December 8, 2016, COP21, Paris

Stanford Professor Mark Jacobson appeared at a Paris COP21 press conference called “May the Force Be With You” along with Kevin Anderson and host Stuart Scott of climatematters.tv. Jacobson stated that an international transition to 100% renewable wind, water, and solar renewable energy by 2050 was technically and economically possible, though political and social barriers remain.

“we also have done studies now to show that it’s possible in each of 139 countries of the world that we’ve examined to do this” ~ Mark Jacobson

“We do think it’s possible not only to power the United States, each state of the whole country and the country itself, with 100% clean and renewable wind, water, and solar power for all purposes – that’s electricity, transportation, heating, and cooling, and industry – but we also have done studies now to show that it’s possible in each of 139 countries of the world that we’ve examined to do this, that such a transition is not only necessary, but it’s also technically and economically possible. But there are social and political barriers to actually getting the full implementation, although there has been some progress recently.”

“And then eliminating global warming, if you actually phase these, do this on a global scale and eliminate 80% emissions by 2030, as we propose, and 100% by 2050, we can reduce the impacts of climate change and actually start reversing by 2100.” ~ Mark Jacobson

“So we think there are so many benefits, … we calculate 22 million jobs worldwide net over lost of such a transition, and eliminating 4 to 7 million premature air pollution deaths which will cost the world today over 3% of the GDPs of all the countries of the world. And then eliminating global warming, if you actually phase these, do this on a global scale and eliminate 80% emissions by 2030, as we propose, and 100% by 2050, we can reduce the impacts of climate change and actually start reversing by 2100. ”

“Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley have all committed to hundred percent clean renewable energy by no later than 2050” ~ Jacobson

see also
Paris: Mark Jacobson and 100% Renewables

Report by James George

Lake County Vintage 2026

It’s hard to believe now, but in 2016, just 10 years ago, California’s famous Lake County was struggling economically and known to the wider world, if known at all, for being rough around the edges. Clear Lake, now the crown jewel of the region, was in those days polluted by agricultural run-off and mining chemicals and plagued with masses of foul-smelling algae that drove would-be tourists away. The county had just been devastated by a series of historic wildfires.

It was at this low point that a bold initiative was proposed by a small band of visionary wine-grape growers under the improbable leadership of self-described “bad-boy profiteer,” Mr. Z. They convinced the local wine-industry organization to adopt a winning strategy for vaulting ahead of the competition in Napa Valley, which was then predominant but overdeveloped. Owners would convert 100% of Lake County’s vineyards into showcase models of organic agriculture and diversify their crops and income streams. Rather than supplying Napa labels with large quantities of anonymous grapes for blended vintages, they would focus on their own small batches of distinctive varietal wines, rapidly to become 100% organic. They coined the term “eco-ag tourism” and the rest is history.

Mr. Z, winner of the 2026 Right Livelihood Award, is more than modest about his role. “At the time it was just a shrewd business move,” he says, “I really didn’t see the light until we were way down the road. At one point I actually bragged about my mega-vineyards running little old ladies’ wells dry. Then I could buy them out on the cheap. I certainly didn’t think twice about pouring on the pesticides.”

To those who might doubt that the environmental leader came late to the fold, Mr. Z says, “Hell, back then I thought climate change was a hoax spread around by the solar industry. Sustainable was a word I loved because it could mean anything. To me it meant sustaining my own jet.”

Today, Mr. Z is president of Organic Lake County, an umbrella organization that represents the Organic Wine Tourism Bureau, Organic Farm Vacations, Eco-Ag Boat and Bicycle Tours, Detox and Cleanse Resorts and Spas, Lake Local and Organic Catering, Organic Lake Weddings, and many others. And, of course, Lake County’s reputation, now international, no longer centers on its being down and out, but on its unique organic wines, stunning scenery, pure spring water, and exceptionally clean air.

Elizabeth Montgomery

“Some Republican presidential candidates are beginning to peer out from behind the wall of climate denial that has defined the party as long as Barack Obama has been in the White House. Finally, it seems, the most open expressions of climate denial – such as dismissing long-established scientific fact – may be seen as a bit retrograde, and possibly embarrassing, even by some who are looking for votes from an increasingly rightwing Republican party.”

Source: Republicans might as well deny climate change if they don’t plan to address it | Suzanne Goldenberg | Opinion | The Guardian

“Mayors from 15 of Florida’s largest cities are calling on Senator Marco Rubio to support measures that address climate change in an open letter sent to the GOP presidential candidate last week.”

Source: Florida Mayors Tell Marco Rubio to Take Climate Change Seriously | TIME

‘…However, it has been widely acknowledged that such schemes – if not implemented properly – can have a significant negative impact on people’s livelihoods, such as indigenous communities, and exacerbate poverty.’

Source: Climate compensation schemes ‘failing to reach poorest’ – BBC News

‘Scientists plumbing the depths of the central equatorial Pacific Ocean have found ancient sediments suggesting that one proposed way to mitigate climate warming—fertilizing the oceans with iron to produce more carbon-eating algae—may not necessarily work as envisioned.’

Source: With climate, fertilizing oceans could be zero-sum game

“In a significant victory for President Obama, a federal appeals panel on Thursday rejected an effort by 27 states and dozens of corporations and industry groups to block the administration’s signature regulation on emissions from coal-fired power plants while a lawsuit moves through the courts.”

Source: Court Rejects a Bid to Block Coal Plant Regulations – The New York Times

‘California’s attorney general is investigating Exxon Mobil on whether the company lied to the public and shareholders about the risks of climate change, and whether the company’s statements over the years constitute violations of securities laws and other statutes.’

Source: California Said to Target Exxon in Climate Inquiry – The New York Times

‘It will probably be 10 years before anyone can say whether the Paris climate deal, which was agreed to with much hoopla on December 12th, was a historic event that marked the moment when the human race finally got serious about the fight against climate change, or just a United Nations therapy session whose main role was to make us feel better about our headlong plunge toward climate catastrophe.’

Source: Will the Paris Climate Deal Save the World? | Rolling Stone

‘At the U.N. climate summit in Paris last month, Goodall talked Republican climate change denial, the link between diet and climate change, her hopes “to save the rainforests” from corruption and intensive farming, and how climate concerns drove her to be a vegetarian.’

Source: Jane Goodall on the Threat of Animal Agriculture, GOP Climate Change Denial & Why She’s a Vegetarian | Democracy Now!