.”

Climate Solutions Resource Guide Cracking the Shell The information and links you need to find out more. How do we confront what we scarcely www.YesMagazine.org/resourceguide45 dare to think? How do we face our grief, fear, and rage without “going to pieces?” Climate Solutions Discussion Guide It is good to realize that falling apart Get a group together and have a conversation. www.YesMagazine.org/discuss45 is not such a bad thing. Indeed, it is as essential to transformation as the » brian hamilton, sirbrian.com

52 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org www.yesmagazine.org :: YES! Spring 2008 53 ISSUE 45 CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

» cracking of outgrown shells. Anxieties isolation. On the contrary, in letting During a recent visit to Kentucky, and doubts can be healthy and creative, go of old defenses, we find truer com- I learned what is happening to the not only for the person, but for the soci- munity. And in community, we learn landscape and culture of Appalachia: ety, because they permit new and origi- to trust our inner responses to our how coal companies use dynamite to nal approaches to reality. world—and find our power. pulverize everything above the under- What disintegrates in periods of rapid You are not alone! We are part of a ground seams of coal; how bulldozers transformation is not the self, but its vast, global movement: the epochal and dragline machines 20-stories high defenses and assumptions. Self-pro- transition from empire to Earth com- push away the “overburden” of wood- tection restricts vision and movement munity. This is the Great Turning. And lands and top soil, filling the valleys. I like a suit of armor, making it harder to the excitement, the alarm, even the saw how activists there are held steady adapt. Going to pieces, however uncom- overwhelm we feel, are all part of our by sheer intention. Though the nation fortable, can open us up to new percep- waking up to this collective adventure. seems oblivious to this tragedy, these tions, new data, and new responses. As in any true adventure, there is risk men and women persist in the vision In our culture, despair is feared and and uncertainty. Our corporate econo- that Appalachia can, in part, be saved resisted because it represents a loss of my is destroying both itself and the nat- and that future generations may know control. We’re ashamed of it and dodge ural world. Its effect on living systems slopes of sweet gum, sassafras, mag- it by demanding instant solutions to is what David Korten calls the Great nolia, the stirrings of bobcat and coon, problems. We seek the quick fix. This Unraveling. It is happening at the same and, in the hollows, the music of fiddle Speaking the truth of our anguish for the world brings down the walls between us, drawing us into deep solidarity. That solidarity is all the more real for the uncertainty we face.

cultural habit obscures our perceptions time as the Great Turning, and we can- and fresh flowing streams. They seem and fosters a dangerous innocence of not know which way the story will end. to know—and, when we let down our the real world. Let’s drop the notion that we can guard, we too know—that we are living Acknowledging despair, on the other manage our planet for our own com- parts of the living body of Earth. hand, involves nothing more mysteri- fort and profit—or even that we can This is the gift of the Great Turn- ous than telling the truth about what we now be its ultimate redeemers. It is a ing. When we open our eyes to what see and know and feel is happening to delusion. Let’s accept, in its place, the is happening, even when it breaks our our world. When corporate-controlled radical uncertainty of our time, even hearts, we discover our true size; for media keep the public in the dark, and the uncertainty of survival. our heart, when it breaks open, can power-holders manipulate events to In primal societies, adolescents go hold the whole universe. We discover create a climate of fear and obedience, through rites of passage, where con- how speaking the truth of our anguish truth-telling is like oxygen. It enlivens fronting their own mortality is a gate- for the world brings down the walls and returns us to health and vigor. way to maturity. In analogous ways, between us, drawing us into deep soli- climate change calls us to recognize darity. That solidarity, with our neigh- Belonging to All Life our own mortality as a species. With bors and all that lives, is all the more Sharing what is in our heartmind the gift of uncertainty, we can grow up real for the uncertainty we face. brings a welcome shift in identity, as and accept the rights and responsibility When we stop distracting ourselves we recognize that the anger, grief, and of planetary adulthood. Then we know by trying to figure the chances of suc- fear we feel for our world are not redu fully that we belong, inextricably, to the cess or failure, our minds and hearts cible to concerns for our individual web of life, and we can serve it, and let are liberated into the present moment. welfare or even survival. Our concerns its strength flow through us. This moment then becomes alive, are far larger than our own private Uncertainty, when accepted, sheds charged with possibilities, as we real- needs and wants. Pain for the world— a bright light on the power of inten- ize how lucky we are to be alive now, to the outrage and the sorrow—breaks us tion. Intention is what you can count take part in this planetary adventure. y open to a larger sense of who we are. on: not the outcome, but the motiva- It is a doorway to the realization of our tion you bring, the vision you hold, the Joanna Macy is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory and deep mutual belonging in the web of life. compass setting you choose to follow. ecology, whose latest book is World Many of us fear that confrontation Our intention and resolve can save us as Lover, World as Self. She lives in with despair will bring loneliness and from getting lost in grief. Berkeley, CA. www.joannamacy.net

54 YES! Spring 2008 :: www.yesmagazine.org You know the solutions. Here’s how to take action.

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