It’s Getting Hot In Here

Originally published at LeadEnergy

A major report released last week by the National Science Board concludes that U.S. global leadership in science and technology is declining as foreign nations – especially China and other Asian countries – rapidly develop their national innovation systems.

“U.S. dominance has eroded significantly… The data begin to tell a worrisome story,” stated Kei Koizumi, assistant director for federal research and development in President Obama’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The Director of the National Science Foundation, Arden Bement, noted that “China is achieving a dramatic amount of synergy by increasing its investment in science and engineering education, in research, and in infrastructure, which is attracting scientists from all over the world.”

The report, “Science and Engineering Indicators 2010,” is published every two years by the National Science Board, a 25-member expert council that advises the National Science Foundation, President, and Congress on science and technology policy, education, and research. Koizumi called it a “State of the Union on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”

This “state of the union” for science and technology comes amidst growing concern that Asia is out-competing the U.S. in the burgeoning global clean-tech sector. According to the “Rising Tigers, Sleeping Giant” report I recently co-authored with the Breakthrough Institute and Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, China, Japan, and South Korea have already surpassed the U.S. in the production of nearly all clean energy technologies, and these governments are expected to out-invest the U.S. three-to-one in this industry over the next five years. As U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu recently said, “The world is passing us by. We are falling behind in the clean energy race.”

Continue reading ‘Asia Challenges U.S. Innovation Leadership, New Report Shows’

Today in the United States, we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  King was a clergyman, a civil rights activist, and a public servant in the 1950s and 60s.  He rose to prominence after the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 and is perhaps most famous for his “I Have a Dream” speech, made during the 1963 March on Washington.  A recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize, King dedicated his entire life to the fight to end racial discrimination in the United States through non-violent civil disobedience.

King believed that discrimination exists out of peoples’ lack of understanding of others.  Out of this lack of understanding comes a resolute fear in the “other,” and results in prejudice and injustice.  King became the face of a movement he helped to build, representing a vast constituency of average Americas fighting for their right to equality.  The idea that citizens rallied around Dr. King’s message is what makes the Civil Rights Movement one that will be forever recognized in United States history.

I could never hope to fully capture the energy of MLK Day in the United States in a blogpost, there’s simply too much to say.  In short, MLK Day has two primary purposes.  It is this day that we sit back and reflect on the state of our world and the oppression that still exists despites Kings’ best efforts.  And it is also a day of service, where citizens are encouraged to go out and honor King’s life by giving back to their community.

But what does Martin Luther King, Jr. Day mean for the climate change movement?  As such an incredible force in the broader context of advocacy, King’s teachings have significant meaning in the fight for climate justice. Continue reading ‘What Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Means For The Climate Movement’

Over the last few days, many of us involved in the struggle to end Oregon’s coal dependence have found ourselves in a state of justified excitement tempered with a dose of realism.  The reason? An announcement by Portland General Electric (PGE) that the company is looking at shutting down the Boardman Coal Plant by the year 2020.  I’d like to start right off by saying it’s a huge victory that PGE has acknowledged the need to phase out coal at Boardman eventually; this would not have happened without the work of hundreds of people who sent their comments to PGE, testified at hearings this past fall, and turned up the heat on PGE in other ways.  But our work isn’t over yet.  2020 is still a decade away, and Oregon activists are even now preparing to enter a new phase of this fight, in which we continue to push PGE to shut down Boardman by the year 2014.

The Sierra Club and its allies originally zeroed in on 2014 as the date by which burning coal at Boardman must end, partly because transitioning the plant off coal by 2014 would mean PGE wouldn’t have to spend $600 million in pollution retrofits by that time to comply with state and federal clean air rules.  2014 is also close enough that closing the plant by that time would give us real of eliminating Oregon’s largest point source of greenhouse emissions soon enough to actually do some good. 

Continue reading ‘PGE Acknowledges Coal Plant’s a Problem – But Proposed Date for Shutdown Falls Short’

With all of the LARGE problems that exist in such a small city like Chester the last thing we need is to read about another LARGE problem. It is a daily problem that has been often overlooked by the city for decades. This persistent problem is the environmental injustice that plagues Chester residents, quietly robbing minutes, days, weeks and years from our lives with every passing moment as we breath. Some doctors would even argue that these pollutants also rob us of our ability to learn and reason. SO what specifically is the LARGE problem? The large problem is with what is being put into our drinking water here in Chester City, Media Township and Philadelphia PA.

So what’s so scary about our water? Chester water may taste better than Media Township’s and Philadelphia’s but there is one horrible thing that we have in common with their water. Once our spring water hits the treatment plant they all have a chemical called hydrofluosilicic acid (also known as Fluoride) dumped into it. This acid is accumulated during the making of fertilizer by the phosphate industry. This acid is also regulated as hazardous waste until it has been dumped into your drinking water. It is only considered toxic if dumped into the water by you or I but it is called “medicine” when dumped into the water by a “phosphate fertilizing” company. See, it is the fertilizing company that has been given the permit to poison you. Continue reading ‘A Cup of Choice: What is in your drinking water and why you need to know.’

Quite the scene here in Houston this weekend.  Thousands of runners are converging here to run a 26 mile marathon sponsored by Chevron.  Over 200,000 spectators are expected to come out and watch the run.  Runners from Rainforest Action Network will be joining the race to promote human rights in Ecuador.

Chevron is responsible for billions of gallons of waste left in the Ecuadorian Amazon and refuses to clean up or pay reparations for the environmental disaster.

