Episode 66: The Great Climate and Environmental Solutions — Nothing more, nothing less.

In this episode:

WHO IS REALLY TO BLAME FOR CLIMATE CHANGE?

SO, DOES CHANGING A LIGHT BULB LEAD TO CHANGING THE WORLD?

Individual actions vs. corporate and government action. Who’s keeping the fossil fuel party going?

CITIZEN ASSEMBLIES

CARBON TAX: Misunderstood?

CARBON CLUBS/CLIMATE CLUBS

WHAT CAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS DO IN THE CLIMATE FIGHT?

THE TRUE ENVIRONMENTAL HEROES: State and Local Governments

Who is Really to Blame for Climate Change?

Who’s Really Responsible for Climate Change? - Harvard Political ReviewCombating climate change requires holding fossil fuel producers accountable for their outsized contribution to the climate crisis by implementing carbon pricing to reflect the true cost of fossil fuels.

Who is Responsible for Climate Change? Naomi Oreskes has a long-standing interest in understanding the establishment of scientific consensus and the role and character of scientific dissent. For the past decade, she has primarily been interested in the problem of human-caused climate change. She has won numerous prizes, including the 2011 Climate Change Communicator of […]sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/media/wrigley-lecture-series/who-is-responsible/

Opinion | Who's really to blame for climate changeBig corporations bear more blame for climate change than individual people. Any proposed solution that ignores that is doomed to fail.

Climate change: How do we know it is happening and caused by humans?What's the evidence for global warming and how do we know it's being caused by human activity?

Fact check: Is China the main climate change culprit? | DW | 30.06.2021China currently releases more carbon emissions than any other country — leading many to believe it bears the greatest responsibility for climate change. However, the situation is more complex than it seems.

Who is really to blame for climate change?We know that climate change is caused by human activity, but pinning down exactly who is responsible is trickier than it might seem.

Analysis: Which countries are historically responsible for climate change? - Carbon BriefCarbon Brief looks at national responsibility for historical emissions of CO2 from 1850-2021, updating analysis published in 2019.

Imagine If The Rich Countries That Caused Climate Change Actually Took ResponsibilitySurangel Whipps, president of Palau, argues that in 2022, the rich countries responsible for climate change need to be held accountable.

Individual Actions vs. Corporate and Government Action

Individual vs. Collective Action | GEOG 30N: Environment

Individual action refers to the actions taken by one individual person, acting based on ... When you get involved in your government, or your neighborhood, ...

Individual vs Corporate action in the fight against climate changeHollie Parry argues that there is an unjust amount of blame put onto individuals in the fight against climate change while the responsible corporations come away largely unscathed. Image courtesy o…

Individual action won’t stop climate change, but collective action just mightIt’s time to stop falling for the corporate propaganda and greenwashing PR stunts.

Does Personal Action Matter? | ClimateScienceTake action on system climate solutions. Science-backed, easy-to-understand climate education for everyone.

Who Should Be Leading the Fight Against Climate Change?

The impact that any individual or even group of individuals can make, ... rest with the individual or the corporation but with the government acting in the ...

Climate change: focusing on how individuals can help is very convenient for corporationsFrom eating less meat to foregoing flying, individual obligations make up our understanding of how to fight climate change, letting polluters off the hook and stifling real change.

Small Individual Actions vs. Changing Government Policies"Convincing people to live greener lives makes them less likely to support real climate policy" concludes a new study.

Individual action is climate actionYes, systemic change is our end-goal. But let’s not discount the value of individual action in making that possible.

Focusing on how individuals can stop climate change is very convenient for corporationsSure, it’s morally good to reduce your footprint–but don’t let that deflect attention from who is really to blame.

The Conflict Between Collective and Individual Climate ActionUnderstanding the clash between lifestyle adjustment and political mobilization

CITIZENS ASSEMBLIES

A blueprint for grassroots climate activismCitizens’ assemblies can help us transform society for the better.

Getting Climate Citizens’ Assemblies RightClimate assemblies can help unlock more effective action against climate change, but improvements are needed in how they are run.

The Extinction Rebellion Guide to Citizens’ Assemblies — People PoweredThis guide provides a general introduction to citizens’ assemblies. It explains what one is, how it works and why we need one. It also outlines the key steps in designing and running an assembly and presents some exciting examples of similar processes from around the globe.

