Will California drivers get in electric cars to save $13.5 billion in health and climate impacts?

Stephan:  Why do I think the switch to electric vehicles is a wellness oriented trend? It's not just wishful thinking or falling prey to polemics. I pay attention to data, and here's some data.
Credit: David Koranyl

Credit: David Koranyl

Driving gasoline cars is costing California $15 billion a year in health expenses and impacts to the environment, but the state has a chance to reduce the effects of air pollution through its zero emission program, the American Lung Association says.

A shift to electric cars and other zero-emission vehicles could save Californians $13.5 billion in health and climate costs by 2050, the American Lung Association in California says in a new report released Wednesday night.

More importantly, a reduction in pollution would improve health in communities, said Bonnie Holmes-Gen, senior director for air quality and climate change. And the San Joaquin Valley would stand to benefit more than many places in the state.

Cities in the Valley consistently rank among the most polluted in California on the Lung Association’s annual air pollution report card, Holmes-Gen said. “The Valley is a region that desperately needs this cleanup from zero emissions.”

The Valley is a region that desperately needs this cleanup from zero emissions.

Bonnie […]

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From the Outside Looking In: How the International Media Is Reacting to the 2016 Election

Stephan:  SR is read in 125 countries around the world, and I frequently hear from readers in those nations. Recently I have begun to get emails from outside the U.S. basically asking: "What in the world is going on in the U.S.? How can a man like Donald Trump be a serious contender for President?" I don't think many Americans, including people in the media, really think much about how this trip through the Great Grimpen Mire of sleaze that is the current election cycle plays in other countries. We all should though, because it is going to haunt us for years. So here's some background data about which I think you ought to be aware.
Credit: torbakhopper/flickr, CC BY

Credit: torbakhopper/flickr, CC BY

When Donald Trump repeatedly claims the election is “rigged,” it doesn’t just undermine voter confidence at home. It can also hurt the country’s standing around the world, where people have been closely following the presidential race.

Because of the United States’ predominant role in geopolitics and global economics, foreign governments and their citizens scrutinize the candidates and their positions, which can hint at future American policies. The campaign also acts as a snapshot of American democracy. According to political scientist Joseph Nye, America’s soft power—its ability to persuade foreign leaders and exert influence abroad—partly depends on how the rest of world interprets our political process, values and outcomes.

In order to assess what the world has been thinking about the ongoing election, we’ve been tracking global media coverage via 60 different news outlets in regions that represent over 1.5 billion people. Using the Media Monitoring System, which captures and translates foreign language content, we’re able to harvest large amounts of news media from multiple languages and read machine-generated translations […]

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Trump Targets the Essence of America

Stephan:  And here is the view of the election from Europe in one of Germany's most important magazines. This is not something to be proud of.
Credit: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Credit: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Every country has a founding myth, a narrative that serves as the foundation of its national identity. Often, such stories don’t hold up to historical scrutiny, but that is beside the point. Such stories help nations determine who belongs — and who does not.

For many countries around the world, particularly in Europe, such narratives are based at some level on race, ethnicity, tribe or some other attribute allegedly inherent in the population in question. In Germany, for example, it is the battle in 9 B.C. in the Teutoberger Forest, where Germanic tribes led by Arminius joined together to defeat the Romans, securing both their independence and territorial ownership. In Romania, it is the notion that they are somehow descendants of the Romans and settled the area before any of the other present-day minorities appeared on the scene. Nineteenth century Irish nationalists sought to trace the country’s origins back to the Celts.

The US has always been an outlier. In America, the founding myth does not focus on […]

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AT&T Is Spying on Americans for Profit

Stephan:  Some years ago during the Bush Administration you may recall that AT&T was involved in a scandal in which it came out that they were monitoring their customers secretly and passing the information along to the government. When that story broke, that very day, I changed my mobile carrier from AT&T to T-Mobile. I would not do business with a company that ethically compromised. Here is the latest version of the story and not surprisingly AT&T is still at it. It remains an ethically compromised company. This issue takes on an even greater importance when one stops to consider that AT&T is attempting to buy Time-Warner, which owns CNN. As matters stand now six corporations own most of the media in the U.S., and mixing AT&T with major media has very real implications, many quite negative. May I suggest that you contact your senators and representative and urge them to oppose this conjoining. And please if AT&T is your carrier drop them and find another (I am now using Consumer Cellular).
Credit: Rob Hyrons

Credit: Rob Hyrons

On Nov. 11, 2013, Victorville, California, sheriff’s deputies and a coroner responded to a motorcyclist’s report of human remains outside of town.

They identified the partially bleached skull of a child, and later discovered the remains of the McStay family who had been missing for the past three years. Joseph, 40, his wife Summer, 43, Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, had been bludgeoned to death and buried in shallow graves in the desert.

Investigators long suspected Charles Merritt in the family’s disappearance, interviewing him days after they went missing. Merritt was McStay’s business partner and the last person known to see him alive. Merritt had also borrowed $30,000 from McStay to cover a gambling debt, a mutual business partner told police. None of it was enough to make an arrest.

Even after the gravesite was discovered and McStay’s DNA was found inside Merritt’s vehicle, police were far from pinning the quadruple homicide on him.

Until they turned to Project Hemisphere.

Hemisphere is a secretive program […]

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4 Of 5 US Voters Want Step-Up Of Renewable Energy

Stephan:  Here is some good news. As this report lays out, even through this dreadful election, renewables have held people's attention. I think that bodes well for the future.

more-support-for-renewables-78Energy and environmental issues matter to US voters much more than many candidates and party officials are aware — or than they let on, or than the mainstream press is reporting. American voters voice strong support for raising the priority of renewables on the White House agenda and expect it of the next president.

The seventh annual Sense & Sustainability® Study of US adults by G&S Business Communications has found that about 4 of every 5 Americans (78%) say the next US president should quickly prioritize renewable energy.

Specific benefits cited in the report:

  • Energy efficiency cost savings (26%)
  • Energy security (23%)
  • Government tax revenues (19%)

Ron Loch, G&S managing director and sustainability consulting leader, points out:

“Even the contentious nature of this year’s presidential campaign [cannot] distract Americans from recognizing the importance of renewable energy to future economic growth and their own personal well-being. It’s clear that public interest is served when there are discussions about the broader financial impact of fossil energy and the need to improve both energy efficiency and the infrastructure investment required to build a resilient power grid.”

More than 4 in 5 […]

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