China/India

It’s hard to know where to start given the outcome of the election. That said, I think I’m just going to stay on message and report environmental news and my perspectives in this regard. While not unusual or surprising, climate change and the environment did not rise up to the top of issues that drove the decision of who to…

Let’s get one thing straight. Much of the news media is spinning EV sales in a way that is a misconception. They are trying to say that EV sales are faltering. That is NOT accurate. They have seized upon the fact that the days supply of Electric Vehicles on dealers’ lots has risen. True. But so has the days supply…

Our worldwide society is lurching forward like a drunken sailor. We are on a collision course with the climate. We’re creating a train wreck in slow motion. And while it may be slow motion now, this freight train is speeding up and gaining momentum. Pretty soon, a lot sooner than later, there will be nothing we can do to slow…

Thanks to all of you who noticed that you had not heard from me for about a year and checked in to see if something was wrong. Nope. Just needed a break. There was a combination of burn out (pandemic related) and life getting too busy for a while. But here I am again to keep you informed on so…

There are two primary articles I want to highlight today pertaining to a couple of topics I have covered regularly over the years. After that, I will throw at you a several headlines about the auto industry and the environmental impact of climate change. Let’s start with economics.  I have been writing about for a couple of decades now that there is not…

Going Faster in Both Directions   Going Faster in Both Directions Once again it’s been a few weeks since I sent you my report on what’s going on.  Busy with grandsons and traveling. But the news and the message is pretty much the same.   The climate gets hotter.  The weather gets worse.  Both, faster and faster and more quickly…

Sonny and Cher: The beat goes on (HQ Version) – YouTube Enjoy some music as you read today. For newer readers, some of what I am going to cover today may be new to you.  But for those of you who have been getting this newsletter for longer, I am simply going to provide you with the current status on…

I am going to take some time off with my family so this will be my last post in 2021.  I’ll list some recent news at the end, as usual, but I want to reflect and share some thoughts about this past year in order that we grasp how much and how quickly our circumstances have changed, are changing and…

I hope that you are enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and for all my Jewish readers, a very happy Chanukah starting at sundown tonight.  We are having our Chanukah party tonight! Reflecting on what I am most thankful for it is the same this year as always: my family and health of all of us.  I and my family have all been…

Every week there is so much news that is published about so many of the topics relating to climate change upon which I attempt to keep you abreast.  This week is no different.  The primary one upon which I will dwell today is very revealing as to why it is so important to keep warming below 1.5 degrees celsius and how the…

Every week brings a wide array of articles that relate to and provide updated information and developments regarding many of the topics about which I report to you.  Sometimes I will feature one subject in more detail while also now providing you with headlines and a brief quote from the featured article and others so you get the salient point(s)…

Last week I presented you with a smorgasbord of environmental news.  This week I’m going to display a variety of good and bad news that has been published in the last number of days.  I’ll start with the good news that should give us some level of optimism that we have the ability to do something effective to alter our society in order to…

It is hard to comprehend that we are around half way through summer.  It sure doesn’t seem like it to me.  It’s going by so quickly and for some reason I feel like I’m missing out.  Maybe because of the weather?  Too hot, too dry, too wet, too cool, too windy (meaning being unsuitable to kayak on Lake Michigan).  But…

As usual, it’s been a busy week for environmental news.  This week I am going to stay focused on what’s going on in the automotive realm and on the transition to an EV future.  Before I do, though, I want to start with some good news.  Having been rightfully accused of being the bearer of doom and gloom in many…

It is a shame, but not surprising, that things have to be this bad to wake up people to the fact that “we ARE there” already. In case you have any doubts, the following headlines from this week should provide a sobering jolt to your consciousness.   We all know people who either don’t get that there is a problem or don’t comprehend…

Back to my usual format this week.  I am going to focus on a single topic and a single article.  This time energy; solar to be specific.     I will admit that my ego is soothed when what I have been telling you for well over a decade comes to pass.  And so I will simply let the following…

You probably didn’t notice that I didn’t write an article last week.  I just needed a break.  But in the last two weeks, the news has not stopped.  So this week, I am simply going to recap some headlines of what has occurred recently.  These headlines, and maybe one brief passage from the article, cover a broad swath of the…

Almost a year ago, May 2020, I wrote the following article. How Many Fingers Do You Have? https://franklytalking.com/how-many-fingers-do-you-have/ The point I was making, and have been predicting all along for many years if you’ve been paying attention, is that our transition from a world reliant on fossil fuels to one that has essentially eliminated the emission of CO2, methane and…