Citizens' assembly: what we've learned about the kind of climate action the public wants to seeOrdinary British people proposed bolder climate measures than anything politicians have so far dared to suggest.

CITIZEN ASSEMBLIES:

A new form of Democracy that has been around 2,000 years

How does a citizens assembly work?

A citizens' assembly is a collection of individuals selected to be representative of the wider population. It meets over a set period of time to discuss an issue and make recommendations based on deliberation. Once these recommendations are made, the assembly is dissolved.

Citizens' Assembly - Extinction Rebellion UKElectoral politics – the problem in a nutshell “Politics as usual” isn’t good enough. Think about these issues and see how citizens’ assemblies can make things better. Introduction to the Third Demand In the UK, Extinction Rebellion’s Third Demand is that government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on […]

Fed up with politicians failing to take bold action? Us too. It’s time for the people to have our say on environmental action.Extinction Rebellion calls for action on the climate and ecological emergency with three demands. The third demand, ‘Go Beyond Politics’, is that governments must form citizens’ assemblies and act on their recommendations.

Carbon Tax: Is the best solution misunderstood?

How to win public support for a global carbon taxSurvey shows charges on emissions could be popular if revenues are given back to citizens, find Stefano Carattini, Steffen Kallbekken and Anton Orlo.

What are the advantages and challenges of a carbon tax?Some countries have already adopted carbon tax. But what is the true cost on welfare and can it limit carbon emissions? A World Bank economist explains.

Where Carbon Is Taxed (Overview)

Mar 23, 2021 — Carbon pricing (a rubric that includes emissions trading systems as well as direct carbon taxing) presents the classic glass half-empty, glass half-full picture ...

The climate won't wait. We need a carbon tax now - Financial ...

Oct 28, 2021 — Large changes might well be achievable with a surprisingly subtle carbon tax. The International Monetary Fund has suggested that a tax of $75/ton of CO2 might ...

The Case Against A Carbon TaxIn the first of a two-episode series, Marie Sapirie interviews David Kreutzer, an economist at the Institute for Energy Research, about his views on a carbon tax.

Carbon Cash-Back Coalition - Carbon Cash-Back The IMF, World Bank, IPCC, OECD, World Economic Forum, and nearly all US economists say carbon pricing is the most powerful tool to reduce climate pollution. We can resolve the potential drawbacks and use it to its full potential simply by giving the money collected to all households on an equal

Carbon Tax Center – Pricing carbon efficiently and equitably

A carbon tax is a fee on the carbon content of fossil fuels. Though levied “upstream” where the coal, oil or gas is extracted or imported, it charges fossil ...

Why the US should establish a carbon price either through reconciliation or other legislationSanjay Patnaik and Kelly Kennedy argue that members of Congress should consider adding a carbon tax to the budget reconciliation bill to improve climate change mitigation in the U.S.

Can a new carbon tax bring Europe, China, and the U.S. together?A potential new EU carbon tax may serve as a medium to bring the EU, U.S., and China together. The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) proposal

As climate change policy takes shape, will the U.S. ever put a price on carbon?The U.S. has tried, and failed, multiple times to enact a tax on carbon. Conservatives and even oil companies have voiced support, so why does it keep failing?

Climate change: Shipping industry calls for new global carbon taxThe global shipping industry wants governments to tax their carbon emissions as they try to tackle climate change

Carbon Clubs/Climate Clubs

How an open climate club can generate carbon dividends for the poor | BruegelThe German-led G7 can accelerate decarbonisation while tackling climate justice.

Full article: Climate clubs: politically feasible and desirable?

by R Falkner · 2021 · Cited by 3 — The idea of a stringent climate club, once the reserve of academic ... toward climate action and the European Green Deal proposal for carbon

A climate club with carbon pricing? What it means for U.S.Rich nations are promoting the idea of an international climate club whose members could trade carbon credits amongst themselves. That could be a problem

Climate clubs: Secret handshakes, CO2 prices and exclusivityGlobal climate talks are intended to bring the world’s nations together. But after years of disappointing outcomes, an idea that evokes images of secret

Form a climate club: United States, European Union and ChinaIf the three biggest economies agree a carbon tax on imports, it will catalyse climate action globally.

Carbon clubs turn national self-interest into climate actionHow did Poland, one of Europe's strongest advocates for coal power, end up with one of the world's strongest carbon prices?

