Category: Commentary

Source: Dan Malarkey, Sightline Institute, September 17, 2019 The first article in this series made the case for removing the dams on the Snake River because of the importance we place on wild salmon, drawing on analysis from a recent report by ECONorthwest (ECONW). A second reason to remove the dams, beyond boosting the odds of salmon survival, is […]

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Source: Dan Malarkey, Sightline Institute, September 16, 2019 The debate over removing the four dams on the lower Snake River has simmered for decades.  In July, the economic consulting firm ECONorthwest (ECONW) issued a new independent analysis funded by the philanthropic arm of the late Paul Allen’s Vulcan Inc. on the benefits and costs of restoring the river. […]

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Source: Todd Myers, CrossCut, September 19, 2019. As Amazon workers and others walk out Friday for the Sept. 20 Climate Strike, they can take one of two lessons from the experience. Many of those walking out will argue they are making a difference for the planet. Just as they did in 2014 during the People’s […]

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Source: James Conca, Forbes, September 12, 2019. Slowly releasing tritium-contaminated water from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean is a very good idea. No other radioactive elements are in the water and tritium just isn’t very radioactive – it self-dilutes in water really quickly, even in our bodies, making it impossible to harm anyone or anything. […]

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Source: Jim Conca, Forbes, September 17, 2019. A recent global survey on the thoughts and feelings of humans, concerning climate change and its effects, was recently released by YouGov, a global public opinion and data company, that has made a science of global online surveying. This particular study is compiled from the answers of 30,000 people in 28 countries and demonstrates significant […]

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Source: Jim Conca, Forbes, September 10, 2019. Last Wednesday night, as I watched the climate discussions with each of the Democratic Party candidates on CNN’s Presidential Climate Town Hall, I kept asking, “Why is only Andrew Yang talking about solar geoengineering?” True, he is the most tech-savvy of the candidates, but all of them need […]

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Source: Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, September 5, 2019 Jay Inslee had a great night during CNN’s climate forum. Even though he wasn’t there. During the network’s seven whole hours of discussion of climate change Wednesday evening, at least four Democratic candidates for president glowingly name-checked the Washington governor, who last month dropped out of the race. Inslee had been polling so low before […]

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Source: Jim Conca, Forbes, August 26, 2019 The efforts to lift our power generation and electrical grid into the 21st century is a multipronged effort. It needs a new generation mix of low-carbon sources that include hydro, renewables and nuclear, ways to capture carbon that don’t cost a zillion dollars, and ways to make the grid smart. But battery and storage technologies have had a hard […]

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Source: Jim Conca (UFA Ventures), Forbes, August 14, 2019. People want to drink clean water even more than they want to breath clean air. This desire will be front and center during this year’s World Water Week in Stockholm August 25th to the 30th. Organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), and supported by the United […]

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Source: Jim Conca (UFA Ventures), Forbes, August 8, 2019. With very serious issues like gun control, Russian tampering, prison reform and health care, it’s unlikely that a narrow issue like a candidate’s stance on nuclear power will sway anyone about voting for them or not. Even if it is part of the more overall critical issue of […]

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