Coming Clean: The blog of Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune April 3, 2015 AddUp: Technology + Activism “Technology is nothing.” So said the man behind some of the most successful and influential technologies of the past three decades. But then Apple founder Steve Jobs elaborated: “What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good…
One of the principal reasons that I publish this blog is to encourage you to have faith that an alternative future is possible. We do not have to accept the status quo. With faith you can join me and others in advocating and voting for a future free of fossil fuels. Rather than accepting the propaganda that intrenched industries…
I hate say I told ya so (not really) but….. Battery costs for electric vehicles are falling faster than industry estimates — study Umair Irfan, E&E reporter Costs of battery packs in electric vehicles are declining faster than expected, according to a new report. While industry analysts predicted battery pack costs would decline from $1,000 per kilowatt-hour to…
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…
This article presents more information on how quickly we are adding energy storage capacity in the U.S. This development will help accelerate the exponential growth of renewable energy by making it more reliable. The economic opportunity of this growing industry is enormous further fueling our economy. (Pun intended.) Last night I attended an event of my alma mater, the University of…
A big concern about solar and wind power’s ability to take over electricity production is the intermittent nature of the source. To ensure that there is power when and where we need it it is necessary to be able to have adequate storage of this type of power. The following article is very informative about the current status of our…
At our last Sierra Club Board Meeting in November we voted unequivocally to oppose hydraulic fracturing commonly known as fracking. I enthusiastically support this position and policy. My personal opinion is that we are not going to realistically be able to stop all fracking in the U.S. tomorrow. But the sooner the better. Before we destroy our water tables, poison…
Here’s some current news: Tesla expects 50% jump in deliveries this year But crossover delayed until Q3 next year “There are a whole bunch of things we could do to stimulate demand if that were our problem.” — Elon Musk Automotive News November 10, 2014 SAN FRANCISCO — Tesla Motors Inc. said last week it expects to deliver 33,000 units…
It has been a while since I wrote about automotive news and how we are going to move Beyond Oil (the name of the Sierra Club Campaign to get the U.S. off of oil by 2050). In fact, the Sierra Club Board of Directors, of which I am one, voted last week at our November Board meeting, to officially adopt…
Finally, there are an increasing number of well documented research papers being published that are validating what I have been saying for a long, long time: SOLVING THE CLIMATE CRISIS IS TECHNOLOGICALLY POSSIBLE AND WILL NOT DESTROY OUR ECONOMY. IN FACT, IT WILL ACTUALLY BE ECONOMICALLY PROFITABLE TO DO SO ESPECIALLY WHEN PUBLIC HEALTH COSTS ARE ALSO PART OF THE…