But yesterday at the marathon expo, Chevron Marathon Expo Director Steven Karpas confronted Team RAN as they set up their table to pass out educational information about Chevron’s role in the Ecuadorian Amazon.  After stating that Chevron was “freaking out” Karpas had Team RAN removed from the expo by Houston police and refunded their money for the table.

When asked for a reason for their ejection, Steven Karpas told the runners they were being removed for “protest activities.” The Rainforest Action Network team’s objective at the Expo was not to protest, disrupt the Expo or dampen other runners experience at this important race. The runners merely wanted to sit at their table and invite other runners to run with them for human rights.  Continue reading ‘Chevron “Freaking Out” about RAN in this Weekend’s Houston Marathon’

The impression I’d gotten from listening to the pundits talk about the Massachusetts Senate race is that the Democratic candidate Martha Coakley is a shallow choice for the left, and this is why many dissatisfied with the current state of affairs in the country are protesting by staying home on election day (Jan 19th). The race has become a dead heat, the most recent poll showing the Republican Scott Brown with a 4 point lead. A review of Coakley’s record and positions on energy and environmental issues makes clear she is as strong a candidate as any for the climate movement. Her plan is as solid as any I’ve seen. Continue reading ‘Earth to Massachusetts’

Chevron has a new boss man, and in an ironic kick in the pants Chevron’s new CEO John Watson is the very man that orchestrated Chevron’s takeover of Texaco, and with it the 18 billion gallons of toxic waste water and 17 million gallons of crude oil deliberately dumped in Ecuadorian rainforest communities. Given Watson’s intimate understanding of Chevron’s toxic legacy there is no question he knows what is necessary to clean up their mess and compensate the communities that have been living with the effects of Chevron’s contamination for decades.

The Clean Up Ecuador Campaign has launched a global petition to Mr. Watson, with an accompanying video-message (below) from the affected communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Watson is stepping into a mess that former CEO Dave O’Reilly left behind when he skipped out on the reeling company on 12/31. Unfortunately, judging the reaction by Chevron today in Houston where marathon runners had their free speech silenced, and comments attacking Amazon Watch’s global petition in yesterday’s Sphere article it seems that Watson is committed to enabling the same negligence towards human rights as his predecessor. Watson may choose to define his tenure by continuing down the O’Reilly path that just last year had Chevron publicly aligning themselves with known felons, losing precedent setting refinery battles, being wholly rejected by the US Trade Representative, and being a lightning rod for a thriving climate justice movement at their front door.

However, dealt such a rotten hand Mr. Watson stands at the most opportune time for an oil giant’s CEO to actually step it up…or just step in it. RAN’s newest campaign Change Chevron see that Watson holds an unmatched opportunity to right past wrongs and transform an industry from criminal to catalyst. Yet, there is a long way to go. Prior to this moment Chevron has not only ignored the communities they impact, they blatantly insult them. Chevron relies on lobbying and a brutal PR campaign to evade responsibility of, what experts call, the “Amazon Chernobyl”. As a recent Independent article points out Chevron seems to be standing firm in it’s refusal to pay any damages, even if ordered in a court.  In fact a Chevron spokesman has promised a “lifetime of litigation.”

Will Watson build a tenure on human rights or legal fights?

Continue reading ‘Chevron CEO John Watson: Is the New Boss Same as the Old Boss?’

Last year, my good friend, comrade and mentor David Solnit penned an article called “Organizing to win.”  In it, he lists five lessons learned over years of organizing against corporate power, war and empire.  They are particularly relevant in the age of Obama since instead of flocking to a false political messiah, we need to build our own power.  These are important points that need to be stated over and over, particularly in the context of the climate justice movements.

1. Uproot the system

Climate change is not the only issue on the table when it comes to human activity putting too much carbon in the atmosphere.  We’re also dealing with a whole range of issues that includes oil wars in the Middle East, human right abuses in places like Indonesia, Nigeria and Ecuador, environmental injustice in Richmond, California, mountaintop removal in Appalachia, oil sands extraction in Canada, big banks financing polluters, carbon trading and the list goes on and on.  Furthermore, fossil fuel rich areas are often those most affected by poverty and unemployment.  In Appalachia, the coal-producing counties are the poorest.  In the Niger Delta, the majority of the population lives in poverty with no social services infrastructure and high rates on unemployment.  Why are oil and coal companies making billions from their “black gold” while the locals remain destitute?  This is not just an environmental issue, but an economic, social and justice issue as well.  Most of these problems are perpetuated by the corporate and political systems that allow them to continue to exist for the benefit of the wealthy elite. Continue reading ‘Organizing to Win Redux’

It seems to be official: in possibly less than a week, we’ll see a major showdown in the US Senate over whether the EPA will retain its recently secured authority to regulate major carbon sources. Now’s the time to get out your cell phone and call your senators, folks – to call this one huge would be an understatement.

As soon as January 20th, the Senate may vote on the “Murkowski Amendment,” an amendment to a must-pass debt bill that otherwise has nothing to do with the climate. If passed, the amendment would prevent the EPA from regulating greenhouse emissions from major sources like coal plants. Every US Senator in the country needs to hear from their constituents that this kind of climate policy backpedaling is unacceptable. Call senators offices RIGHT NOW – you can find the DC phone numbers for every member of the Senate here.

After making a phone call to your own senators, you might consider joining this Facebook page created in response to the Murkowski Amendment, and inviting others to join as well.  The page will be used to contact all who join it, and remind them to contact their senators. Continue reading ‘Sens Murkowski and Inhofe Launch Attack on Clean Air Act: Time to Pick Up the Phone’