Peter Dykstra:  Are you ready for some good news?
Credit: (100% Campaign/flickr)

Peter Dykstra: Are you ready for some good news?

It's often our duty to report bleak news on climate and the environment. But let's not skimp on the good news—like the continued momentum of clean energy

After years of promise and halting progress, wind and solar energy have simply, undeniably, irrefutably arrived.


A report from the Rocky Mountain Institute foresees a world that, by the year 2035, has wind and solar energy positively crushing the reigning champ, natural gas. Touted as a "bridge fuel," advocates of gas—and of the hydraulic fracturing used to extract it—have told us that fracked natural gas, while still a fossil fuel, is measurably cleaner than oil or coal.

The reality is that fracking has brought us previously-unheard-of problems with methane releases, not to mention rampant use of water, sand, and a mix of chemicals and real estate shenanigans similar to a 19th Century gold rush.

A bridge fuel it's not. Fracking has also vaulted the U.S. into the world leadership of oil and gas production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Cheap, abundant natural gas has largely priced coal and nuclear out of the electricity market. So, fracking's got that going for it, which is nice. Nevertheless, the RMI "bridge backward" study, if validated, can move markets and bring investment in new natural gas plants to a halt, and turn the controversial buildout of gas pipelines into a costly bust.

Not that the markets aren't already moving: Another report, released last week by the UN Environment Programme, charted a quadrupling of clean energy investment in the past decade. China leads the world in such investment, with the U.S. a distant second.

When an idea moves from visionaries, entrepreneurs and advocates to investors, it has indeed arrived.

Solar arrays are covering Carolina farmland. After years' worth of delays, offshore windmills are taking root, or are poised to jump off the drawing boards.

It's all within reach. If you don't believe me, believe the parting speech of the most recent Governor of Texas: "You can be proud that Texas produces more energy from wind turbines than all but five countries."

Well, that 2015 speech was from Governor Rick Perry. Since he became Trump's obedient Secretary of Energy, we don't hear such encouraging words. But the wind power success remains.

Solar isn't far behind, with some of the gaudiest progress happening on the vast roofs of big box stores, of all places.

These are victories, but they're not even a small fraction of what's needed for humanity to get a grip on itself. Avoiding a beef burger, taking public transit, buying a Prius, planting a few trees – these may do as much to assuage our eco-guilt as they do to fix what's broken.

It's late in the game. Wind, solar, storage batteries, carbon-free energy and dozens of other ideas, virtues, policies, and gadgets all need to show up – and soon.

Finally, we need to run those who deny science and block policy implications out of office and far from influence. There will be a time to engage them, and a time to ignore. A time to inform, and a time to ridicule.

We need it all, and soon. Or maybe right now.

a row of flags in front of a building.
Credit: Mmoka/Unsplash

World climate talks resume without U.S. as global negotiators assess new path forward

The United States skipped a major round of United Nations climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany this week, leaving other nations and U.S. civil society groups to navigate the talks without the world's largest fossil fuel producer at the table.

Bob Berwyn reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Smoke billows from an industrial chimney at sunset near several homes.

Judge rules EPA overstepped in cutting pollution grants

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from canceling $600 million in environmental justice grants aimed at helping underserved communities reduce pollution.

Rachel Frazin reports forThe Hill.

In short:

  • The grants stem from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which set aside $3 billion for environmental justice programs.
  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Biden had planned to distribute the $600 million through regional groups, which would fund local efforts, before the Trump EPA terminated the grants earlier this year.
  • Judge Adam Abelson ruled the EPA's cancellation exceeded its authority “precisely because they are ‘environmental justice’ programs."

Key quote:
The move included a “lack of any reasoned decision-making, or reasoned explanation.”

— Judge Adam Abelson, U.S. District Court

Why this matters:
Underserved communities often face the greatest environmental health risks and climate impacts. These grants were designed to help local groups respond to long-standing environmental harms and health risks, and canceling them would have cut off vital support just as cleanup efforts were beginning to gain traction. The Trump administration has also attempted to cancel a similar $20 billion program that would fund climate-friendly projects.

coffee mug near open folder with tax withholding paper.

Senate Republicans move to cut clean energy tax credits despite bipartisan benefits

Congressional Republicans are advancing a tax plan that would slash incentives for clean energy and electric vehicles, drawing criticism from advocates and some GOP members whose districts benefit from green investments.

Alexa St. John reports for The Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
A stream running through green forested hills.

Brazil moves to auction vast oil blocks despite climate and Indigenous concerns

Brazil is set to auction off oil and gas exploration rights in a massive offshore and Amazon region sale, prompting backlash from Indigenous groups and environmental advocates just months before it hosts the Cop30 climate summit.

Constance Malleret reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
An image showing a downpour with a caution sign.

New research links stalled jet stream to rising summer weather extremes

The number of extreme summer weather events driven by trapped atmospheric waves has tripled since 1950 due to climate change, new research shows.

Seth Borenstein reports for The Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
Farm machinery helping harvest turnips.

How agribusiness lobbying boosts corporate control over food and climate policy

Industrial agriculture companies spent hundreds of millions lobbying Congress ahead of the stalled farm bill debate, further distancing everyday Americans from decisions shaping the nation’s food systems and climate future.

Brian Calvert reports for Civil Eats.

Keep reading...Show less
Steel mill under a cloudy sky.
Credit: Michi/Pixabay

Steelmaker retreats from clean energy plans as hydrogen costs and politics shift

Cleveland-Cliffs is scaling back plans to build the nation's first green steel plant in Ohio, pivoting away from hydrogen and back to fossil fuels as federal incentives face repeal and political winds change in Washington.

Alexander C. Kaufman reports for Canary Media.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.