Mark Ruffalo talks Climate Change & what you can do about it (The Solutions Project!)

[RiverLover]

Mark Ruffalo talks climate change and what you can do about it
By Mark Ruffalo, 17 Jun 2015



In a recent movie, I play a guy who gets pretty formidable when he gets angry. In real life, I get angry, too.

I’m angry that we are still debating climate change, and that despite the reams of science-based evidence for it, there are still those who ignore the facts. I’m angry that we’re heavily investing in fossil fuels to power our nation, when greater investment in renewable energy represents jobs, energy stability — and the sustainability of life as we know it.

Mostly, though, I’m hopeful, because I think the tide is turning, and many — particularly young people — understand the existential threat we face and are prepared to do something about it....

...big <snip>...didn't want to...

....I became an activist a number of years ago, when a good friend took me to Dimock, Pa., and I met residents who were concerned that the fracking going on in their community was contaminating their drinking water. They were being ignored, and they asked me to be their voice.

I came home from that meeting, laid in bed and wrestled with what to do. I asked myself a crucial question: Ruffalo, are you really who you say you are? I talked a lot about justice and the importance of community. Did I mean it?

That meeting led me on a journey that continues today.

It’s not enough to oppose fracking and fossil fuels.

We need to support an energy solution for every state in this country. That’s why I am working with The Solutions Project, a data-driven organization working to achieve the transition to 100 percent renewable energy for all Americans by 2050.

Make no mistake. We are in a race against climate change. If we don’t make dramatic changes — soon — it won’t matter what political faction we align ourselves with or how much wealth we amass.

We need more grassroots activism and a commitment to live our American values. We don’t need a superhero, but maybe we do need more people to get angry and turn that into action.

http://grist.org/climate-energy/mark-ruffalo-talks-climate-change-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/

The Solutions Project Will Take The US Off Fossil Fuels
6/11/2015

There’s an old saying that goes like this: “If you fail to plan, you have a plan to fail.” When it comes to global warming and carbon emissions, thousands of well meaning people have written millions of words about how dire the situation is and how we have to set some real goals. But what we need, more than words, is a real plan to get the US off fossil fuels and soon.

The Solutions Project is a real plan that says precisely what steps need to be taken to get the US off fossil fuels by 2050. It is the result of intense research by several universities and led by scientists at Stanford. These researchers have studied the problems, evaluated the alternatives, and come up with a plan for every state in America. It details the precise steps each one needs to take in order to be powered by electricity from 100% renewable sources no later than 2050. Click on the interactive map at the Project’s website to see what your state needs to do.

It doesn’t call for federal action. We all know the US Congress can’t agree whether it’s day or night. And we have buffoons like Senator Snowball, James Inhofe of Oklahoma, who brought a snowball on the floor of the Senate this winter to prove that climate change was a hoax because it was really, really cold outside.



Instead, it calls upon each each individual state to take control of its own destiny so we can all enjoy this beautiful planet for a while longer, instead of letting a few hundred of the wealthiest citizens go live in space colonies built by Elon Musk on Mars while the rest of us inhabit what’s left of a dying planet.

The best news is The Solutions Project shows how all this can be done while creating tens of thousands of new jobs and saving us nearly 40% on our energy bills — forever. Putting it another way, this plan creates a new, more robust economy that all can share in. It disproves the naysayers who say transitioning away from fossil fuels will bankrupt the US and the rest of the world financially.

Mark Jacobson, a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and the Precourt Institute for Energy, says the plan uses only existing technology. It does not rely on future scientific breakthroughs to pull humanity’s chestnuts out of the fire, both figuratively and literally.

He says the researchers first investigated the current energy needs of all 50 states and made reasonable assumptions about how those needs would increase between now and 2050. The researchers then divided those needs into four categories: commercial, industrial, residential, and transportation.

Next, they determined how much power each category would need if all its energy needs were switched over to electricity. “This is a significantly challenging step. It assumes that all the cars on the road become electric and that homes and industry convert to fully electrified heating and cooling systems,” says Jacobson. He claims, “The energy savings would be significant.”

But energy savings are only part of the good news. “When you account for the health and climate costs – as well as the rising price of fossil fuels – wind, water and solar are half the cost of conventional systems,” Jacobson stated. “A conversion of this scale would also create jobs, stabilize fuel prices, reduce pollution related health problems and eliminate emissions from the United States. There is very little downside to a conversion, at least based on this science.”

There are things you can do to promote The Solutions Project Plan in your own state. You can share this story with your elected officials from the governor on down. You can write to your local newspaper and tell you friends. You can share The Solutions Project on Facebook and Twitter. This story began with one time tested saying.

Here’s another one: “If the people will lead, their leaders will follow.” Start today. There’s no time to lose.


http://planetsave.com/2015/06/11/the-solutions-project-will-take-the-us-off-fossil-fuels/

http://thesolutionsproject.org/

"If properly harnessed, there's enough sunlight that falls on the earth in just one hour to meet the world's energy demands for a whole year."

(x-posted in Environment & Energy Group)

[RiverLover]

1. Kicking...because if we can't breathe, animals can't breathe, plants can't breathe...

Nothing else matters.

[The2ndWheel]

2. That's the issue right there

"If properly harnessed, there's enough sunlight that falls on the earth in just one hour to meet the world's energy demands for a whole year."

That energy doesn't need to be harnessed for it to meet the world's energy needs. It's already doing that unharnessed. Obviously when people say the world's needs, they mean the needs of human beings. That's where the complication starts though, as human needs are mostly wants at this point. We certainly don't need to fly or travel at 55mph.

A basic issue is that of harnessed energy. If we wanted to be sustainable(and we don't really know what that means, and the context of life is always changing anyway), we would just accept the amount of sunlight that falls on the earth, and work with what we get. That's a limit though, and if human history tells us anything, it's that human beings do not like or accept limits.

Also, if this is a finite planet, then we can't have everything.

But energy savings are only part of the good news. “When you account for the health and climate costs – as well as the rising price of fossil fuels – wind, water and solar are half the cost of conventional systems,” Jacobson stated. “A conversion of this scale would also create jobs, stabilize fuel prices, reduce pollution related health problems and eliminate emissions from the United States. There is very little downside to a conversion, at least based on this science.”

This all sounds great. Human beings can go on doing everything we want to do, and more, and there's little downside. But that's just not real. There is always a downside to everything. We can't escape it, but we really want to, and our attempts to do so are what drive the change that we're trying to get away from.

[Romulox]

3. There are *billions* more people on the Earth than when I was born. A prius won't change that. nt