Government 101
Light and Life
Using the Public Utility Commission of Texas Sunset Review to Safeguard Texans’ Health and Wellbeing
The upcoming 2022-2023 Sunset review of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, offers a unique opportunity for Texas lawmakers to advance public health in the Lone Star State.
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Your Voice Only Counts if You Use It
Feel like your voice doesn’t matter? Only 14% (!) of eligible Texans vote in the March primaries, but that’s when most state legislative seats get decided. Legislators aren’t ignoring their constituents–they’re just listening to the folks who bother to show up.
Ep.327 Fourth Special Session Wrap-up
This week we welcome back to the program Texas Impact’s Advocacy Director, Joshua Houston, to wrap up what is hopefully the last special session of the 88th Texas Legislature for 2023. One of the main issues the legislature has tried to address is…
Final Stocktake Text Leads to Cheers, Concerns
After an earlier draft of the Stocktake text drew criticism from climate advocates, leaders of small island states, and others, negotiators went back to the drawing board,...
Not the Stocktake Update We Were Looking For
The release of the most recent Stocktake draft at COP28 on December 11, 2023 brought immediate pushback and protest from climate advocates and scientists and in one case, a...
OPEC Head Pushes Members to Derail Climate Negotiations
In a twist pulled from the plot of a dystopian movie, news broke that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, known as OPEC, had distributed a letter instructing its...
Migration Put in Perspective
One of the interesting aspects of COP is its ability to put certain issues into perspective. Often US and Texas officials characterize migration as a foreign phenomenon, where...
Ep.326 Taking Stock: Unpacking the Global Stocktake at COP28
This week we welcome Texas Impact’s Climate Action Fellow, Becca Edwards, back to the program soon after returning to the U.S. after attending the first half of the United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of Parties (COP) in Dubai….
Urgent and Faithful Action Needed on Methane
There have been two big announcements about methane during COP28 in Dubai, UAE (see here for a detailed explanation of the climate impacts of methane emissions). First, a...
Climate and Migration at COP28 UAE
It is day three of Texas Impact’s witness of COP28 in Dubai, UAE. As this is my second COP I am coming into the event with a bit more preparation and perspective, yet, once again...
VP Al Gore Introduces New Climate Data Tool
At COP28 Sunday morning, former Vice President Al Gore told us about a new scientific tool, Climate TRACE, which promises to improve the way we measure and understand greenhouse...