The Centre Daily Times is asking you if you’ve been impacted by the Trump administration’s attacks on the federal government and the American people. Have Trump, Elon Musk, Russel Vought, or their apparatchiks shoved you out, sent you an abusive email, or targeted you for elimination? Has Elon Musk targeted you in one of his … More Pennsylvanians, share your story of being attacked by Trump & DOGE
Last week, thousands of people gathered across the country to Stand Up For Science. In Washington, DC, my friend and co-author, Michael Mann stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and asked, “What would Benjamin Franklin do?” Mike’s at the University of Pennsylvania which Franklin founded. It’s a great question. Franklin was a scientist, a … More What would Ben Franklin do?
Last month, ten local governments in Centre County, Pennsylvania entered into a 15-year solar power purchase agreement. We will beat the price of the dirty grid. We will avoid 15,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. We are projected to save over $4 million over fifteen years with over $2.5 million in that savings … More Centre County’s solar power purchase agreement on Planet Philadelphia
The Trump administration has sought to freeze funding for central Pennsylvania businesses and governments. This freeze will harm rural and urban economic development, impact clean energy, transportation, environmental remediation, resilience, and other infrastructure. These attacks will negatively impact our region’s goals in economic development, including–but not limited to–climate-related investments. Grist has developed a tool to … More Trump is stealing from central Pennsylvanians. Where’s Rep. Glenn Thompson?
Sustainability Magazine has an interesting piece on Paul Simpson, Partner at ERM, who started the Carbon Disclosure Project. He, like me, is an advocate for robust climate transition planning. There was only so long that most investors could place the climate crisis at arm’s length (citizens, too!). But since climate change commands the elements with … More Planning for the crisis during the crisis
Today, I sat down and read Dr. King’s sermon on “Unfulfilled Hopes.” He invites us all to see that when we are thwarted in our goals, we have choices between “bitterness” and living with “a dynamic will.” He works from the example of St. Paul, who wanted to reach the far edge of the known … More Reflecting on Dr. King’s “Unfulfilled Hopes” sermon
My amazing colleague, Erica Smithwick answers the question, “Is climate change to blame” for the California fires? “The answer, simply, is yes.” 2024 is officially the hottest year on record, the tenth of the ten hottest ever-recorded years. Snowpack is reduced, droughts are longer and deeper, and everything on the ground is drier and therefore … More “Is climate change to blame” for the California fires? “The answer, simply, is yes.”
Over the last few days, I’ve been texting with a former student, Joe Thompson, from the Local Climate Action Program who lives in Orange, CA. The Palisades fire has been raging around him, so he’s been assisting his community by taking food the local shelter for it to go to Los Angeles. With the Santa … More A student faces the fires. We’re lucky he understands what drives them & is ready to do something about it.
The day before my first birthday–July 7, 1977–a climate memo was prepared for Pres. Jimmy Carter. It was titled “Release of Fossil CO2 and the Possibility of a Catastrophic Climate Change.” It recognized the pending impact from warming caused by the amplification of the greenhouse effect from exponential fossil fuel combustion. Carter saw it. I … More 7.7.77: A prescient note on climate change to Jimmy Carter
This entry continues the “Climate change is…” series. Last year, I met the photographer, film maker, and author James Balog. After a talk that included pieces of The Human Element, Chasing Ice, and other parts of his expansive catalog, he was asked a question about what lesson has been really important. His answer: “Acceptance.” We cannot … More Climate change is…an invitation to practice acceptance.
Peter Walks for Democracy 