Montana's Energy Future (Part Two): Differing Perspectives on the Energy Economy of the Rocky Mountain West
Release Date: 09/14/2011
Sourcing Conflict: The Link between Human Rights and Corporate Supply Chains (Part One)
Ceres Sustainability Podcast
Supply chains are complex networks of resources, activities, technology, information, people, and organizations all involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. For many companies, improving supply chain management offers the largest opportunity for achieving increased sustainability performance – particularly in addressing issues of labor and human rights abuse. In the 1990s, the issue of human rights and supply chains became front-page news after child labor scandals in the apparel industry surfaced. As a result, customers, investors and regulators increasingly...
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Let's Get Physical: Identifying Physical Risks of Climate Change for Companies and Investors
Ceres Sustainability Podcast
As the physical effects of climate change increase, so do the financial risks that impact companies, investors and the communities in which they operate. Last year was marked by record-setting economic losses -- equaling USD$148 billion due to extreme weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts and fires. And these events are expected to occur with more frequency as global greenhouse gas levels increase, meaning bigger economic losses in the future. Companies and investors face significant risks from these changing weather patterns. Recent guidelines set forth by the SEC require...
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Shifting Ground: Why State Regulators Need to Adapt to America's Changing Energy Landscape
Ceres Sustainability Podcast
As electric utility companies face new challenges -- outdated energy infrastructure, rising fossil fuel prices, incorporating renewable energy sources -- state utility regulators have a unique and important role to play in the future of energy generation in the U.S....
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Power Play: Turning clean energy legislation into an economic windfall in the Beehive State
Ceres Sustainability Podcast
When eBay, the world's largest online marketplace built its first ever data center in South Jordan, Utah, it wanted to use clean energy to power much of the facility -- to both reduce its environmental impact and stabilize energy costs for company down the road. But by law, Utah didn't allow large energy consumers to buy and transmit power directly from renewable energy developers, leaving eBay with the choice of sourcing their energy needs from coal (which powers 94% of the state), or not doing business in Utah....
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Montana's Energy Future (Part Three): Differing Perspectives on the Energy Economy of the Rocky Mountain West
Ceres Sustainability Podcast
The future of global energy production is shaping up to be one of the most important and complicated issues of our time. From limited traditional fuel sources like oil and coal to newer, cleaner energy like wind, solar and bio-mass, nothing is off the table when it comes to meeting the growing global demand for energy. And while the energy market is increasingly global, the debate over the sustainability of our energy use is rooted in regional geographies, statewide politics and local communities – those affected by discreet projects and those that will be most affected by climate...
info_outline
Montana's Energy Future (Part Two): Differing Perspectives on the Energy Economy of the Rocky Mountain West
Ceres Sustainability Podcast
The future of global energy production is shaping up to be one of the most important and complicated issues of our time. From limited traditional fuel sources like oil and coal to newer, cleaner energy like wind, solar and bio-mass, nothing is off the table when it comes to meeting the growing global demand for energy. And while the energy market is increasingly global, the debate over the sustainability of our energy use is rooted in regional geographies, statewide politics and local communities – those affected by discreet projects and those that will be most affected by climate...
info_outline
Montana's Energy Future (Part 1): Differing Perspectives on the Energy Economy of the Rocky Mountain West
Ceres Sustainability Podcast
The future of global energy production is shaping up to be one of the most important and complicated issues of our time. From limited traditional fuel sources like oil and coal to newer, cleaner forms energy like wind, solar and bio-mass, nothing is off the table when it comes to meeting the growing global demand for energy. And while the energy market is increasingly global, the debate over the sustainability of our energy use is rooted in regional geographies, statewide politics and local communities – those affected by discreet projects and those that will be most affected by climate...
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Reaching the Boiling Point: Hidden Water Risks in the U.S. Municipal Bond Market
Ceres Sustainability Podcast
Growing water scarcity in many parts of the United States is a hidden financial risk not only for companies who rely on massive amounts of water to operate their business, but also for investors who buy the water and electric utility bonds that finance much of the country's vast water and power infrastructure. Las Vegas, which gets 90% of its water from nearby Lake Mead, could lose their entire drinking supply overnight due to receding lake levels and increased drought – affecting the communities and industries that rely on that water for everything from drinking to generating enough...
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California Dreaming: Making Carbon Reduction Legislation a Political Reality
Ceres Sustainability Podcast
Reducing carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change and help usher in a clean energy economy has been a contentious issue for companies and governments alike. Despite the failure of Congress to regulate carbon emissions nation-wide, the state of California is earning credibility as an economic and governance innovator by forging ahead with its own carbon-cutting legislation....
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Ready for REDD+: Connecting Forests to Carbon Emissions Markets
Ceres Sustainability Podcast
Paying people to not cut down forests? Sounds like an odd business model, but it is one that is gaining ground as governments, companies and advocates try to address reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Right now, eighteen percent of global carbon dioxide emissions come from cutting, burning and degrading the world’s forests, especially in the tropics – making protection of our forests a crucial part of our strategies to mitigate climate change. Just last month, the Voluntary Carbon Standard approved its first methodology to quantify the benefits of reducing emissions from...
info_outlineThe future of global energy production is shaping up to be one of the most important and complicated issues of our time. From limited traditional fuel sources like oil and coal to newer, cleaner energy like wind, solar and bio-mass, nothing is off the table when it comes to meeting the growing global demand for energy. And while the energy market is increasingly global, the debate over the sustainability of our energy use is rooted in regional geographies, statewide politics and local communities – those affected by discreet projects and those that will be most affected by climate impacts.
To shed some light on just how complex and nuanced these energy issues are, we focus on the state of Montana – which shares the largest coal deposits in the U.S. (along with Wyoming), ranks fifth among states for potential wind energy production and is home to one of the largest domestic oil shale deposits.
In the second episode of this three part series, we speak with Gloria Flora, former U.S. Forest Supervisor and founder and Director of Sustainable Obtainable Solutions, an organization dedicated to the sustainability of public lands. Gloria recently co-authored a report on how Montana can become energy self-reliant through renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation and is championing something known as 'biochar' as a possible carbon-negative energy source.
To learn more about Gloria Flora's work, visit the US Biochar Initiative homepage at www.biochar-us.org. And stay tuned in the next few weeks to hear the final installment in this series, a conversation with regional wind expert Tom Darin on the Montana wind market.
[Music: Phillip Aaberg, "Keep Walkin" from Blue West (Sweet Grass, 2005); Vampire Weekend, "White Skies" from Contra (XL, 2010)]