coal — Transition Voice

Energy and presidential politics

By Lindsay Curren February 7, 2012

Mitt Romney & Va Gov Bob McDonnell as "Friends of Coal"

We found out the hard way when my husband Erik ran for the Virginia state legislature* that too often issues within states and localities are drowned out by the political noise blared out across the nation by the Washington news media. (Transition Voice readers will know Erik as our publisher). It was 2009, and on the local campaign trail, almost all Erik ever heard, besides concerns about jobs, were questions on the federal health care bill, the cost of wars, and the US federal deficit, … [Read more...]

How the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street differ

By Lindsay Curren November 1, 2011

When the Tea Party came along, clamoring to "take back our government," all dressed in the resonant and nostalgic regalia of our founding revolution, it was an intriguing moment in national politics. Sadly, the more the Tea Party called for such aims, the more it exclusively targeted Democrats, Liberals, Progressives and an alleged "big nanny government," while caring nothing for the issue of the obvious and poisonous power of big business, except in opposing bailouts. Though debates rage … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: activism, Big Coal, coal, communication, Occupy Wall Street, plutocracy

The overburden: Review of “The Last Mountain”

By Lindsay Curren September 30, 2011

"Coal River Mountain is our last mountain in the Coal River Valley that hasn't been blasted to ashes." -- Bo Webb, a military veteran, coalminer’s son, and former tool-and-die shop owner in Cleveland who moved back to his family home in the Coal River Valley of West Virginia For the past twenty months or so I've curated The Local Motion Film Series for our area's Transition group, Transition Staunton Augusta. We've shown a film on climate, peak oil, energy, culture, local food or economy … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Films, Reviews Tagged With: activism, Big Coal, clean energy, coal, communication

The U.S. fatso after a miracle diet of renewables

By Tad Patzek May 19, 2011

Almost every day on the way to campus I watch all kinds of monster trucks overtaking my small diesel engine-powered car. The drivers look down at me with amusement and proudly roar from all of their eight monster cylinders, spewing their monster exhaust fumes. All these dinosaurs on wheels usually carry one person, who is not getting anywhere any faster than I do. They do burn, however, four times more precious liquid hydrocarbons than I do. And herein lies the quintessential … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy Tagged With: coal, oil, renewable energy

Nukes are scary, but don’t forget coal

By Erik Curren March 24, 2011

With all the focus on the situation in Japan, it's easy to forget that global society's biggest source of electric power, good old fashioned coal, is pretty dangerous stuff. And with the anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon spill coming up next month, we should remember that oil's pretty dangerous too. Marketing guru Seth Godin turns data on deaths-per-terawatt of energy produced into an easy-to-understand chart that tells a story that may surprise you. For every person killed by nuclear … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy Tagged With: coal, communication, George Monbiot, nuclear power, Seth Godin

The end of nuclear and its timing

By Jan Lundberg March 21, 2011

Three days before the Fukushima nuclear power explosion, I made a comment on a peace activist's Facebook page: "I believe a successful, final anti-nuke campaign will only take place in one of two ways: 1) collapse puts the entire infrastructure of industry and consumption out of business, forcing the survivors to minimally babysit the nukes forever, or, 2) there's an accident or deliberate blast or meltdown that motivates people all over the world to shut down the mechanical beast once … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy Tagged With: coal, Japan crisis, nuclear power

Polluters vs. the people

By James Hansen October 2, 2010

Guest column by climatologist Dr. James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. We hold this truth to be self evident – all people are created equal. That truth is the basis for equal protection of the laws – a right guaranteed by our Constitution. "All people" includes young people, mountain people, poor people. Our government was instituted to protect the rights of all people. We are gathered here today to draw attention to the failure of our … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: carbon tax, climate skeptics, coal, community organizing, James Hansen, mountaintop removal, Oct 2010

Readers and authors talk

Elisabeth J. Potts on Climate collision course: CO2 levels about to hit 400 ppm » As of this week, we have already reached the 400ppm milestone. Here's the thing: We all need some sp...
Ed Johnson on Roundup of distressing climate news » Thank you all for your comments and commitments. I too sense this with out all the research backgrou...
Lee Samelson on The climate change mountaintop » It seems like the stages occur in reverse order for climate hawks Climate hawks or climate activists...
Steve on For sale, habitable planet, too late » Doug, I am in a similar place to you, I think. I have probably never really faced up to the reality ...