climate

Healthy Air North Shore

Submitted by Jerry Halberstadt on Thu, 03/14/2024 - 12:46

Healthy Air  North Shore is a voluntary community organization effort focused on health education and mitigation of harm from pollution and a springboard for advocacy and remedial action.

Everyone wants their family to enjoy good health. We all want to breathe healthy air, avoid illness, and live a long, joyful life.

But pollution poisons our air, makes us sick, and kills us.

That pollution is caused by burning coal, oil, and gas in our homes, factories, and cars.

Clean energy, equity, and innovation within municipal utilities

Submitted by Jerry Halberstadt on Sat, 09/30/2023 - 15:50

I write to support H3150/S2117 “An Act advancing clean energy, equity, and innovation within municipal utilities.” This bill is supported by 30 climate organizations in the Commonwealth.

Photo: Mother and child. Bonnie Bain and Peyton Massie look into their future during their participation in a demonstration against the Peabody peaker plant.

Your “carbon footprint” Is Infinitesimal

Submitted by Jerry Halberstadt on Sun, 01/22/2023 - 23:50

Guest article by Win Flint
We all want to see the truly enormous changes required of our nation and world to mitigate and slow climate change. Only government has the power to mandate and implement the needed systemic changes. Getting government to change requires legislation and for that to happen, politicians need to change. They only do this after extreme pressure from voters.

So British Petroleum (BP) and the fossil energy empires are doing everything they can to prevent people from uniting for change. Hence the “carbon footprint”.

"Stand With Me" at Devereux Beach

Submitted by Jerry Halberstadt on Mon, 11/14/2022 - 21:46

At Devereux Beach, the dark sky and light rain gradually gave way to clearing and brightness. Reverend Kendra Ford led climate activists in the process of openly admitting their feelings of grief and seeing that mourning for loss because of the destruction unleashed by global warming is painful because of love for their families and the natural world.

Managing the Energy Revolution: Protect fossil fuel or the environment?

Submitted by Jerry Halberstadt on Wed, 05/04/2022 - 21:21

A revolution has begun.

Clean power from renewable resources is beating fossil fuels in price, reliability, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As governments support these climate-friendly sources of power with financial and other incentives, they pose a threat to suppliers of fossil fuel energy.

The Little Plant That Shouldn’t

Submitted by Jerry Halberstadt on Sat, 03/12/2022 - 02:18

We are concerned about the future of our grandchildren. Their future depends on our rapid action to replace burning fossil fuels to produce energy with renewable energy sources. This goal is essential to mitigate climate disaster and must be met by everyone working together, especially by the government. Therefore we are advocates for a responsive government that serves the public—but people that we trust to do the people’s business are not acting in our interests.

Can’t get there from here?

Submitted by Jerry Halberstadt on Tue, 02/22/2022 - 20:21

So here we are, watching a new but already obsolete methane gas-fueled electric generator being installed to help meet the responsibility of 14 municipal light plants to provide power to meet the peak needs of the electric system. This Project 2015A, the Peabody peaker plant, developed by the Massachusetts Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC), has no rational basis consistent with public health, environmental concerns, or climate warming. There are better solutions, nonpolluting, more reliable, and less expensive.

But our regulators have not adapted to the changing technology options and do not recognize the danger of the climate crisis in determining policy. The regulators at the regional and national level claim to use competition on price as a means of regulating and serving the common good. But we know that people and institutions motivated by profit tend to be vulnerable to economic and political influence that can punish innovation and harm the public good. Today, we see policies that protect fossil fuel plants that cause harm and create unfair challenges for renewable sources of energy and battery storage.

What Happens in Peabody, Does Not Stay in Peabody

Submitted by Jerry Halberstadt on Mon, 01/10/2022 - 11:52

What will we do for our grandchildren?

On a bright November Saturday, advocates for clean energy from across Massachusetts joined Peabody residents in the "Peabody Peaker Push" at the courthouse in Peabody Square to advocate against the proposed  gas- and oil-fired electric generator (“Project 2015A”).

Among them was Peabody resident Hunter, a  young man of 8 years,  holding a sign that said, “Non Renewable Energy is Peak Stupidity.”