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Climate Strike -- Electrification (week 68) [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-09-01  

You can make a difference to the hurt being caused by climate chaos and the great extinction event, in your town or your city! How? Reuse, repurpose, and recycle this information.

This is the letter for week 68 of a weekly climate strike that went on for 4 years in front of San Francisco City Hall, beginning early March 2019. For more context, see this story. For an annotated table of contents to see topics for all the strike letters, see this story. Meanwhile…

STRIKE FOR THE PLANET

What do Baltimore, East Harlem, and San Bruno all have in common?

The answer explains why this week’s topic is ELECTRIFICATION.

What’s the problem with using natural gas?

In San Bruno, East Harlem, Baltimore, and in many more locations all over the world, natural gas explosions destroy neighborhoods and infrastructure, and kill people.1 Natural gas, aka methane (its primary component), is a highly combustive greenhouse gas that dumps carbon into the atmosphere in massive quantities, producing CO 2 when it’s burned, and leaking CH 4 at every possible point before combustion.2, 3 Natural gas has a carbon footprint as big as or bigger than coal’s.4 Natural gas produces harmful indoor air pollution on a wide scale.5 And it’s too expensive to mine, dug out in too small an amount to replace “dirtier” fossil fuels, and too destructive in multiple ways to find, refine, store, and ship.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Is it possible to electrify everything?

Yes.

Rapid decarbonization through electrification will create 15-20 million jobs for a decade and 5 million permanent jobs after that. 12, 13

The upfront costs are no longer very expensive, while the economic downstream benefits more than pay off investment, usually many times over. 14, 15

We already have the needed technology. 16

This is the most direct and easiest route to a sustainable, clean energy future.17, 18

Is it better environmentally to electrify everything?

Yes.

Electrification alone will slash GHG emissions dramatically.19

And the benefits are even greater because dirty fuel sources aren’t needed to produce electricity.20, 21

So why haven’t we done it yet?!

Because decades of greed- and access-driven politics rigged the law at every level to favor fossil fuel producers over all others, and to mandate natural gas, even in situations where it is more expensive, more dangerous, and clearly much more destructive to the environment.22, 23

For example, in CA developers get a state discount based on how many new gas appliances they install. Then there’s the Natural Gas Act that requires the state to promote natural gas and was recently used by SoCalGas against the CPUC.24

So how do we do this?

Seize the moment! In 2019, the CEC cleared the way for natural gas bans to take effect.25 So BAN NATURAL GAS in San Francisco! Seek out and replace any “duty to serve” laws and regulations with clean energy codes now. Offer discounts, assistance, and rebates for electrification; doing so saves money.26, 27 Stand up to PG&E already! We can and should be operating on municipal microgrids. We can’t afford to be connected to the massive debt and liability, present and future, that PG&E owns. Install EV charging stations everywhere. Mandate all parking structures in SF, private and public, have multiple EV charging stations.28 We’ve got wind, solar, and wave generation potential in SF. Develop these now!

See? It’s not that hard.

Do you need help getting going? The Building Electrification Initiative29, 350.org30, and the country of New Zealand31 will all provide help. Since the Building Electrification Initiative includes Berkeley and San Jose, you don’t have to go too far afield to get assistance.

And we have to do it now!

There are, at most, 21 weeks left in which to start the necessary big actions if we’re going to survive.32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 In a little over a year, we have lost 10 years time in which to act. The Guardian started a climate countdown this last week, and gives us 84 days to save the earth.40 Because there is NO time left, you must act now.

FOOTNOTES

1. “Gas explosion”. Wikipedia. Accesses 11 August 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_explosion .

2. “Natural gas explained”. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed 11 August 2020. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/natural-gas/natural-gas-and-the-environment.php .

3. See Wednesday Strike For The Planet Week 32: CH 4 .

4. Catherine Traywick, Stephen Cunningham, Naureen S Malik, and Dave Merrill. “Gas Exports Have a Dirty Secret: A Carbon Footprint Rivaling Coal’s”. Bloomberg Green. 23 January 2020. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-23/gas-exports-have-dirty-secret-a-carbon-footprint-rivaling-coal-s .

