As of 2021, only around 3% of the net energy produced within the state of Maine comes from solar energy. About half of the state’s energy comes from hydropower and wind power. According to a 2016 US Department of Energy study, solar panels could potentially provide 60% of the state’s electricity needs. Construction on Maine’s …
Tag Archives: Climate Change
Fighting from Within: Shell Shareholder Sues for Climate Action
In a typical investor-owned company, the first responsibility goes to the shareholders. These individuals should reap the benefits of the company’s activity, and the firm should be loyal and even deferential to these individuals. What happens when an environmental law firm joins the list of shareholders of a major oil company, meaning that the corporation …
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Veganuary 2021: The Movement Continues
A record number of people signed up this year for Veganuary, a global movement that encourages people to pledge to be entirely vegan in January. 525,000 individuals signed up for the challenge this year, demonstrating the increasing interest in and popularity of the plant-based diet. No longer is veganism a fringe movement that many people …
EU Pledges Climate Action for the Paris Accord, Yet Promotes Beef
Happy New Year! With that pleasantry out of the way, let’s get to talking about what’s wrong with the world. Back in 2015, 196 parties adopted the Paris Accord, a treaty that has the goal of limiting Earth’s total warming to below 2°C, and if possible 1.5°C. As part of their contribution to this goal, …
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How We Can Fix the Paris Accord
The Paris Accord was signed in December of 2015 and has the goal of limiting warming since preindustrial times (1750) to 2°C, or 1.5°C if possible. The Earth has already warmed by 1°C since 1750. The Paris Accord was widely lauded at the time of its signing and was portrayed as proof that the international …
3 Things I’m Looking Forward to in 2020
I’ve decided to end the year off on a positive note by talking about three different things I’m hoping to see in the coming year. Of course, a comprehensive list of the trends and policies I would like to witness in 2020 would run for thousands of words. And of course, many of these policy …
Geoengineering Is Not the Answer
The data don’t lie. Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels have been steadily increasing in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution, and today the atmospheric concentration of this greenhouse gas is higher than it has been for millennia. 3 million years ago, when atmospheric CO2 concentrations were the same as they are currently (407.8 ppm as of …
Green Humanist 