Dear Friends,

LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM (with Charles Goldman and Ed Fallon)

(01:02) Like Trump, Charles chooses electrocution over being eaten by a shark;
(03:30) Climate scientist fired for refusing to fly;
(08:34) Sen. Bob Menendez needs to step down;
(18:25) A review of the US Supreme Court’s upcoming docket;
(37:13) Let’s talk truth on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;
(53:16) Garden beans: good for you, good for the Earth, with Kathy Byrnes.

Dr. Gianluca Grimalda

Ever been punished for doing the right thing? It happened to me in first grade. Unprovoked, a classmate punched me in the stomach. I didn’t fight back, yet I was the one sent to the principal’s office and introduced to the “spanking machine” (for real). Minor, perhaps, but memorable, and good preparation for life’s inevitable injustices.

Many of the blows we take in adult life make a juvenile gut punch seem trivial. Case in point: Dr. Gianluca Grimalda. I learned of his situation this week: Climate scientist faces sack for refusing to fly to Germany from Solomon Islands archipelago.

Dr. Grimalda’s flight-free route from Germany to Papua New Guinea.

Grimalda had been conducting climate research in Papua New Guinea. He understands air travel’s significant contribution to climate change and tries to practice what he preaches. So last February, Grimalda managed the 14,000-mile journey to Papua New Guinea on cargo ships, ferries, trains, and buses. It took him 35 days.

Grimalda intended to travel back to Germany under the same conveyance, saving an estimated 7.2 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, round trip. Yet he was told by his employer, Kiel Institute for World Economy, that if he was not at his desk on October 9, he would be fired.

Grimalda’s research involved studying the impact of climate change on coastal communities in the Solomon Islands, where entire villages have already been forced to move inland to escape sea-level rise. “[Grimalda explained] to islanders how the carbon emissions of the industrialized world were causing the disasters they faced. And he promised them he would minimize his CO2 emissions on his journey back to Europe to avoid contributing to their suffering.”

How is that not admirable? Grimalda should be rewarded, not punished, for his principled stand. No doubt, traveling 14,000 miles by bus, train, ferry, and cargo ship is a whole lot rougher on the body than an 18-hour flight. It’s probably more expensive, too.

The continental US is roughly 3,000 miles coast-to-coast by 2,000 miles wide. It is entirely possible to envision passenger rail dominating our transportation infrastructure. The climate emergency demands — and Americans deserve — the kind of train service enjoyed in Japan, China, and Europe.

It’s time to stop building bigger airports. We need to prioritize existing road maintenance, expanded bus service, bike- and pedestrian-friendly cities, along with passenger and light rail.

If you read last week’s column and listened to our program, you know where I’m going with this:

Polk County residents: VOTE AGAINST EXPANDING THE DSM AIRPORT!

Not only is a “NO” vote right for the Earth, it’s fiscally responsible, given that a risky $350 million bond is more than three times the size of any previous Polk County bond!

Don’t live in Polk County? I’m guessing you know someone who does. Take a minute to contact them and ask them to vote “NO.” For a more detailed primer on this issue, here’s my column from last week: Vote “NO” on Des Moines airport expansion.

Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action!

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Ed Fallon