5. Wendee Nicole. “Cooking Up Indoor Air Pollution: Emissions from Natural Gas Stoves”. Healthy indoors. 9 July 2018. https://healthyindoors.com/2018/07/cooking-indoor-air-pollution-emissions-natural-gas-stoves/ .

6. Gail E Tverberg. “10 Reasons Why Natural Gas Is NOT The Solution To Our Energy Problems”. Business Insider. 18 February 2011. https://www.businessinsider.com/dont-count-on-natural-gas-to-solve-us-energy-problems-2011-2?op=1 .

7. Mason Adams. “‘People Need to Fight It for Everything They’re Worth’ — Battles over Pipelines Are Far from Over”. Daily Yonder. 22 July 2020. https://dailyyonder.com/people-need-to-fight-it-for-everything-theyre-worth-battles-over-pipelines-are-far-from-over/2020/07/22/ .

8. Vickie Aldous. “Landowners fight proposed natural gas pipeline”. Mail Tribune. 8 July 2020. https://mailtribune.com/news/top-stories/landowners-fight-proposed-jordan-cove-pipeline .

9. Steve Curwood. “New York Study: Fracking Causes Environmental Damage, Birth Defects”. Public Radio International. 31 July 2019. https://wskg.org/news/new-york-study-fracking-causes-environmental-damage-birth-defects/ .

10. Sammy Roth. “SoCalGas ramps up use of Aliso Canyon, site of worst gas leak in history”. MSN. 9 June 2020. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/socalgas-ramps-up-use-of-aliso-canyon-site-of-worst-gas-leak-in-us-history/ar-BB15fgx1 .

11. “Environmental Impacts of Natural Gas”. Union of Concerned Scientists. 19 June 2014. https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/environmental-impacts-natural-gas .

12. David Roberts. “How to drive fossil fuels out of the US economy, quickly”. Vox. 6 August 2020. https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/21349200/climate-change-fossil-fuels-rewiring-america-electrify .

13. Jessica Corbett. “Electrifying the US economy by 2035 could create 25 million green jobs”. Red Green and Blue. 30 July 2020. http://redgreenandblue.org/2020/07/30/electrifying-us-economy-2035-create-25-million-green-jobs/ .

14. Joe Wachunas. “We Electrified Everything (and So Can You)”. CleanTechnica. 1 June 2019. https://cleantechnica.com/2019/06/01/we-electrified-everything-and-so-can-you/ .

15. Nate Adams. “Electrify Everything! A Practical Guide to Ditching Your Gas Meter”. Greentech Media. 8 May 2018. https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/electrify-everything .

16. Nate Adams. “Electrify Everything: 7 Practical Steps to Using 100% Renewable Energy”. House Whisperer Blog. 12 February 2018. http://www.natethehousewhisperer.com/blog/electrify-everything-7-practical-steps-to-using-100-renewable-energy .

17. Paul Carp and Elaine Hsieh. “Enter the electrification of everything”. GreenBiz. 21 May 2018. https://www.greenbiz.com/article/enter-electrification-everything .

18. David Roberts. “The key to tackling climate change: electrify everything”. Vox. 27 October 2017. https://www.vox.com/2016/9/19/12938086/electrify-everything .

19. Pierre Delforge. “New Study Confirms Benefits of Electrifying CA Buildings”. Natural Resources Defense Council. 15 April 2019. https://www.nrdc.org/experts/pierre-delforge/new-study-confirms-benefits-electrifying-ca-buildings .

20. Occo Roelofsen, Ken Somers, Eveline Speelman, and Maaike Witteveen. “Plugging in: What electrification can do for industry”. McKinsey & Company. 28 May 2020. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/electric-power-and-natural-gas/our-insights/plugging-in-what-electrification-can-do-for-industry .

