David Harary, ERS, for Zondits As the clean energy revolution continues, state and local governments are busy leading the fight against climate change. The number one policy initiative advocated by environmentalists and economists alike is to put a price on carbon. In economic terms, achieving total market efficiency means we should account for the negative … Read more
The Mayors of Pittsburgh and Paris: We Have Our Own Climate Deal Last week, President Donald Trump tried to pit our two cities against each other when he announced, in pulling out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.” As the mayors of Pittsburgh … Read more
Gary Epstein, ERS, for Zondits Zondits is deeply disappointed with the president’s decision to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris Agreement. This decision fails to recognize the leadership role that the US should be playing as the world community moves toward a carbon-neutral, clean energy future. But we in the energy efficiency and … Read more
Brian McCowan, ERS, for Zondits [bctt tweet=”Progress on #climatechange will not be slowed due to the president’s decision on the #ParisAgreement.” username=”ZonditsEE”] President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change is a major disappointment. Reaching agreement in Paris required a massive international effort that resulted in nearly two … Read more
Gita Subramony, ERS, for Zondits This week, President Trump fulfilled a campaign promise by signing an executive order instructing the EPA to reverse the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP). The Trump administration believes that the CPP, which aimed to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants, negatively impacts the growth of the coal industry. However, … Read more
Silent and costly: how standby gadgets rack up energy bills The Telegraph, February 7, 2017 Beware of the gadgets silently running up your gas and electricity bills, probably at this very second. These quietly greedy gadgets are nibbling away at your electricity, quietly racking up what you pay. Energy efficiency is a hot topic, and … Read more
Ethan Forauer, ERS, and Gita Subramony, ERS, for Zondits The new presidential administration is proposing sweeping changes to energy and environmental policy. During the presidential debates, the candidates did not devote much time to explaining their policy positions and ideas regarding climate change and energy. However, the stance of the new administration has been made clear … Read more
Trump freezes EPA grants while California plans to slash emissions ARS Technica, January 24, 2017 With the swearing in of a new administration, the federal government and California, the most populous state in the union and the only state currently allowed to set emissions standards different from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA), seem set to … Read more
Gita Subramony, ERS, for Zondits Clean energy is not the sole province of the federal government. Although the Obama administration included energy efficiency and clean energy in its platform, it is unclear how the new Trump administration will treat these policy issues. Given the uncertainty of federal initiatives going forward, it is now more than … Read more
Curbing carbon on campus Harvard Gazette, December 8, 2016 The wells that plunge 1,500 feet under Radcliffe Yard are out of sight to those walking over them. But to the facilities team there, they are well known as indispensable tools in the University’s fight against climate change. First installed a decade ago when the technology … Read more