Hey all, I hope you’ll read my latest column/breaking news story for the L.A. Times and let me know what you think. Here’s how it starts:
>*After months of outcry, the California Public Utilities Commission voted Thursday to approve a solar energy program that critics are sure will fail spectacularly, making it impossible for many people to access an innovative global warming solution.*
>*The 3-1 vote by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointees was the latest stain on the governor’s climate record — and a reminder, as Earth shatters temperature records, that it’s easier to talk about the urgency of the climate crisis than it is to act with urgency.*
>*“As the hots get hotter, the dries get drier, the wets get wetter, simultaneous droughts and rain bombs, we have to address these issues with a ferocity that is required of us,” the governor said last month. “And we’re doing just that in California.”*
>*Yes, we are — except when we aren’t.*
>*Although few politicians have acted more boldly on climate than Newsom, few have aggravated environmentalists more.*
>*Yes, he engineered a ban on the sale of new gasoline-only vehicles by 2035, led a push to end oil and gas drilling near homes and schools, and prodded lawmakers to investigate alleged oil industry price gouging. But his administration also extended the life of polluting gas-fired power plants in Southern California and slashed rooftop solar incentives, causing installations to crater.*
>*Maybe Newsom has been a victim of his own success, raising expectations to the point where his mistakes shine as brightly as his accomplishments. Maybe the governor and his advisors fume when activists shower them with criticism instead of praise.*
>*But if Newsom is serious when he talks about the urgency of the climate crisis, then he’s asking for this kind of scrutiny.*
>*There’s no “good enough” when it comes to global warming. Scientists say we should be working like mad to cut carbon pollution more than 40% by 2030 — somehow just six years from now — to give ourselves a chance of keeping average global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Right now, California isn’t on track for that kind of cut. And if the Golden State truly wants to be a leader, it should be aiming higher, considering how much harder it will be for low-income countries to slash emissions.*
>*All of which brings us back to Thursday’s vote by the Public Utilities Commission, which dealt with “community solar.”*
Again, I hope you’ll read the whole piece and let me know what you think. If you’re interested, you can sign up to get my twice-weekly Boiling Point newsletter in your inbox here: [latimes.com/boilingpoint](http://latimes.com/boilingpoint)
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Hey all, I hope you’ll read my latest column/breaking news story for the L.A. Times and let me know what you think. Here’s how it starts:
>*After months of outcry, the California Public Utilities Commission voted Thursday to approve a solar energy program that critics are sure will fail spectacularly, making it impossible for many people to access an innovative global warming solution.*
>*The 3-1 vote by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointees was the latest stain on the governor’s climate record — and a reminder, as Earth shatters temperature records, that it’s easier to talk about the urgency of the climate crisis than it is to act with urgency.*
>*“As the hots get hotter, the dries get drier, the wets get wetter, simultaneous droughts and rain bombs, we have to address these issues with a ferocity that is required of us,” the governor said last month. “And we’re doing just that in California.”*
>*Yes, we are — except when we aren’t.*
>*Although few politicians have acted more boldly on climate than Newsom, few have aggravated environmentalists more.*
>*Yes, he engineered a ban on the sale of new gasoline-only vehicles by 2035, led a push to end oil and gas drilling near homes and schools, and prodded lawmakers to investigate alleged oil industry price gouging. But his administration also extended the life of polluting gas-fired power plants in Southern California and slashed rooftop solar incentives, causing installations to crater.*
>*Maybe Newsom has been a victim of his own success, raising expectations to the point where his mistakes shine as brightly as his accomplishments. Maybe the governor and his advisors fume when activists shower them with criticism instead of praise.*
>*But if Newsom is serious when he talks about the urgency of the climate crisis, then he’s asking for this kind of scrutiny.*
>*There’s no “good enough” when it comes to global warming. Scientists say we should be working like mad to cut carbon pollution more than 40% by 2030 — somehow just six years from now — to give ourselves a chance of keeping average global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Right now, California isn’t on track for that kind of cut. And if the Golden State truly wants to be a leader, it should be aiming higher, considering how much harder it will be for low-income countries to slash emissions.*
>*All of which brings us back to Thursday’s vote by the Public Utilities Commission, which dealt with “community solar.”*
Again, I hope you’ll read the whole piece and let me know what you think. If you’re interested, you can sign up to get my twice-weekly Boiling Point newsletter in your inbox here: [latimes.com/boilingpoint](http://latimes.com/boilingpoint)