OMNI CLIMATE MEMO MONDAYS, #95, OCTOBER 3, 2022

 

 CLIMATE MEMO MONDAYS, #95, OCTOBER 3, 2022

November 15 Earth’s Population reaches 8 billion.
Marcy Franck.  An Optimist’s Embrace of The Democrats’ Climate Legislation  The Inflation Reduction Act (reducedfrom 3 to 1 $trillion).
President of Marshall Islands Calls for Total War on CC

 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: NOVEMBER 15
I have reduced my study of the converging calamities mainly to war and warming, but overpopulation is never far from mind through membership in Population Connection:  “Population Connection is the national grassroots population organization that educates young people and advocates progressive action to stabilize world population at a level that can be sustained by earth’s resources.”  Its Septermber 2022 number includes half a dozen items about the catastrophe of too many people.  In the “President’s Note,” John Seager writes about the consequences of the projected 8 billion people to be reached November 15.  In the “Editor’s Note,” Marian Starkey urges adequate funding for international family planning; including modern contraception for everyone who wants it.  An article on “New United Nations Population Estimates and Projections.”  And much more.

Marcy Franck.  “Celebrating a turning point: The Inflation Reduction Act” (IRA).    What RMI calls Congress’ Climate Triple Whammy.     The Climate Optimist via auth.ccsend.com

”WE'RE ON A SHINY NEW PATH, OPTIMISTS”

We already had solutions, now we have funds to implement them at scale.

Here's what the IRA will do:

•         Accelerate production of parts that create clean energy, parts that store clean energy, and parts that transmit clean energy. So many parts. Parts is parts!

•         Give us credibility to push other countries to go big on climate action

•         Cut emissions 40% below 2005 levels by 2030

•         Reduce climate damages by $1.9 Trillion by 2050

•         But: A compromise that allows fossil fuel infrastructure to be built will damage environmental justice communities; clearly we still have work to do.

 

We can expect these major benefits:

•         Saving nearly 3900 lives per year by 2030.  Averting up to 100k asthma attacks per year.  Avoiding 417k work days lost to illness per year.       Reducing energy bills by an average of $1800 per year.  Creating 1.5 million jobs by 2030.  Cardigan-wearing grandpas happy dancing in front of 70's-motif rainbows almost immediately.

And here’s a tally of tax credits we’ll get for greening our lives:

•         Electric Vehicles: up to $7500 for new, $4000 for used.   Home efficiency: up to $1600 for insulation, $600 for windows, $500 for doors, $150 for a home energy audit.   Appliances: up to $840 for electric stoves; $600 for efficient central air, water heaters, boilers, and furnaces; $8000 for heat pumps; $1750 for heat pump water heaters. 
Solar: 30% of cost for rooftop solar, available for the next 10 years

Small print: I’m not an economist, I just play one in this newsletter. Some restrictions may apply. Check the consumer’s guide to the new climate law for details and calculate your personalized savings here.

… we should talk about what RMI calls Congress’ Climate Triple Whammy, three new laws that set us on a strategic path to a healthy, green future:

          The CHIPs and Science Act is the brain, funding climate tech R&D that will spur clean energy innovation and smooth over supply chain issues. Will we finally get a retro incabulator, or perhaps a flux capacitor? We’ll see!

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is the backbone, providing “much of the infrastructure these technologies need to scale at speed,” like transmission lines and permitting.

The Inflation Reduction Act is the engine that will create long-term certainty for industry to keep innovating and driving down costs.

Now it’s on us to ensure the laws are implemented swiftly and well, that they focus first on frontline communities, and to keep pushing for even more policies.

 

Public Citizen provides two articles in praise of the IRA’s reduction of drug prices: Editorial by the president of PC Robert Weissman: “Inflation Reduction Act a Major Step Forward”;  Patrick Davis and Rhoda Feng, “Inflation Reduction Act a Major Win to Make Drugs More Affordable.”  Public Citizen News (Sept.-Oct. 2022). [Silent on climate.]

 

“Island president calls for ‘total war’ on climate ‘monster.’ 

The president of the Marshall Islands, David Kabua, called on world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to “declare total war on this century’s greatest challenge — the climate change monster,” The Associated Press reported.  [This report, which appeared in The Hill, was forwarded to me by  Louise Mann, 9-21-22.]