The Green Blueprint

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How air pollution and heat make pregnancy more dangerous May 25, 2022

Show notes

In early May, a leaked draft opinion showed that the Supreme Court could soon overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. So what does abortion access have to do with climate change? This week, we explore the link between heat, pollution, and reproductive justice.

In recent years, a strong and growing body of research shows that exposure to pollution and extreme heat increases the risk of stillbirth and preterm birth, particularly among Black parents. And restricted abortion access in a post-Roe America could further increase health risks and potential for criminalization.

We spoke to one of the pioneering researchers in this field to understand the link between exposure to heat and pollution and adverse birth outcomes – and what can be done to solve it.

Guests:

Alexandria Herr is a producer on our show. You can find her Atmos article on climate change and high risk pregnancy here.
Eve Andrews is a staff writer at Grist. You can find her article with Naveena Sadasivam on pregnancy in pollution hot spots here.
Dr. Rupa Basu is the chief of the air and climate epidemiology section at the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

The Carbon Copy is supported by Nextracker. Nextracker’s technology platform has delivered more than 50 gigawatts of zero-emission solar power plants across the globe. Nextracker is developing a data-driven framework to become the most sustainable solar tracker company in the world – with a focus on a truly transparent supply chain. Visit nextracker.com/sustainability to learn more.

The Carbon Copy is supported by Scale Microgrid Solutions, your comprehensive source for all distributed energy financing. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes financing it easy. Visit scalecapitalsolutions.com to learn more.

Introducing Drilled: Bridge to Nowhere May 24, 2022

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We have a bonus episode from our friends at Drilled.

The sixth season of Drilled is all about the natural gas industry. In the last decade, the climate movement has begun to reject the idea of natural gas as a "bridge fuel.” As that story has become tougher to sell, the gas industry has shifted from greenwashing to all-out war with environmentalists.

The latest season of Drilled traces that shift, starting with the first gas ban proposed in Southern California and ending with the industry leveraging Russia's invasion of Ukraine to its benefit.

In this episode, we head to the college town of San Luis Obispo, California, where in April 2020 mayor Heidi Hartman announced a plan to become the first city in Southern California to ban gas in new buildings. The region's utility SoCal Gas – the largest gas utility in the country – sprung into action, threatening among other things to bus in large numbers of protestors to crowd the town and city hall, just as the pandemic was taking hold in the U.S.

Listen to Drilled anywhere you get podcasts.

The hidden history of California oil May 11, 2022

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Across California, oil wells pepper residential neighborhoods – often directly next to homes, schools, and businesses.

These residential wells have been linked to a host of health problems, from asthma to cancer. And these problems disproportionately affect California’s communities of color.

This week, producer Alexandria Herr goes on a crusade to prove that California is not the green state that everybody thinks it is.

We’ll explore hidden oil wells, the history of redlining, and the oil boom during World War II, to understand why residential drilling in California looks the way it does today.

Guests: Dr. David Gonzalez is a President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley.

Dr. Sarah Elkind is the president of the American Society for Environmental History.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

Could Elon Musk’s risky Twitter takeover hurt Tesla? May 04, 2022

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A couple of weeks ago, Elon Musk offered around $44 billion to buy Twitter. A few days later, the CEO of the world’s biggest electric car company became the owner of one of the world’s biggest social media platforms.

When news of the deal hit, investors got a little spooked. The share price of Tesla dropped by nearly 20% over the following week. Many industry observers began to wonder whether this was going to pose a major problem for the company.

Among them was climate reporter David Ferris. Although many may regard these dramatic moves as simply part of the cost of investing in Musk’s company, David thinks this latest gambit unleashes a whole new set of financial, reputational and strategic risks.

This week on The Carbon Copy: Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has alarmed investors and consumers. Will his new shiny toy distract from Tesla’s mission-critical work?

Guest: David Ferris is an energy and environment reporter at E&E News. You can read his recent reporting on Musk’s purchase here.

We want to hear from you! Take our quick survey for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. This will help us bring you more relevant content.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

The Carbon Copy is supported by Nextracker. Nextracker’s technology platform has delivered more than 50 gigawatts of zero-emission solar power plants across the globe. Nextracker is developing a data-driven framework to become the most sustainable solar tracker company in the world — with a focus on a truly transparent supply chain. Visit nextracker.com/sustainability to learn more.

The Carbon Copy is supported by Scale Microgrid Solutions, your comprehensive source for all distributed energy financing. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes financing it easy. Visit scalecapitalsolutions.com to learn more.

How one company could crush the US solar industry Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

A couple weeks ago, Canary Media’s Eric Wesoff found himself in the parking lot of a company called Auxin Solar.

Auxin is a small American solar panel maker based in California. It manufacturers 150 megawatts of solar panels a year – 100 times less than the biggest solar manufacturers. Despite its size, Auxin Solar just filed a petition with the U.S. government that could shake up the solar industry in a big way.

Auxin claims China is dodging U.S. tariffs by funneling products through other Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. And it wants the government to step in. And the complaint is already derailing large-scale solar projects.

This week: how a solar trade war spanning three presidents is causing problems for a domestic solar market that relies heavily on overseas panels.

Guest: Eric Wesoff is the editorial director for Canary Media. You can read his piece about Auxin Solar’s petition here.

