This hour we take a look at some of the environmental bills the Connecticut General Assembly passed this legislative session, including a new commitment to offshore wind power. We learn what this renewable energy source means for the state’s power grid—and its economy.
And we take a look at one essential component behind offshore wind power, a group of special metals called “rare earth elements”. What does the availability—and environmental impact—of harvesting these materials mean for our energy future?
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
GUESTS:
- Dr. Emily Lewis - Director of the Climate and Energy Analysis Center at the Acadia Center, based in Hartford (@elewisobrien)
- Dr. Julie Klinger - Assistant Professor at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies. She’s the co-director of BU’s Land Use and Livelihoods Initiative, and the author of Rare Earth Frontiers: From Subterranean Soils to Lunar Landscapes
- Dr. Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie - David H. Smith Conservation Researcher at the University of Maine, and lead author on a recent paper about native wildflower loss in New England (@CaitlinInMaine)
READING LIST:
CT Mirror: Environmental measures win quiet, but major, victories (June 2019) – “The 2019 legislative session was a quietly successful one for environmental issues, including those addressing energy and climate change. In the absence of the kind of blockbuster policy revisions that overwhelmed legislators last year, most items made it through in some form or another with minimal drama and in spite of new committee leadership – some of it first-time legislators – who faced significant learning curves on technical and difficult subjects.”
Sarah Lawrence College Magazine: Exposing a Trail of Devastation (Fall 2018) – “’I can tell who was born and raised downstream of the mine because they often have skin lesions, thinner hair, brown teeth, and bone deformities,’ says Klinger, an assistant professor of international relations at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. ‘It’s both heartbreaking and infuriating, because their suffering was entirely avoidable.’”
WBUR: New England Is Losing Its Native Plants. Researchers Say It’s Time To Stop And Smell The Wildflowers (June 2019) – “A recent study finds that about one quarter of native New England wildflower species have been lost in the last 150 years. This means that purple-fringed orchids and pink lady slippers — once abundant in the region — are disappearing from some areas, often replaced by non-native species. Researchers worry that this loss of biodiversity may harm local ecosystems.”
Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