You all know the story about the frog and the boiling pot of water.  If you threw a frog into a pot of hot water it would immediately jump out.  But if it were in a pot of water that was at a temperature that it found normal and gradually turned up the heat it would slowly boil to death.…

Above: Michael Greenstone of the University of Chicago testifies before Congress on the Social Cost of Carbon In the past I have alerted you to how seemingly little insignificant things can actually have enormous impact.  I’ve written several times about NSR, New Source Review, which has a huge impact on many things but especially on whether a coal fired power…

There’s been several articles this week that describe how we are inexorably headed for a carbon free, mostly, electric future in transportation.  There have been, and still are, skeptics that don’t believe that we will get to the point by 2030, or 2035 at the latest, when every mass produced car in the US will be fully electric much less light duty…

The time has come,’ the Walrus said,       To talk of many things: Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —       Of cabbages — and kings — And why the sea is boiling hot —       And whether pigs have wings.’ This week is a continuation of last weeks post about the end of the fossil fuel industry.  This week is specifically focused on…

“This rather old saying, ‘chickens have come home to roost’, is normally used to mean that the bad things that someone has done in the past have come back to bite or haunt the individual. In other words, you are telling someone that he has to face the consequences of the deeds done in the past — though he may…

Science matters.  While there aren’t many climate change skeptics any more, unless you belong to the Republican Party, it is  worthwhile to see graphically what is happening to our planet’s atmosphere so we can be confident of the rationale for demanding aggressive action to avoid the worst consequences that a quickly warming climate will cause.  So short and to the point today.  A quick…

As I have been writing about for years and in many of my most recent articles, follow the money.  Fossil fuels are being abandon like a hot potato.  As predicted, costs of renewables have dropped more than dramatically.  In 10 years solar has gone from $300 a megawatt hour to $38 in China today.  And wind in the last 10 years…

I am staying on the finances of climate change.  The last post related to the IMF (International Monetary Fund) warning that:   “nations must do all they can to promote a recovery that also fights against the climate-change crisis” IMF Gets On Board More and more pressure is coming to bear on investors to take into consideration the risk of directing capital…

The following Newsweek opinion piece’s principal message is that the current COVID-19 pandemic should teach us the lesson about the cost of failing to recognize foreseeable disasters and take actions to mitigate them.  Denying the science behind pending catastrophes doesn’t make them go away.   “The real discussion we should be having is not about the age-old debate of big government versus small…

Following up on the post I wrote on Monday (https://franklytalking.com/is-the-coronavirus-pandemic-sending-us-a-wake-up-call-on-climate/) I am attaching two more articles about how ill prepared the U.S. is for anticipating and preparing for a rapid change in the climate and the consequences thereof.  Just look at the title of this post and think of how totally incompetently the current Administration is in dealing with the current Pandemic to…

The world around us is changing fast.  And as much change as we’ve seen in the last week, especially since Wednesday, it’s going to accelerate and it’s hard to imagine what life will be like a week from now much less in a month.  I hope you are taking this pandemic extremely seriously and staying home and isolated.  Even if…

For years I have been saying that scientists and other climate “experts” were under estimating the likelihood and degree (pun intended) of a warming planet.  The reason for this I said was because they were worried about public perception of being alarmist and possibly of “getting out over their skis.” And if in fact that their more extreme predictions didn’t come to…

I am often asked by people, “what can and should I be doing to help curb climate catastrophe?”  Many people feel guilty about their lifestyle and/or simply want to do what they can to be a part of the solution to prevent the worst consequences of a warming planet.  My answer is not always what people want to hear. I…

No matter what we do now, we’ve already baked in increasingly severe consequences from a warming climate.  That said, if we do nothing and stay on the trajectory upon which we are currently headed, the future of our civilization is in extreme jeopardy.  As it stands right now, we will unquestionably have to adopt to some changes but by being proactive…

Back in the 80’s when it was obvious to me that the science of global warming was clear and convincing I began trying to get others to believe it was happening as well.  That has been a long, gradual and uphill process.  Nevertheless, in the last two years or so it seems like a critical mass has been achieved here in…

