Tag Archives: coal

Canary In The Coal Mine

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TimMurphyThe former CEO of Massey Energy, Don Blankenship, is currently on trial for conspiracy to violate mandatory mine safety and health standards, making false statements to the SEC, and securities fraud.  Blankenship is being held personally responsible for aspects of the Upper Big Branch disaster of 2010  and the ensuing cover-up. Here to discuss the trial is Mother Jones reporter, Tim Murphy. Murphy and host Alex Wise talk about Blankenship’s history with Massey, the current legal proceedings, and whether this prosecution is a harbinger for the demise of the coal industry in general. Would the case have unfolded this way 15 years ago, when coal was still king? Or is Blankenship basically a canary in the coal mine, signaling to the industry that the fumes are getting toxic?

Here Comes The Sun: Adam Browning part II & Matt Wasson

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MattWassonAdamBrowning2Last week on Sea Change Radio host Alex Wise spoke to Adam Browning, the executive director of Vote Solar, a non-profit organization that advocates for solar power adoption. This week, the second part of his discussion with Browning. We discuss the lessons we can learn from success stories like the German solar industry as well as high-profile flops like Solyndra. Then, we dig into the Sea Change Radio archives to hear from Matt Wasson, whose non-profit Appalachian Voices works to reduce the impact of coal on the Appalachian region.

Environmental Journalist Jeff Goodell on Politics, Policy & Coal

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If you could get the President’s attention for just long enough to tell him the ten things you’d like him to do to save the planet, or at least put us on a more sustainable path, what would you say? This week on Sea Change Radio, host Alex Wise talks with environmental author and journalist, Jeff Goodell.  He expounds on his list, recently published in Rolling Stone, of the ten things President Obama could do now, without having to wrestle with Congress, which would have a significant positive environmental impact.  He also shares a small bit of the wisdom contained in his 2006 book, Big Coal, helping debunk the myth of “Clean Coal,” elucidating the perils of mountain-top removal coal mining, and discussing the role that railroad companies play in energy prices in the United States.

Richard Heinberg: A Post-Carbon Conversation

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What will a post-carbon tomorrow look like? Most experts agree that the end of the age of cheap fossil fuels will mark a fundamental change in human history. The question that no one can answer, though, is how well will our species adapt to these new realities. [amazon-product]0865716951[/amazon-product]This week’s guest on Sea Change Radio, author Richard Heinberg, believes that a key to better understanding the current global economic slowdown lies in how we gauge progress itself. The author of ten books, including Peak Everything and Blackout, Heinberg’s latest book, The End of Growth suggests that in order to thrive during this post-carbon transition, we need to realign our goals to promote human and environmental well-being, rather than continuing to pursue the almighty dollar. Sea Change Radio host Alex Wise talks with Heinberg about the policies and conditions that need to be in place for our species to evolve in the face of ballooning population, dwindling resources and global climate change.