Climate Clubs: Overcoming Free-riding in International ...

Climate Club: the club is an agreement by participating countries to undertake harmonized emissions

What are Climate Clubs and why do we need them? - ClimaTalk - Climate is TalkingEconomist William Nordhaus suggests climate clubs as a solution to the voluntary nature of some climate treaties.

As The World Heats Up, Could ‘Carbon Clubs’ Supercharge Climate Action?Countries don't appear to be taking their climate commitments seriously. Beyond the Paris Agreement, what else can be done to slow the onset of global warming?

Remaking Democracy in the time of Climate Change

Is Democracy Dead or Alive? Democracy has a future, if we rethink and remake itIs it really time to eulogise democracy, or are we rather on the cusp of a new phase in its long and varied life?

California experiments with social democracyA flurry of legislation signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom is an experiment in European-style social democracy. Will it work?

Why do citizens (not) support democratic innovations? The

by R van der Does · 2021 — It relies on three survey experiments on Dutch citizens' support for a local democratic innovation (participatory budgeting)

Democracy - Council of Europe

One thing that unites modern systems of democracy, and which also distinguishes ... "people power" appears to have found a new lease of life: students have ...

American Democracy Is Not a Machine - Harvard University

Feb 7, 2017 — All analogies are. But the comparison to a living organism reveals some fundamental truths about democracy—about its complexity and its ...

What a small city in Italy can teach us about American democracyThere is such a thing as being a bad citizen, even among people we might otherwise think of as good neighbors

What Federal Governments Can and Should do in the Climate Fight

Protecting Our Planet: How the Federal Government

Protecting Our Planet: How the Federal Government is Working to Protect the Environment. If you do a little research about pollution in America and around ...

Environmental Organizations, Federal and State Leaders Call for a National Biodiversity Strategy to Combat the Escalating Extinction CrisisWith one million species threatened with extinction, leading conservation organizations, including Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, World Wildlife Fund, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Wildlife Conservation Society and Natural Resources Defense Council, announced a new campaign to advocate for a national biodiversity strategy in the United States. Such a strategy is needed to ensure the U.S. government is taking an effective, whole-of-government approach to prevent the extinction of species, the collapse of ecosystems, and the increasing threats these pose to our health, security and well-being.

Federal Action on Climate | Center for Climate and Energy Solutions

5 ways our governments can confront climate changeWhat can and should our governments do, seeing as their large-scale actions are fundamental to the welfare of their people?

Two-Thirds of Americans Think Government Should Do More on ClimateOver half of Republicans and overwhelming shares of Democrats say they favor a range of initiatives to reduce the impacts of climate change.

Federal Climate Policy 101: Reducing Emissions

Climate change: why government failure to act isn't the problemThe world is acting on climate change – just not effectively.

Climate-forward governmentThe Biden administration’s emphasis on the climate issue is driving a change in the climate action landscape. Government agencies have a great opportunity to approach climate issues with fresh perspectives and fresh solutions.

The Real Heroes in the Climate Fight: State and Local Governments

Some States Are Taking Action Against Climate Change, But Jan 14, 2022 — While COP26 sparked a new wave of state commitments on climate, ... with some taking an aggressive stance on combating climate change and ..

7 Ways U.S. States are Leading Climate Action | unfoundation.orgPeople in the United States may seem divided, but when it comes to protecting the planet, 24 governors have joined forces to support the Paris Agreement on climate change.

What Can Local Governments Do to Fight Climate Change? A Heck of a Lot, Say Experts

Local Governments Can Use Their Power to Combat Climate ChangeCities are nimbler than Congress and more capable of implementing climate policy through local laws and policy initiatives, says Jillian Blanchard, director of the climate change program at Lawyers for Good Government. She lays out some of the tools local governments can use to shift to renewable energy and the legal considerations.

Fighting Climate Change, From Capitol Hill to City Hall

https://www.americanprogress.org › article › fighting-cl...

Jan 26, 2022 — This report details case studies from six states and two cities to help inform how the United States can enact a whole-of-government approach to climate

The Environment | League of Women Voters

Nov 23, 2021 — As citizens of the world, we must protect our planet from the physical, ... The federal government should have a major role in setting standards for

States Are Laying a Road Map for Climate Leadership

Apr 30, 2020 — As of 2019, eight states have taken action to curb specific HFC uses: California, Vermont, and Washington state have passed legislation to adopt ...

