Forty years ago, I was a fire dispatcher for the Tahoe National Forest when a series of lightning strikes triggered the largest fire in the history of the forest. I worked ten straight 14-hour days and quickly found myself in charge of “initial attack” for all other fires on the forest. Our system for attacking new fires was simple: there were a pre-set series of resources (fire engines, hand crews, aircraft, bulldozers, and even paratroopers) we would commit to a fire based upon a combination … [Read more...]
Truth Is Truth
It was quite a week for the Rule of Law: President Trump’s longtime attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to eight felonies, President Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort was convicted of eight of his own felonies by a unanimous jury (a lone holdout on the jury resulted in the dismissal of ten other charges), and President Trump himself was directly implicated by Cohen (while under oath before a federal judge, which would expose Cohen to further penalties if he was committing perjury) … [Read more...]
The Rule of Law
I believe in the rule of law. This seems like an unremarkable statement for someone who has dedicated his professional life to reasoned and civilized discourse within an institutional structure of a legal system that values evidence, logic, science, rational analysis, a search for the truth in the face of conflicting evidence and interests, fairness, justice, and a simple belief that might does not make right. But this is a remarkable—and perilous—time for American democracy, reasoned and … [Read more...]
Got Climate Change? Abnormal Is the New Normal
I am writing this as the fires of northern California have enveloped the Bay Area in a thick shroud of smoke and haze. Millions of residents are experiencing unhealthy air as tens of thousands of residents await word on whether their homes and businesses have been destroyed. The body count from this disaster will surely rise in the coming days and weeks, for these fires ripped through the forests and vineyards and neighborhoods so fast that only the awake and able were able to escape their path. … [Read more...]
Our Monumental Legacy
You may not realize it, but you are a land baron: as a citizen of the United States, you own roughly 640 million acres of public land. We own all of that land together—nearly two acres per person—and we elect members of Congress to make decisions on our behalf about how best to manage it. Congress, in turn, has established various federal agencies that then hire staff to care for our land. I don’t know about you, but I just don’t have the time or money to keep an eye on all of that land we own … [Read more...]
Compromise and the Art of the Possible: the Glass is Both Half-Full and Half-Empty
As you have probably heard by now, the California state Legislature passed AB 398 and AB 617 on Monday night by a two-thirds majority in each house to extend the authority of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to include cap-and-trade (C&T) in its suite of policy tools for achieving a 40% reduction in state GHGs from 1990 levels by 2030. Some see this as an important step forward in California’s climate policy, but others see it as a step back. In reality, this is a case of the glass … [Read more...]
We’ll Always Have Paris
The President of the United States announced today that the U.S. is pulling out of the Paris agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This wasn’t a big surprise, and I even made a public bet at a prominent climate policy conference that he would do so. This President always plays to his political base, which in turn feeds primarily on fear and misinformation rather than more nuanced rational analysis paired with hope. Quoting from dubious sources and ignoring competing analyses, the … [Read more...]
Physics, Facts, and Climate Change
Do you believe in gravity? I know it sounds like a silly question, but stay with me: whether you believe in gravity or not—and why you do—is critical to the future of the planet. Let’s assume that you do believe in gravity. Why do you believe in gravity? I suspect there are three reasons. The first reason is that it is consistent with your observations, where you remain grounded on the earth when you walk across the room and a ball thrown in the air falls back to the floor. The second reason … [Read more...]
From Risk to Return: Investing in a Clean Energy Economy Report Released
I’m excited to announce an important new report that the Risky Business Project released today- From Risk to Return: Investing in a Clean Energy Economy. This report finds that transitioning to a clean energy economy that reduces climate risk is technically and economically achievable using commercial or near-commercial technology. It will create significant business opportunities for those willing to lead. Risky Business Project Co-Chairs Michael Bloomberg, Henry Paulson, Jr., and Thomas … [Read more...]
Steeper, Faster, and Deeper: Meeting California’s Climate Targets by 2030
California formally established its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goal as 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 when Governor Brown signed SB 32 and AB 197 last week. He had previously called for this target in an Executive Order, but SB 32 cements the mandate with legislative support. AB 197 establishes more legislative oversight over the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the agency charged with implementing both AB 32 over the past decade (which called for reducing the state’s GHG … [Read more...]