Stephan: This is a first assessment of what Biden's administration will be able to accomplish about climate change. we will see how this plays out.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. Credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Though the counts aren’t finished and the legal challenges could drag on for weeks, Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election is looking increasingly likely. If he does triumph, it will also be a win for action on climate change. But his ability to push through any sweeping legislation will be seriously constrained if, as appears likely, Republicans retain control of the Senate.
This outcome is far from the landslide repudiation of President Donald Trump’s assaults on environmental policy, science, and pluralism that climate activists had fervently hoped for. Climate change did appear to be a motivating issue in certain regions and races, and a concern for a solid majority of voters. But polling found that the economy, health care, and the coronavirus outbreak were far more important issues to voters than climate change, where they remain sharply divided along partisan lines.
“The potential for Biden to do something big on climate feels, to me, pretty small,” says David Keith, a […]
Stephan: Although the Republican Party has done everything it can to keep carbon energy corporations alive and profitable -- so the party, in turn, can continue to get the millions of dollars of funding it presently enjoys -- the trend is against them. Here, for instance, is the latest on geothermal energy production, which is going through major changes.
Sunlight glows through the steam of a geothermal power plant in Niland, California. Mickey Strider/Loop Images/Universal Images Group/Getty
Geothermal power is the perpetual also-ran of renewable energy, chugging along in the background for decades, never quite breaking out of its little niche, forever causing energy experts to say, “Oh, yeah, geothermal … what’s up with that?”
Well, after approximately 15 years of reporting on energy, I finally took the time to do a deep dive into geothermal and I am here to report: This is a great time to start paying attention!
After many years of failure to launch, new companies and technologies have brought geothermal out of its doldrums, to the point that it may finally be ready to scale up and become a major player in clean energy. In fact, if its more enthusiastic backers are correct, geothermal may hold the key to making 100 percent clean electricity available to everyone in the world. And as a bonus, it’s an opportunity for the struggling oil and gas industry to put its capital and skills to work on something that […]
Stephan: Climate change is going to have aspects few have even considered. For instace, as this report proposes what happens when the U.S. South West gets too hot for farm animals?
Cattle farming in the San Pedro Valley, Arizona. Credit: Witold Skrypczak/Alamy
As temperatures rise, farmers are being forced to adapt, experimenting with new breeds and cooling methods
South-west of Phoenix, Arizona, in the hottest desert in North America, Beth and Tim Wilson use sprinklers to cool their 300 pigs. Nearby, the Adams Natural Meats bison ranch employs shaders and misters. North of the city, chicken farmer Dave Jordan says he cannot put his 10,000 birds out to pasture.
“If they were out in the sun, they would just get cooked.”
Animal agriculture accounts for one-third of the US south-west’s agricultural revenue. Like the rest of the world, however, the region is changing. Between 1901 and 2016, its average temperature increased by 0.9C (1.6F), and by 1.6C (3F) in some of its hottest places. Arizona recently struggled through a summer that was the hottest ever recorded in some parts of the state.
Animal farmers are now compelled to find ways to adapt to this climatic shift, exploring new ways of keeping chickens and cows cool, or importing more heat-resistant breeds. Lingering in the air […]
Stephan: Except for the Saudis and the Israelis, the world's leaders all recognize the era of Trump is over, and are happy to welcome America back to the world community.
Biden Harris Victory Speech
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was looking forward to working with Biden and said the transatlantic relationship is “irreplaceable.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said of Vice President-elect Harris, who is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, that her “success is pathbreaking.”
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the U.S. is Britain’s most important ally
WASHINGTON — Leaders from around the world congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Saturday.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted his congratulations, calling Harris’ accomplishment of becoming the first woman and person of color elected to the vice presidency a “historic achievement.”
“The US is our most important ally and I look forward to working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security,” he wrote.
In a pair of tweets, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Biden and Harris.
Modi said of Harris, who is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, that her “success is pathbreaking.” He also added that her success was of immense pride for all Indian-Americans.
Stephan: One of the least noticed outcomes of this election is that the insanity over the criminalization of drugs (as opposed to therapy as needed) has been significantly eliminated. I live in a state where marijuana has been legal for some years and the answer as to what happens when it is legalized, is nothing happens, except, there seem to be less illegal drug transactions and less police thuggery. Those who use marijuana use it, those who don't don't. It is revealed to be a non-issue. So I take this as good news.
San Francisco (CNN Business)Plenty of uncertainty remains with the 2020 election, but one thing is clear: Recreational cannabis had a big night at the ballot box.Voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota cleared cannabis for adult use, bringing the total number of states that have approved it for that purpose to 15.”They passed overwhelmingly; they were not close races,” said John Hudak, a cannabis policy expert and deputy director at the Brookings Institution. “This is a resounding win for cannabis.”Most industry estimates peg Arizona and New Jersey as billion-dollar markets in a few years, and companies like Curaleaf Holdings (CURLF) and Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) have been making chess moves well in advance of Tuesday’s election to ensure they capitalize.Curaleaf, which operates cannabis businesses in 23 states, has been investing heavily to increase production and its retail footprint in both states, said Joe Bayern, the company’s president.