Reading the following article from Rolling Stone Magazine, I don’t know where to begin.  If you’ve ever read one of their feature articles you know how long they are.  So, I am reluctant to use them in my postings.  Yet, this one is so compelling.  It is about the impact of extreme heat that is coming as a result of climate change.…

The last post I sent you emphasized how dramatically the earth is heating up and consistently smashing heat records worldwide by huge margins at a vastly higher pace than anytime in the past.  This is one of the results.    “What was once exceptional is becoming more frequent today.”   “The melting has reached parts of Greenland that typically stay frozen all year…

I ran into a friend at a party a short while ago who I hadn’t seen in quite a while.  He gets this newsletter and remarked to me that he appreciated getting the info and my passion for the subject matter.  And then he asked me if we were really in any big trouble.   Of course I answered with a…

On June 15th I sent you this article:  Can Concrete Really Save the Planet?  As a follow up to this is the following article which describes the pressure that investors are placing on cement companies to reduce and ultimately eliminate their CO2 emissions.   “Members of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate change and the Climate Action 100+, a coalition…

  The last article I sent focused on dangerous heat events occurring all over the world but especially devastatingly in SE Asia.  This article delves into developing knowledge and research into the complications of how the changing climate is not linear but rather causing multiple factors of climate change to interact making climate disaster events exponentially worse.  Scientists are learning more and…

Normally I wouldn’t send you another piece of news so soon after my last post but this article was simply too compelling and extreme for me to wait. All I can say is read the whole thing.  It is horrifying.  And it’s coming to your city or town eventually. Especially if you are in Phoenix, LA, Las Vegas, Atlanta or…

  I’ve been telling you for years and years that our warming planet was headed for consequences much greater than was being predicted by main stream scientists and reported by the main stream media.  I warned that consequences would happen faster and with more impact than most people were willing to say to the public.  But as I’ve delineated in the last…

“India last week was in the grip of its worst heat wave… The capital, Delhi, reached a daily record of 118 degrees Fahrenheit, or 48 degrees Celsius, on June 10.” “San Francisco peaked at 100 degrees Fahrenheit on June 12, also a daily record” “Even Helsinki, Finland, way up north on the Baltic Sea, practically turned into an outdoor sauna when…

From the following article: “The United States has experienced 412 consecutive months with temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th-century average, according to NOAA. Climate disasters have also been on the rise, with three of the four most active disaster years coming in 2016, 2017 and 2018.” It is becoming more and more obvious that extreme weather is getting worse…

In my last post the other day I wrote about how a new method of producing concrete has the potential of removing massive amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere if adopted as the only way of cement production on a world wide scale.  It is becoming increasingly certain that to keep the climate from destroying our way of life we not only need…

Just as technology that will accelerate the transition to a carbon emissions free future is developing more rapidly than most experts could imagine even five years ago it turns out that we are shooting at a moving target.  We need to develop and adopt solutions much more quickly than thought necessary because our planet’s climate is deteriorating materially more rapidly than we conceived.  This is…

Last June after the Trump Administration announced that is was going to roll back the Obama era fuel economy standards I told you not to worry about that.  Here’s the link to that posting.  Don’t Fret CAFE Rollbacks 10 months later the message is still the same and what I said then is being reiterated again now…   “”It’s a global…

I know.  I know.  I keep sending you articles about extreme weather and its consequences.  It’s because it’s my perception that most people, especially those in the US, haven’t yet come to grips with how bad the circumstances are that we are already experiencing around the planet due to the increased heat in the atmosphere .  And, therefore, how much worse it is…

In the last article I sent out it mentions the world’s ‘Third Pole”.  That region is the Hindu Kush Himalayan mountains.  And a warmer climate is melting it as well.   “Glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, which spans eight countries in South Asia from Afghanistan to Myanmar, could lose more than a third of their volume by the end…

There is so much quotable news in the article below I don’t know where to start.  Basically, this piece consolidates many of the warnings I’ve been writing about forever.  The main points: A warming planet will melt glaciers and ice sheets around the world. This will lead to sea level rise that will put costal communities in grave danger in a multitude of ways. Changing…

Recently, I’ve been writing quite a bit about the financial risk climate change presents to the capital markets and insurance companies. And the last post was about the consequences to people who live in the path of hurricanes that cause catastrophic rain and storm surge and other weather events that create climate refugees. Now, I want to turn to the…

