Blog For Tag "climate change"

posted by Alicia Vasto on Friday, December 8, 2023 Alicia Vasto traveled to Arkansas to attend this year's Gulf Hypoxia Task Force meeting in person to present comments. What she saw and heard reveals no surprises about why nothing seems to change when it comes to fertilizer pollution in Iowa, the Mississippi River Basin, or the Gulf of Mexico.

posted by Kerri Johannsen on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 We know it seems strange for groups like IEC to challenge MidAmerican's plans to construct more wind in Iowa, even as we're calling for MidAmerican to shut down its Iowa coal plants or setting goals for our state to be using 100% carbon-free energy by 2035. But those goals are the exact reason why we're questioning MidAmerican's latest project.

posted by Kerri Johannsen on Tuesday, December 27, 2022 IEC's energy program director Kerri Johannsen reflects on the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, and the tools Iowans can leverage to navigate new opportunities created by the law to access clean energy and its benefits.

posted by Matt Ohloff on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 The Des Moines City Council has finalized its latest franchise agreements, set to expire in 2035. The lengthy agreement with no out clause was a disappointment for many climate advocates, including IEC, but Clean Communities Manager Matt Ohloff outlines a new “side agreement” that helps to address some concerns.

posted by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 Krista Hiser is a professor and the director of the Hawaii Center for Sustainability Across the Curriculum. A University of Iowa alumni, she visited her family farm during a visit to Iowa to facilitate IEC's member organization retreat on climate anxieties. In this guest blog, she shares her thoughts on “climate anxiety” based on her published research, "Worry & Hope: What College Students Know, Think, Feel, and Do about Climate Change”.

posted by Matt Ohloff on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 For Des Moines to meet its climate goals and shift away from fossil fuels, building electrification is a must. Taking steps such as switching to electric heat pumps to warm homes and induction cooktops for cooking, as well as utilizing a tax abatement policy for the electrification of buildings, Des Moines can continue to improve citizens' health and reach its clean energy commitments by 2035.

posted by Angelisa Belden on Friday, April 15, 2022 It is clear our climate is changing. Drought, floods, derechos, extreme weather – Iowa has experienced it all… and just in the last 5 years. As a citizen of this planet, and a mom with two young children, this work is incredibly personal and incredibly important to me. It can be hard to face, but there are many reasons to hope.

posted by Dr. Brian Campbell on Thursday, February 24, 2022 During #BlackClimateWeek, IEC Executive Director Brian Campbell reached out to speak with Tamara Marcus, Linn County's Sustainability Director, to celebrate her leadership and hear her perspective on climate change in Iowa, both how it is impacting communities of color and how we can support Black climate leaders and organizations.

posted by Michael Schmidt on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 The Iowa Utilities Board has a stark question before it: should it put customers' needs first and require MidAmerican to take action that can save customers as much as $5 billion dollars and reduce CO2 emissions by 90 percent?

posted by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 Iowa teen Lillian Hill staged her first climate protest at the Capitol last month. In a guest blog post, Lillian shares her inspiration, her concerns for her fellow Iowans, and her plans for the future.