21. Cathy Cash. “‘Alaska Is Made for Beneficial Electrification,’ Co-op CEO Says”. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. 17 March 2020. https://www.electric.coop/alaska-is-made-for-beneficial-electrification-microgrids/ .

22. Justin Gerdes. “What Does It Take to Electrify Everything in Your Home?” Greentech Media. 2 April 2018. https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/what-does-it-take-to-electrify-everything-in-your-home .

23. Emily Pontecorvo. “Does your state want to cut carbon emissions? These old laws could be standing in the way.” Grist. 10 August 2020. https://grist.org/energy/does-your-state-want-to-cut-carbon-emissions-these-old-laws-could-be-standing-in-the-way-buildings-heat-pumps/ .

24. Dana Drugmand. “SoCalGas, Nation’s Largest Gas Utility, Sues California Over Climate Policy for not ‘Maximizing the Benefits’ of Gas”. DESMOG. 10 August 2020. https://www.desmogblog.com/2020/08/10/socalgas-natural-gas-utility-lawsuit-california-climate .

25. Mallory Moench. “California regulators clear way for natural gas bans to take effect”. San Francisco Chronicle. 11 December 2019. https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/California-regulators-clear-way-for-natural-gas-14900008.php .

26. Maggie Molina. “Electrification and efficiency: crafting an enduring relationship”. American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. 31 January 2019. https://www.aceee.org/blog/2019/01/electrification-and-efficiency .

27. Sherri Billimoria, Leia Guccione, Mike Henchen, and Leah Louis-Prescott. “The Economics of Electrifying Buildings”. The Rocky Mountain Institute. 2018. https://rmi.org/insight/the-economics-of-electrifying-buildings/ .

28. “San Francisco Supes Approve Law Requiring EV Charging Stations In Parking Lots, Garages”. KPIX. 8 October 2019. https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/10/08/san-francisco-supes-approve-law-requiring-ev-charging-stations-in-parking-lots-garages/ .

29. Building Electrification Initiative. Cities Driving Change. Accessed 12 August 2020. https://www.beicities.org .

30. 350.org . Accessed 12 August 2020. https://350.org .

31. Marc Daalder. “How to electrify the economy before it’s too late”. newsroom. 3 July 2020. https://www.newsroom.co.nz/how-to-electrify-the-economy-before-its-too-late .

32. Matt McGrath. “Climate change: 12 years to save the planet? Make that 18 months”. BBC News. 24 July 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48964736 .

33. Heather Smith. “Climate Change: Even Worse Than We Thought”. Sierra. 8 October 2018. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/climate-change-even-worse-we-thought-ipcc-report .

34. Michael Grose and Julie Arblaster. “Just how hot will it get this century? It’s worse than we thought”. Phys Org. 18 May 2020. https://phys.org/news/2020-05-hot-century-worse-thought.html .

35. Amelia Urry. “The scientist who first warned of climate change says it’s much worse than we thought”. Grist. 22 March 2016. https://grist.org/science/the-scientist-who-first-warned-of-climate-change-says-its-much-worse-than-we-thought/ .

36. Rafi Letzter. “Today’s Climate Change Is Worse Than Anything Earth Has Experienced in the Past 2,000 Years”. Live Science. 25 July 2019. https://www.livescience.com/66027-climate-change-different.html .

37. John D. Sutter. “Vanishing”. CNN. Accessed 30 June 2020. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2016/12/specials/vanishing/ .

38. Peter Castagno. “Biodiversity Loss Worst in Human History — 1 Million Animal Species Risk Extinction”. Citizen Truth. 6 May 2019. https://citizentruth.org/biodiversity-loss-worst-in-human-history-1-million-animal-species-risk-extinction/ .

39. Kristen Callihan. “Earth’s Currently Ongoing Sixth Mass Extinction Is Worse Than We Thought”. OutwardOn. 7 August 2017. https://www.outwardon.com/article/earths-currently-ongoing-sixth-mass-extinction-event-is-worse-than-we-thought/ .

40. “Climate countdown”. The Guardian. Accessed most recently 29 July 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/series/climate-countdown .

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