High noon  - somewhere in America.  Slash Da’Funding sauntered boldly down the middle of Main Street then stopped outside the General Mercantile Exchange.  “Git out here Ray!  It’s time we settled this once and fer all.”
            Ray Newables stepped out and squared off with Slash.  A hush fell as mothers bustled their children inside; chickens and geese scattered in a swirl of dust.  “I know what you’re trying to do Slash.  Saving money is a worthwhile endeavor.  But do you really think going after me will accomplish that?  Maybe you should reconsider,” Ray reasoned. “Reconsider? Why should I?” Slash snarled.
            It was just the question Ray was hoping for. “Well Slash, for one thing, the global renewable energy market is already valued at over a trillion bucks, and it’s growing at a rate of 8.5% annually.  Do we really want the U.S. to turn its back on taking leadership in this market?  Our own Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is expected to create more than 1.5 million new jobs in the U.S. over the next decade.  Supporting the IRA is a great way to grow the economy.  Want to save money?  Renewable energy sources are now the least expensive way to generate electricity and the fuel is free!  Now that’s how to cut costs!  You know, over 65% of Americans say they want our congress and the president to make developing clean energy a priority.
            “And here’s another money-saver.”  Ray continued. “How about slowing down the growing rate of billion-dollar severe weather events.  Fossil fuel greenhouse gases are a big reason why these are becoming more frequent and more severe.  Why, in 2024 alone the destruction cost the U.S. a cool $182 billion!  Not to mention the suffering imposed on so many of our citizens.”
            “None of that makes me no never mind! ” Slash spat back. “Now Draw!”…BAM!
            Later at the saloon –  Wrapped in a ragged kerchief, Slash’s festering foot rested gingerly on a bar stool. “By golly Ray, danged if I didn’t go and shoot myself in the foot!” Slash admitted sheepishly.  “Maybe I was being a bit hasty.  There’s a lot of good economic sense in what you’re doin’.  And I do want to leave a better world for my grandkids.  After all, where else would they live?  This is their only home; it’s where they’ll be forever… Earthbound.”

        The banner “Carbon – The Building Block of Life” fluttered gently above the stage.  Great Grandmother Carbon (C) took her place at the podium. “Welcome to this year’s convention,” she hailed.  “Look around you at this remarkable planet!  We carbon compounds have been instrumental in helping populate it with abundant life.
 
       “As you know, our compounds take many different forms.  This has caused confusion in some members of the human population.  It’s a troubling case of mistaken identity.  With our reputation as life’s central building block, some humans mistakenly assume more carbon anywhere must be a good thing.  Clearly, that’s not the case,” she continued while eyeing several of the most common carbon compounds including carbon monoxide (CO), chloroform (CHCl3), acetylene (C2H2), and methane (CH4).
 
       “While it’s certainly not your fault dear,” Grannie continued and looked directly at Carbon Dioxide (CO2), “the issue centers around you.”  CO2 blushed as Grannie continued.  “Some humans confuse your overabundance in the atmosphere (50% more than 200 years ago) with the benefits of having more of me (C) in the soil.”

        The on-stage screen lit up with a list of the benefits of Carbon (C) in the soil:

• better soil aggregation, enhancing water infiltration and reducing erosion 
  
• higher organic matter that can store more water
• support for robust root systems, leading to improved plant productivity
• fostering diverse microbial communities

        “An overabundance of CO2 in the atmosphere does enhance some plant growth in certain conditions.  But dearie, I’m afraid any benefits are greatly outweighed by the damage that is already so evident.”  A new slide appeared concerning excessive atmospheric CO2.  

• as a greenhouse gas, trapping excessive heat from the sun
• glacial melting causing sea level rise that will potentially flood coastal areas 
• more frequent and intense extreme weather events like hurricanes, droughts, floods, and heatwaves. 
• disruption of ecosystems, leading to species extinction and changes in plant and animal distribution. 
• negative impact on food security 
• ocean acidification

         “I’m so sorry,” CO2 sniffled, “but if humans keep burning coal and petroleum products, I can’t help but expand.“

        “We know you’ve meant no harm, dearie,” Grannie smiled.  “Humans just can’t ignore the fact that the fuels they choose to use DO make a difference.  Otherwise, they’re jeopardizing the ways of life they’ve known for generations on the only home they’ll ever know.  After all, this bountiful planet is where they’re all forever… Earthbound.”