The map below does not copy well to this posting.  The title is “The World: 4 degrees C Warmer”.  And it notes, “No one knows exactly what this world will look like, but models provide insights into forced human migrations and our future power generation.”  Another notation is: “Amazon: desert”.  How accurate this might be if we are unable to…

There are untold numbers of articles reiterating the fact that regardless of what the Trump Administration does about reducing the current CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards it would be insane for the auto manufacturers NOT to continue pushing forward on maximum fuel economy for their ICE’s (Internal Combustion Engines) and rollout of electric vehicles.  The article below is one…

It can be hard to imagine the catastrophic impact that climate change can create.  While the US has seen impacts, somehow when droughts dissipate, hurricanes die out, mud slides get cleaned up, fires are doused, flood waters recede and temperatures drop most of the public forgets about these events.  Not, of course, those who’s lives are severely impacted.  But most of the public puts…

Since I’ve been writing about how horrible the impact of Global Climate Change is likely to be, I thought I’d pass on a more optimistic view.  Besides, some of you have been responding to me siting information showing that things aren’t as dire as I make them out to be.  Let’s hope that I am over inflating our grim future.  I…

The warming atmosphere is creating more and more weather turmoil and disasters.  For those who decry what climate mitigation will cost they should consider the cost of NOT doing everything we possibly can to minimize the impact some of which is already baked into our future.   Of course it’s not just the direct cost of cleaning up after a disaster. There…

I am going to be sending you a few posts to insure that you don’t get complacent about the climate.  It is changing dramatically and fast and costing hundreds of billions of $$$$$$$ not to mention the human suffering.   Usually I highlight the most salient parts but it will take you only about a minute to read the whole thing.…

In case you need a reminder of how fast things are changing in the energy markets here’s another article projecting the future success of solar energy.  I hope you’ve noticed a continuing theme that prices continue to fall faster than predicted and adaptation progresses at a growing pace beyond what anyone is willing to stick their neck out and project.  …

Harvey, Irma, Maria, two massive earthquakes in Mexico and a small one that hit Los Angeles recently, multiple large fires in the West and drought.  OMG!!  It really does feel like the sky is falling.   Here in Chicago the weather has been wonderful.  Dry, sunny, warm.  I feel a sense of guilt as I see so many of our fellow citizens…

In several previous posts  I have pointed out the financial risk that climate change poses to the world economy.  Increasingly the world is waking up to how climate change will affect corporate stability and by extension, capital markets.  Insurance companies are on the front line of this issue.  And as I pointed out, so is the government flood insurance program…

Here’s another article in this series of blogs that will show that conventional wisdom is outdated and just simply, wrong.  The pace of change in the energy “environment” is gaining more and more momentum…   Solar Power Will Kill Coal Faster Than You Think Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s outlook shows renewables will be cheaper almost everywhere in just a few…

Solar technology is moving ahead so much faster than most people comprehend.  It is gaining scale and the price is dropping.  Unfortunately, we are ceding leadership in this arena to the Chinese.  Sad.  The rest of the  world will leave us in the dust if we’re not careful.   Watch this one minute video.  You’ll be amazed.      This…

Considering how much financial damage is now already occurring around the globe due to a changing climate, it is surprising to see how so many investors continue to ignore the implications on their own financial security.  Or maybe it is encouraging to view this in the opposite way and see how many investors are waking up to the fact that a changing climate…

In the past there has been discussion amongst our transportation groupies about the use of precious metals and the restraint that it could have on the mass adaptation of electric vehicles and battery power storage.  Therefore, this development sited below from Honda is a potential game changer.   “Honda Motor Co. has developed a new electric motor for hybrid vehicles that tackles…

There are some people that still do not believe that the planet is getting warmer, that it is being caused by human behavior and that the consequences on human civilization will have horrible effects.  Some of those people are receiving this blog. I am not going to mention in this blog the impact that a hotter climate will have on…

From the following article: “It’s not a question of whether the industrials are gonna be regulated, it’s when and what does it look like.” Recognizing that change is coming, some of the biggest companies in the world (Shell, Monsanto, United Technologies, International Paper, Lafarge North America, a cement maker, )  are getting engaged in shaping what the future will look like.  Resistance is crumbling…

In case you didn’t see this news, you might want to take note of the following.  Crafting a climate treaty deal is only as good as the world’s ability to achieve the goals. One thing that I have found disappointing and dismaying is research and reports that talk about how we will never be able to achieve the goals that scientists…

