Animalia

Animalia
Animalia

At Animalia we aim to share important stories and information related to protecting this planet and positively impacting the public discussion around climate, biodiversity, and the natural world.

  1. S3:E6 - 53 MILES IN MAINE, Part 3 of 5

    2022/06/30

    S3:E6 - 53 MILES IN MAINE, Part 3 of 5

    Welcome back to 53 Miles in Maine, our 5-part series covering a controversial clean energy project that got shut down by a pubic referendum in Maine in November 2021 and is now being decided in the courts. In this series, we are looking into what happened in Maine as a lens into 3 broader themes impacting our much needed transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy when it comes to our electricity grid. In Episode 1, we provided a detailed timeline of what took place in Maine In Episode 2, we discussed why Environmental Activists & Clean Energy Advocates are increasingly at odds with these projects And now here, in Episode 3, we are discussing why and how these big Clean Energy Projects are shifting from a solely Regulatory review process to a hybrid of a Regulatory + Public Review and how that played out here in Maine In Episode 4, coming next, we will tackle our 3rd and final theme, the playbook big energy companies are using to stall and block clean energy projects that are not their own The regulator system designed to govern these types of projects was not really built for the variety and volume we are seeing now as we shift of fossil fuels, let alone the new world order we are in where everything also needs to go through the court of public opinion. In the case of the New England Clean Energy Connect in Maine, they checked all of the regulatory boxes but were unable to convince the public. This is especially important for renewable energy and the infrastructure needed to support it because so many of these projects will live and die at the hands of local support. There are a lot of lessons learned here and we aim to bring this out to the forefront. Here are a few documents and studies that are referenced or in support of the conversations in this episode: Nationwide Local Infrastructure Study

    54 分钟
  2. S3:E5 - 53 MILES IN MAINE, Part 2 of 5

    2022/06/15

    S3:E5 - 53 MILES IN MAINE, Part 2 of 5

    Welcome to the 2nd episode in our 5-part series covering a controversial clean energy project in Maine. It’s a hydropower initiative that initially got approved by state and federal agencies, then voted down in a public referendum, and now being determined in Maine’s courts. While the project was is taking hydropower from Canada and moving it into the New England electricity grid via a commercial deal with Massachusetts, it relies on moving all that energy through the state of Maine. We are not going to answer if we think the project should move forward or not. Rather, we are using the Maine story to provide a lens into 3 distinct themes that are playing out all over the country in our shift to renewable energy. You will hear from folks who both support and oppose this project throughout the series. A reminder that Episode 1 provides a detailed timeline of what happened in Maine, so if you have not listened that yet, please do! In this episode, we dive into 1 of those 3 key issues: THE GROWING TENSION BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS AND CLEAN ENERGY ADVOCATES While both sides are very much for saving this planet and addressing our climate crisis with urgency, there are differing opinions over what renewable energy sources we prioritize, how we get there, and what environmental trade-offs we can accept along the way. As always, reach out to hello@iloveanimalia.com if you have any questions or comments. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter as well here Thanks!

    1 小时 17 分钟
  3. S3:E4 - 53 MILES IN MAINE, Part 1 of 5

    2022/05/28

    S3:E4 - 53 MILES IN MAINE, Part 1 of 5

    Welcome to Part 1 of our 5-part series covering a very controversial renewable energy project that got shut down in a public referendum in Maine despite previously getting approval from state and federal regulators. While this energy was being purchased by the state of Massachusetts and generated by a hydropower company in Canada, it would require transmitting the energy through the state of Maine and thus in order to build out that transmission it needed Maine’s approval to move forward. Supporters of this project call it the New England Clean Energy Connect. Opposition groups call it the CMP Corridor. Just the difference in naming alone tells you a lot about their respective viewpoints. You’re going to hear throughout this series from folks on both sides of this particular initiative. But the reason we are covering it here at Animalia is not because we are taking our own stance on whether or not this project should move forward - we purposely leave that a bit open ended and we shall see how it plays out in the courts - but rather to use it as a lens into 3 larger issues playing out across the country as we grabble with figuring out how to shift from fossil fuel power generation to renewable generation. In Episodes 2-4, we will cover each of those in detail. In Episode 2, we will dive into the battle brewing between Environmental Activists & Clean Energy Advocates.  All forms of energy, including renewables, have environmental trade-offs.  Evaluating where and when they are worth taking is increasingly becoming complex and divisive, creating tension between environmental activists and clean energy advocates, despite both camps wanting to get off fossil fuels and save this planet.   In Episode 3, we will explore why the most critical decisions ahead in our transition off of fossil fuels are very much happening at the local level because of the land use and infrastructure needed for scaling renewable power generation.  We can no longer just rely on regulatory approval, and need to increasingly engage the public and get their buy in sooner than later. In Episode 4, we will look at how big energy companies around the country are using social media, marketing, and propaganda to stall clean energy projects.  In all cases this is to protect their own business interests, be it fossil fuels or their own renewables.  In the case of this project in Maine, there were big energy companies on both sides with renewable and fossil fuels interests when you roll things up to parent company levels.  How and why did 3 big energy companies seemingly not involved get involved and support the opposition to help build the public pushback? Then in Episode 5 we will do a recap with key takeaways. Here are some reference materials to read up further on this story. Feel free to reach out with any quesitons! Documentation of the State level regulatory hearing Documentation of the Federal level regulatory hearing Article questioning claims of those behind the project Live radio debate between the NRCM and the NECEC Some info on Northern Pass project that preceded this one

    53 分钟
  4. S3:E2 - A CONVERSATION ABOUT ECO-ANXIETY

    2022/04/05

    S3:E2 - A CONVERSATION ABOUT ECO-ANXIETY

    If you care about this planet and are worried about where things are heading when it comes to global warming and biodiversity collapse, well, you're not alone. You've probably experienced some forms of climate anxiety or eco-anxiety because you care. For some, this feeling of worry and concern can be so severe that it can disrupt your life.  Maybe you start to worry too much about the things you are buying, about loved ones not caring, or about the doomsday scenarios that lie ahead if we keep on this track. Or maybe you are already experiencing personally the damages from climate change perhaps due to a recent wildfire or flood or tropical storm.  Maybe you live in one of the areas in the world dealing with water shortages and poor water quality due to toxic runoffs and droughts. Here at Animalia, we feel these forms of anxiety all the time.  It's normal and ok.  It means you care.  We just don't want those negative thoughts to consume you. So today on Animalia, we sit down with Thomas Doherty, one of the leading eco-anxiety psychologists in the field today. Thomas operates a formal clinical practice out of Portland OR, but he is also co-host of a new podcast focused on the intersection of climate change and happiness that we'd highly recommend, called, well, Climate Change & Happiness!  In this episode, we're going to help you better understand these feelings and identify some useful tips such as reframing to help you manage them.  We also want to share a great online support group platform for Climate Anxiety Support called the Good Grief Network, another great resource for you all!  ---------------- If you are not already a subscriber to our newsletter, please sign-up today! It's completely free and each week we will unpack a different topic in detail on the climate/biodiversity fronts as well as link out to a curated list of news articles for the week.  Straight to your inbox. An easy way to stay informed. Subscribe here.

    59 分钟

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At Animalia we aim to share important stories and information related to protecting this planet and positively impacting the public discussion around climate, biodiversity, and the natural world.

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