        “Dear me,” Wes Consinn mumbled as he shuffled down the sidewalk, “how are we ever going to find and pay for enough electricity?  New energy-thirsty artificial intelligence (AI) centers are moving in, and we’re already paying more for electricity than our neighboring states.

        “One bugaboo is supplying those relatively rare peak-energy-use times like during sweltering summer afternoons.  That’s when expensive ‘peaker’ plants are fired up.  Now the utilities want to build a brand-new gas-fired ‘peaker’ for the hefty sum of $1.2 billion!  There’s gotta be a better way.”

        Lost in thought, Wes happened to glance up at the placard above a shop door - No Hocus No Pocus - Energy Solutions.  He stepped inside. “Hocus pocus, huh!  What do you guys do, conjure up cheap energy?” he chided the proprietor.

        “Not at all,” Ray Sourceful smiled, “although the results do seem almost magical. We just make better use of energy that’s already been generated.  Want to avoid expensive, polluting peaker plants?  Let me clue you in on a couple key concepts - Distributed Energy Resources (DER)s and Virtual Power Plants (VPP)s.

            “DERs generate and store energy from a variety of sources including solar and battery storage systems at community solar farms, businesses and homes, or from electric vehicles (EV)s and even by using smart thermostats.  Energy from these sources can be used during peak energy use periods through virtual power plants.

            “The almost-magical quality of VPPs is that they provide energy without having to build a physical power plant. Partners in a VPP agree and get paid for letting the VPP draw electricity when needed during peak energy use periods.  I.E. A smart thermostat could temporarily kick the AC up a couple degrees or an EV sitting idle in the garage could discharge part of its battery into the grid for a few hours.  VPPs can be created and deployed in way less time than it takes to construct a generation plant and at a fraction of the cost,“ Ray concluded.

            Wes smiled as he left the shop. “Golly, I’ve got work to do!  It’s a little embarrassing, but I’m way behind my neighboring states concerning policies that advance the use of DERs and VPPs.  We should be lowering energy costs and reducing pollution because, after all, this is our only home.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

       “Good morning! This is Wendy Skies here with Saul R. Panells. Welcome to this week’s edition of Harness Racing, the weekly show reminding us that free, limitless energy sources are all around.  The race is on to harness these sources and create that cleaner, prosperous world we all want.” 

       “You know Wendy, folks often forget or just don’t realize that extraction and consumption of limited sources of energy is not the only route to prosperity.  Fossil fuels are oh-so twentieth century!  And their greenhouse gas emissions are doing a number on our environment.  Enough with the forest fires and hurricanes already!”

       “That’s right Saul, and it’s why I can’t wait to introduce our guest. This week we’re digging deep into a little-known technology that accesses free, endless energy.  Sounds enticing, doesn’t it?  Well, Ken Drillwell is here to tell us all about ground source heat pumps.  Ken, welcome to the show!”

       “Thanks Wendy; it’s great to be here.  Maybe I can start by telling the folks just what we’re talking about.  Ground source heat pumps(GSHP) harness low-temperature geothermal energy to heat and cool homes. They’re similar to the more widely deployed air source heat pumps.  Both can heat or cool a building.  The big difference is that air source pumps have to work with whatever temperature the air happens to be, ranging from fridge to sweltering.  However, ground source heat pumps draw energy from underground wells drilled several hundred feet down, or fields of pipes buried just beneath the surface of the earth.  That’s where temperatures are about 54 degrees Fahrenheit year-round making GSHPs very efficient.

       “The U.S. Dept. of Energy recently reported that GSHPs are posed to heat & cool the equivalent of 7 million homes by 2035—up from just over 1 million today.  That’s equivalent to keeping dozens of coal or gas-fired power plants offline during peak energy use periods. The technology is so cost effective that several universities, non-profits and even gas technology companies are working to develop neighborhood-scale geothermal heating and cooling systems,” Ken concluded.

