Ken Silverstein Senior Contributor The world’s largest coal producer, Peabody Energy BTU -23%, is at risk of going bankrupt for the second time in five years. It’s all a function of the demand for coal, especially now during the coronavirus. But the potential trouble is indicative of something much bigger — the transition from coal to natural gas and renewables. The future …
Bosselman: Colorado doesn’t need a useless rail line. It needs true high-speed rail
By ANDY BOSSELMAN Denver Post, November 8, 2020 Momentum is building for a new passenger rail line that would extend 191 miles from Fort Collins to Pueblo. According to a survey for the Front Range Passenger Rail Commission, such a line has overwhelming public support. Significant federal funding could become available, too. But don’t imagine yourself zipping around on a high-speed …
Building a carfree neighborhood in an auto-centric area
Culdesac Tempe is a 17-acre lot just across the Salt River from Phoenix. Currently a mess of dust and heavy equipment, the site will eventually feature 761 apartments, 16,000 square feet of retail, 1,000 residents — and exactly zero places for them to park. The people who live there will be contractually forbidden to park a car on site or …
People are thinking beyond coal in Craig
The Craig Station coal-burning power plant in Moffat County is pictured Feb. 27, 2020. Tri-State Generation plans to close the plant by 2030. Anticipating a bust, the Colorado coal town of Craig gets an unexpected boost, Colorado Sun. Northwest Colorado is grieving the looming loss of a major industry and the pandemic has hurt. But the broader economy is beginning …
Democracy Collaborative: We must move away from current system prioritizing corporate profits sourced from monopoly rights to one that values and centers public health, social equality, and ecological sustainability. The design, implementation, and governance of our systems are critically important.
It is imperative that we quickly move away from the current system that prioritizes corporate profits sourced from monopoly rights to one that values and centers public health, social equality, and ecological sustainability. The design, implementation, and governance of our systems are critically important. However, the incredible rise of the intangible economy has dramatically altered these systems and our wider economic …
From garden streets to bike highways: four ideas for post-Covid cities – visualised
As the pandemic wreaks havoc on existing structures, we look at some visions for post-Covid cities – and how they hold up Chris Michael, Lydia McMullan and Frank Hulley-Jones in The Guardian, 25 Sep 2020 There is a huge, looming, unanswerable question that overshadows our cities, like an elephant squatting in the central square. Will a Covid-19 vaccine or herd immunity return us …
The Four Ds of Oil’s Just Transition
https://stanleycenter.org/publications/oil-just-transition/ If governments have a shot at limiting global warming to the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement, managing a global economic transition away from oil will be imperative. Such a shift will require cooperation among the financial and energy sectors, regulatory authorities, and energy industry workers. The economic stakes are high not only for oil asset owners but also …
Guiding Principles for a Green New Deal
Published February 28, 2019 by DSA Humankind has reached a moment of existential crisis. Human activity is causing disastrous climate disruption and Earth’s sixth mass extinction event, triggering critical losses of biodiversity. We are already locked in for global warming that will have catastrophic effects, and we are on a slippery path to our own extinction. The 2018 Special Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on …
Start with cancelling student debt and making public colleges free: $3 or $4 dollar return on each dollar invested
We’ve seen a lot of progressive candidates build policies around free college. But it’s not just a progressive idea. The Republican-led government of the state of Tennessee created the Tennessee Promise, a program that makes certain schools free to attend for Tennessee residents. This is because for every dollar that a state spends on higher education, they get a 3 …
In the post-coal economy, life-skills training helps employ people and restores the land
The Hopeful Work of Turning Appalachia’s Mountaintop Coal Mines Into Farms Fall 2017 THE JUST TRANSITION ISSUE TABLE OF CONTENTS IN DEPTH Alaska’s Small Villages Turn Toward Renewables—And Don’t Look Back 4 Reasons Trump Can’t Stop the Renewables Revolution Climate Justice Is Racial Justice Is Gender Justice The Hopeful Work of Turning Appalachia’s Mountaintop Coal Mines Into Farms How to Feed Ourselves …