Best & Worst States for Climate Change | PolicygeniusWhich states have the best (and worst) outlook when it comes to climate change?

What 24 states are doing to fight climate change in spite of Trump withdrawing the US from the Paris climate agreementTwenty-four states and Puerto Rico have joined the US Climate Action Alliance and vow to uphold the Paris agreement. Here's how they plan to do it.

The U.S. states best and least positioned to take on climate changeNo state is entirely safe from the threat of natural disasters, but some stand a better chance of surviving the storm.

States Are Doing What Big Government Won’t to Stop Climate Change, and Want Stimulus Funds to Help - Inside Climate News

State Governmental Leadership in U.S. Climate Policy

What Can Governments Do: Buildings

Landmark New York State Climate Bill Signed Into LawThe sweeping climate legislation sets the target of creating a net-zero carbon economy in the state by 2050.

Building Codes: A Powerful Yet Underused Climate Policy That Could Save BillionsBuilding codes are an essential but underused climate solution, offering billions in lower energy costs and significant emissions reductions. Code updates in California and across the country will help determine the buildings sector's cost and climate future.

The Fight to Change US Building Codes - Inside Climate NewsOn Sept. 9, 2020, California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild opened a scheduled meeting with a somber observation. That morning, Bay Area residents woke to darkness, as wildfire smoke blotted out the sun and an eerie orange glow enveloped the region. “It is ten o’clock in the morning and it looks like midnight,” Hochschild said, […]

What Can Governments Do: Transportation

Transportation and Climate ChangeTransportation has a huge impact on climate change, and although most people are dependent on these methods of transportation, there are still plenty of things people can change to decrease their carbon footprint.

Cars of the future that will help fight climate change – Imagine newsletter #3Academic experts on how the humble car could evolve to become an unlikely hero in the global fight against climate change.

The transportation of tomorrow will address climate changeElla Foley Gannon, Levi McAllister and Rick Rothman, of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, discuss efforts and challenges in the United States and internationally to reduce emissions in auto, aviation and shipping.

10 Electrification of Transport Innovations - Climate Action

Oct 19, 2021 — Regional Electric Ground Effect Nautical Transport (REGENT). 2. · Virgin Hyperloop & Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (Hyperloop TT)

What Can Governments Do: Wildlife Corridors

The Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2019 | One EarthThis bill would create a wildlife corridor system across the U.S. that would allow species to travel safely across human infrastructure.

10 Important Wildlife CorridorsWildlife corridors allow animals to move from place to place without interference from humans. Here are 10 important examples from around the world.

Florida’s Remarkable New Wildlife Corridor from the Panhandle to the KeysThe state has created a national model for how to safeguard threatened species for generations.

Road safety projects protect wildlife, motoristsNMDOT and Game and Fish proposal aims to reduce wildlife-vehicle crashes

Wildlife CorridorsHabitat fragmentation is having a devastating effect on wildlife and biodiversity. This article discusses the issue and how wildlife corridors provide solutions.

Landmark Legislation to Protect Wildlife Corridors Passes U.S. House of Representatives — Wildlands NetworkWildlands Network, Defenders of Wildlife, Endangered Species Coalition, National Parks Conservation Association, Humane Society Legislative Fund, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Center for Large Landscape Conservation The INVEST Act would protect and restore wildlife corridors and provide

Texas wildlife corridorsOn Thursday, September 2nd, Environment Texas hosted a webinar to discuss wildlife corridors and hear from several great speakers about solutions to fragmented habitat.&nbsp;

What Can Governments Do: Resiliency

Planning for Climate Change Adaptation | US EPAThis page contains training and information for communities interested in the adaption planning process.

Webinar Recap: How State Governments Can Help Communities Invest in Climate ResilienceThis month’s Deep Dive webinar focused on the strategies that policymakers and advocates can utilize to help invest in climate resilience.

Interior Department Releases Climate Adaptation and Resilience PlanToday, as part of President Biden’s whole-of-government approach to confronting the climate crisis, the Department of the Interior released its climate adaptation and resilience plan, which outlines how the Department will use science as the foundation for planning and decision-making related to climate change risks, impacts and vulnerabilities.