       “Ground sourced heat pumps,” Wendy exclaimed, “another great example of why we need to ‘flip the script’ concerning energy sources.  We’re surrounded by free, clean, inexhaustible energy that only needs to be harnessed.  So climb on board!  We’re off to the races to protect our only home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

        “The air is thick with tension as we nervously await this historic moment.  I’m Wanda Know reporting live where a crowd of thousands hope and pray that the world’s first time-traveler will return safely from the year 1601.  We’re expecting the time machine to arrive any… wait… something seems to be materializing on the landing pad. Yes! The time machine has returned!  The era-naut, Justin Tyme, has emerged from the capsule!  Let’s see if we can get a few words.”

        “Justin, what can you tell us?”

        “Well, Wanda, it was quite a ride!  You may remember that 1601 was smack dab in the middle of the era known as the ‘Little Ice Age,’ and boy, did those folks have it rough. The frigid weather wreaked havoc mainly because of the disruption to farm harvests, ruining ways of life that had lasted for centuries.  This caused panics, uprisings, food riots and rebellions.  Famine and disease spread widely devastating many cultures.  There was even a spike in witch trials.  In that pre-scientific world, folks wanted to blame their troubles on someone, why not witches?

       “Many indigenous peoples had it even worse. Not only were they being invaded by colonial powers but many of the crops they’d cultivated for thousands of years just didn’t thrive in the colder climate.

        “But get this.  All that misery was caused by a decrease of less than 1 degree (0.6% of a degree) Celsius.  By that measure, in 2025, we’re swinging pretty wildly in the other direction.  Now we’re about 1.4 degrees Celsius hotter than the long-term average.  Hoo Boy!  My journey taught me that it doesn’t take much of a global temperature swing to cause a lot of problems.  We’re already seeing those problems after years of record-breaking temperatures.  Think of the destruction from last year’s hurricanes and the crazy wildfires this year.”
 
        That night, Wanda thought about the huge changes our continuing use of fossil fuels is making to our way of life, most of them aren’t so great.  The thing is, we have the technology and capacity to make the shift to clean energy sources to limit further atmospheric warming. “All we need now,” she thought, “is the will to make it happen. Act NOW and we might be just in time to avoid too much further damage to our only home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

        Stretching her tiny hand up toward the latch, the oh-so-young 2025 fell forward as the door swung open. “Wow!” she exclaimed, “my workshop for the next twelve months.”  A jumble of crumpled calendar pages and overstuffed file folders lie scattered on the worktable.  Sticky notes covered an oversized whiteboard on the back wall.

        ‘25’s eyes settled upon a tattered legal pad.  TO DO - 2024 was scratched across the top; an extensive list followed.  Several items had bold checkmarks slashed over them.

1. 30,000 electric trucks and nearly 5,000 electric school buses are now on U.S. roads – Check!
   
2. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act created more than 300,000 new clean energy jobs – Check!
   
3. More than 10,000 abandoned, leaky oil and gas wells in 26 states have been sealed - equivalent to taking tens of thousands of cars off the road. - Check!
   
4. MethaneSAT, the methane-hunting satellite was launched.  With methane causing about 30% of today’s global warming, finding and fixing leaking oil and gas operations is the fastest way to slow climate change now. - Check!
5. Dairy methane footprints are now being monitored by the Dairy Methane Action Alliance, a group representing $230 billion in annual global sales.  DMAA has also conducted successful trials with Bovaer, the first feed additive for cutting up to 30% of the methane from cow burps. - Check!
6. Renewable energy sources integrated into power grids have shown they enhance – rather than weaken – overall grid resilience. – Check!
   
7. Also: -- Tougher limits on mercury and cancer-causing pollutants from smokestacks

              - 1.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions eliminated from power plants
              - More than 200 petrochemical facilities are under stricter limits for soot and toxic chemical pollution. - Check!
 
        Then ’25 heard the sound of a metal file cabinet drawer clattering shut down the hallway.  A worn, kindly old fellow stepped out. “Oh!  You’re here,” he said. “Ah… you found my list.  I did manage to get a few things accomplished, but there’s still so much more needed,” Old Man ‘24 said as he turned toward the exit.

