The Energy Consumer's Bulletin- a New England energy news blog

Photo Blog: Reflecting on the People’s Climate March

Mass Energy’s message of clean, affordable energy was echoed by about 400,000 people on New York City on Sept. 21. The People’s Climate March was timed to coincide with a United Nations Summit on Climate Change. According to the UN, “Climate change is not a far-off problem. It is happening now and is having very real consequences on people’s lives. Climate change is disrupting national economies, costing us dearly today and even more tomorrow.  But there is a growing recognition that affordable, scalable solutions are available now that will enable us all to leapfrog to cleaner, more resilient economies.

“There is a sense that change is in the air. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited world leaders, from government, finance, business, and civil society to Climate Summit 2014 this 23 September to galvanize and catalyze climate action.  He has asked these leaders to bring bold announcements and actions to the Summit that will reduce emissions, strengthen climate resilience, and mobilize political will for a meaningful legal agreement in 2015. Climate Summit 2014 provides a unique opportunity for leaders to champion an ambitious vision, anchored in action that will enable a meaningful global agreement in 2015.”

Avoid carbon dioxide emissions: Doing the math on green power

If we can avoid burning fossil fuels to make electricity (or heat our homes), we can avoid carbon dioxide emissions which cause global warming.  Fortunately, we can do just that by buying green power and making our homes energy efficient.  Can we quantify the benefits of green power and efficiency?  Yes, we can!  Here’s how:

The organization that runs the New England power grid does an annual assessment of air emissions made by generators in the region.  The assessment reports on how much sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon dioxide are emitted in a given year, both on average per megawatt hour and at the margin.  By “at the margin” we mean the last megawatt hour (MWh) produced.  When we consider how avoiding emissions is a benefit, we calculate the benefit by looking at the marginal rate, which is the rate associated with the last megawatt hour we are using on the New England Power grid.  For those of who are concerned about climate change, we are interested in the marginal rate of carbon dioxide emissions because we want to replace that last megawatt hour of dirty energy with something that is zero-emission.   The point is that that we claim credit for avoiding the marginal rate rather than the average rate. 

Climate Change Impacts on Public Heath - Up Close and Personal

Soccer and Energy on a Worldwide Scale

Mothers Out Front: A Force Against Climate Change

Grassroots Change is Now: Local Environmental Action Conference 2014