Following the events around the UN climate summit including the People’s Climate March and #Flood Wall Street, we discuss what needs to be done next to solve the climate crisis. We speak with John Farrell of the Institute for Local Self Reliance about the work that is being done across the country to build the renewable energy economy that is carbon free and nuclear free and based on distributed and democratized systems. We also speak with Rae Braeux from Rising Tide North America about their plans for resistance to the extreme energy extraction economy. Rising Tide NA is a network of climate justice activists who take strategic direct action to stop dangerous extraction and transport of fuels.
Listen here:
Next Steps in Solving the Climate Crisis with John Farrell and Rae Breaux by Clearingthefog on Mixcloud
Relevant articles and websites:
Institute for Local Self Reliance
Blog: Energy Self Reliant States
Report: Energy Self Reliant States
Guests:
John Farrell is the Director of Democratic Energy at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and widely known as the guru of distributed energy.
John is best known for his vivid illustrations of the economic and environmental benefits of local ownership of decentralized renewable energy.
He’s the author of Energy Self-Reliant States, a state-by-state atlas of renewable energy potential highlighted in the New York Times, showing that most states don’t need to look outside their borders to meet their electricity needs. He’s also written extensively on the economic advantages of Democratizing the Electricity System, published a richinteractive map on solar grid parity, and polished the policies (like Minnesota’s solar energy standard) necessary to support locally owned renewable energy development.
John provides data-rich presentations on local renewable energy for the common citizen, and has wowed crowds from Presque Isle, Maine to San Francisco to Berlin. He’s been the keynote at conferences like Solar Energy Focus in Washington, DC, and also inspired citizens in Boulder, CO, prior to their successful effort to seize more control over their energy future.
John’s work appears most regularly on Energy Self-Reliant States, a blog with timely and compelling analysis of current energy discussions and policy. The posts are frequently enriched by charts, translating the complex economics of energy into tools for advancing local energy ownership and they are regularly syndicated at Grist,CleanTechnica, and Renewable Energy World.
Reach John on Twitter @johnffarrell or by email at jfarrell@ilsr.org
Rae Breaux is an organizer with 350.org and Rising Tide North America.