It seems that every week there is another major economic authority warning of the risk that investing in fossil fuels entails.  This time it is from the largest investor in the world, BlackRock, Inc.  Their outlook is not based on if the science of climate change is correct or not.  Rather, it’s based on the fact that governments worldwide are…

Starting next week, the Paris Climate Negotiations will occur.  World leaders and their representatives will come together once again to attempt to craft an agreement or treaty that will begin to curve the trajectory of climate warming gases back to a level that will save the planet from devastating consequences.   The following article is a good summary of what will be happening…

In case you somehow missed it, President Obama on Friday denied the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline ending 7 years of uncertainty.  Below are links to two videos.  First is his 9 minute statement and the second is a shorter video from the Sierra Club thanking him. I have discussed this controversy with many of you over the years…

While the US Republican Party continues to be the only major political party in the WORLD to deny that climate change is even occurring, much less that humans are the cause, the world wide business community is becoming increasingly concerned about the consequences to their bottom line.  As I’ve been predicting all along, once profitability becomes an issue in this regard,…

The following article covers a variety topics about which I have written in the past including: The current and coming impact of climate change on people around the world. The lack of adequate measures to mitigate the worst impacts of a warming planet. The movement to divest portfolios of fossil fuels. The recognition by business leaders, especially those either currently or…

It can be very confusing trying to cut through all the various sources of information and what appears to be conflicting data regarding what is the cost of alternative forms of energy.   Here’s another article adding to that dialog.   One of the questions that you need to answer for yourself when you think about this topic is what…

Many will complain that if we are going to avoid the worst consequences of climate change we need to do much more right away.  I totally agree. That said, I am extremely heartened by what is happening as the world heads to Paris in December to craft a new climate treaty.  Every major country, except Saudi Arabia, is on record…

The following article points out that no matter how successful the negotiations are in Paris in December, they will be totally insufficient to limit the impacts a warming climate will have on civilization to a tolerable level.  But progress is progress. It is very significant that there is beginning to be a worldwide consensus that we must make commitments to…

Information continues to come out of China that the leadership there is engineering an about face when it comes to fossil fuels AND transportation.  China is beginning to head in a new direction… and relatively fast.  And the rest of the world had better take heed.   While I have been informing you of China’s moves to clear their air…

Using China as an excuse for not taking action on Climate Change is no longer a valid reason (as if it ever was).  As I have been writing about for a couple of years now, they get it and have been taking steps to reign in their particulate and CO2 emissions.  And now the facts are in and the results…

For those of you who have been following my posts for some time, you will recall that I have been occasionally sending you information that indicates that China “gets it”.  Those posts have indicated that China’s leaders realize that they have a pollution problem that impacts public concern and public health. Furthermore, they are not oblivious to climate change and the impact it will have…

I often hear people say that it is useless for us in the United States to do anything about climate disruption since the Chinese are opening a new coal fired power plant at the rate of one a week.  This, they say, makes anything we do irrelevant.  My response is that they do not know and actually understand what is going…

I have been debating in my mind as to whether to write about the new US-China climate deal that President Obama announced last week.  After all, it’s been all over the main stream media and you’ve probably read enough about it such that you don’t need another article about it from me.  But then I read the following piece that…

The following article reports that  a “sea change” appears to be occurring.  As I have previously mentioned, we are moving beyond the point where it’s necessary to convince people that the climate is changing, temperatures worldwide are getting hotter and that humans are the major cause of this phenomena.  While there are still climate skeptics, there are less and less of…

Too often I hear skeptics tell me that it doesn’t matter what we do about eliminating our carbon emissions here in the US because China is opening a new coal plant every week.   While that was true at one point, it is not the case anymore.   And not only have China’s coal plant openings slowed, but the Chinese…

A short note to start the week…  China.  We’ll see what they actually do but at least they are now saying the right things.     I know there are skeptics out there that get this email but it’s better to hear the Chinese say the right things and hopefully act on their words rather than having them even deny a…

I have previously sent you posts about what is going on in China in regards to their “getting it” in regards to climate change, air pollution and green energy.  In response, a few people have written back that I am naive to think that China is doing anything other than destroying the planet by opening a coal plant every week…

The following is the 4th of the articles l am sending documenting that the transition from fossil fuels to a green energy economy is not some vague future pipe dream but is happening NOW.  Personally coming from a career in the automotive business I am labeling these article as “Buckle Up” because the road ahead is changing fast.  It could…