We want to hear from you! Take our quick survey for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. This will help us bring you more relevant content.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

How bitcoin is keeping zombie power plants alive Apr 20, 2022

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Bitcoin mining today uses a half percent of the world's electricity. Every year, as more shipping containers and warehouses full of high-powered computers are deployed to unlock more bitcoin, energy use grows by double digits.

As bitcoin mining operations scramble to find new power sources, they’re often turning to aging coal or fossil gas plants that offer cheap electricity.

This week, we’ll take you to Seneca Lake, upstate New York, where a group of unlikely activists is fighting back against a “zombie” power plant that is now fueling a Bitcoin mine.

What’s happening in Seneca Lake is not a one-off story. Across the nation, the companies that own dying, dirty power plants see cryptocurrency as a chance to extend their lives. Bitcoin mining is locking in fossil fuels – so what can we do about it?

Guests: Brian Kahn is the climate editor at Protocol. You can read his piece about the Greenidge power plant here.

We want to hear from you! Take our quick survey for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. This will help us bring you more relevant content.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

The ‘profound change’ from today’s energy crisis Apr 13, 2022

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In 1973, when Arab countries cut off petroleum exports to the US, the price of oil quadrupled. People couldn't get access to gasoline. The economy shrunk.

The Arab oil embargo was framed almost entirely as a supply problem. But a few years later, a 28-year-old physicist named Amory Lovins published an article in Foreign Affairs magazine that completely shifted how we framed the issue.

Nearly a half century later, we revisit Amory’s writing in the face of another global energy security crisis. Fossil fuel prices have spiked to record highs as a result of Russia's military invasion of Ukraine. Countries are now racing to stop buying Russian oil & gas as quickly as possible.

This week: Amory Lovins explains the profound changes taking place in the global energy system – and how Russia's war will accelerate them.

Guests: Amory Lovins, co-founder and chairman emeritus at RMI. Read his latest piece on how Russia’s war could accelerate the clean energy transition.

We want to hear from you! Take our quick survey for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. This will help us bring you more relevant content.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

A historic climate rule from America’s financial regulator Apr 06, 2022

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Support strong climate journalism! Donate to Canary Media to celebrate its one-year anniversary.

Public companies have a legal obligation to report a wide range of information on financial performance and competitive risks. One risk they are not required to mention in corporate America: climate risk.

But that changed last week when America’s top financial regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission, released a new proposal requiring companies to disclose their financial vulnerabilities to climate change.

This move toward greater corporate climate accountability in the U.S. builds on years of momentum. It’s the culmination of voluntary task forces, initiatives and mandatory disclosure regulations passed in other countries.

This week: How a historic proposal mandating climate transparency could change corporate America – and how it will face political and legal backlash.

Guests: Kathleen Brophy, U.S. climate finance senior strategist with The Sunrise Project.

We want to hear from you! Take our quick survey for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. This will help us bring you more relevant content.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

Deadly Bronx fires reveal America’s energy insecurity crisis Mar 30, 2022

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In January, fire tore through a major affordable housing development in the Bronx, killing 19 people. Officials were quick to blame the Twin Parks North West fire on a space heater and broken fire door. But the root cause of the fire runs much deeper.

America has an energy insecurity crisis. A third of U.S. households have trouble paying their energy bills, with energy costs falling most heavily on communities of color. Black households, in particular, spend 43 percent more on energy than white households; Hispanic households spend 20 percent more. These inequities stem from a long history of racist housing policies and disinvestment in public housing.

When people struggle to make ends meet, they resort to stopgap measures to get by. For residents of affordable housing developments like Twin Parks North West, that often means turning to space heaters to keep warm in the winter.

This week: The deadly consequences of America’s energy divide, and how we can solve it.

Guests: Dr. Diana Hernández is an associate professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University. You can read her op-ed on the fire’s root causes here.

The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

The Carbon Copy is supported by Atmos Financial. Atmos offers FDIC-insured checking and savings accounts that only invest in climate-positive assets like renewables, green construction and regenerative agriculture. Modern banking for climate-conscious people. Get an account in minutes at joinatmos.com.

The Carbon Copy is also supported by Climate Positive, a podcast from Hannon Armstrong, the first U.S. public company solely dedicated to investing in climate solutions. Climate Positive podcast features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers driving our climate positive future. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

The ‘inevitable industries’ that will decarbonize the world [branded content] Mar 29, 2022

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This is a branded episode, produced in collaboration with Intersect Power.

Sheldon Kimber has spent the last 20 years developing energy projects. He’s overseen the build-out of billions of dollars worth of large-scale solar plants.

Getting those solar projects in the ground wasn't easy. Abrupt national policy shifts, international trade wars, and local regulatory hurdles made every megawatt a fight.

The stunning price drops in wind and solar weren't inevitable. But they were predictable – partly because people like Sheldon were building renewable power plants at a consistent pace.

Today, all that cheap renewable power is opening up opportunities in other areas of the economy. And as CEO of Intersect Power, Sheldon is building a portfolio of massive solar and battery projects that can enable predictable cost drops for other low-carbon solutions.

In this episode, produced in collaboration with Intersect Power, Stephen Lacey talks with Sheldon Kimber about his vision for the inevitable industries that will arise from low-cost clean electricity.

Read Sheldon’s article on the “nexus of deep decarbonization.”

Intersect Power is a clean energy company bringing innovative and scalable low-carbon solutions to customers in retail and wholesale energy markets. Learn more about Intersect's projects and business model.

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