        “Best wishes in furthering the development of a healthy future.  It’s what everyone wants.  You’ll be fine,” he winked, “because you must.  After all, this is our only home; it’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

       "…so I’m kinda stressed about possible future changes affecting our precious planet," the letter read.  "Santa, all I want for Christmas is a little reassurance.  Your friend,  Ertha Lings"

        The wizened old elf, Aiden D’Planet, folded the letter and scratched his head. “Gonna need some real beauties for this one - the ‘Belles of the Ball,’ you might say.” Aiden shuffled through the huge polar warehouse.  And then, “Ah… here’s one,” he said. It was a message from the chief executive of U.S. oil giant Exxon urging the next administration to maintain consistency and NOT drop out of the Paris climate agreement. “Now this is a real beauty - a belle for the sleigh,” he smiled.

        Aiden continued on. “Here we go!” he grinned as he placed the U.S. Climate Alliance and the Climate Mayors into his cart.  These two organizations represent nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population and three-quarters of U.S. GDP through 24 governors, nearly 350 mayors and thousands of institutions. “These folks will be promoting climate initiatives no matter what!  Good thing the federal government isn’t the only show in town,” Aiden chuckled.

        The next shiny belle came from the publisher of the Alaska-based Wrangell Sentinel newspaper.  It was about possible oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  He stated, “I would be surprised if any major oil company, or even any middle oil company, submits bids to drill.  It’s a high-cost, highly speculative play.”

        Then a huge, sparkly present caught Aiden’s eye. The tag read IRA – Inflation Reduction Act. “Hoo Boy,” Aiden whistled. “I know a lot of folks are worried this landmark environmental legislation may get picked apart.  Hmm…what’s this card say?"

• At least 18 House Republicans declared their opposition to repealing the IRA.
• Sixty percent (60%) of IRA-funded jobs are in conservative-leaning states.
• The Solar Energy Industries Association president commented, ‘Politicians may talk and bluster but the polling is clear, and a savvy lawmaker will not undermine the billions of dollars in clean energy investments that are flowing into their states and districts.’ 

       "This might be the shiniest belle of them all!” Aiden beamed.

       The old elf carefully stowed each special sleigh belle. “Here you go Eurtha Lings; make good use of these gifts.  Protecting our planet is everyone’s responsibility, you know, because this is our only home.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

        “Stick with me, Babe!  We’ll be swimmin’ in dough!” Gassy Phuems winked…then, “Hey! There’s my old pal, Pete Rolleum.  I gotta go say ‘HI’.”

        “Un…okay, I guess,” Wanda Makeabuc said uncertainly as Pete weaved his way across the tavern floor.
 
        Wade watched Gassy go then slid onto the barstool next to Wanda.  “So Gassy’s pitching you to put your money on him and his buddies,” Wade A’Minute smirked.  “Seems a little ‘Old School’ to me.  Have you heard about what China’s up to?  I’d take a look at what they’re doing before jumping on Gassy’s bandwagon.” Wanda eyed Wade guardedly. “OK – I’m game. What cha got?”

        Wade described how for decades China had been derided for the pollution coming from its rapid expansion of coal-fired power plants.  But by the mid-2000s its overwhelming dependence on coal had plunged China into several air, soil, and water pollution crises.  Also, as a rising world power it didn’t like the negative diplomatic impacts of being the world’s worst polluter.  So with mounting damages and expenses due to climate change effects, the escalating pollution crisis, and the public unrest about these problems, a change was in order.

        And what a change it’s been!  Today, China has more than 80 percent of the world’s solar manufacturing capacity.  In 2022, China installed roughly as much solar capacity as the rest of the world combined, then doubled additional solar in 2023.  The extraordinary scale of China’s renewables sector output has driven down prices worldwide, a key factor in reducing the cost barrier to renewable systems for poorer countries.  While China is also a leader in wind and battery technologies, one of its companies, BYD, has become the world’s biggest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer.  The country seems ready to globally dominate all aspects of electric transportation.
 
        “The Chinese seem to understand that renewables are the obvious economic and environmental choice of the future,” Wade continued. “Unless the U.S. is happy playing second fiddle in global energy production, maybe ‘Drill Baby Drill’ as our central strategy, isn’t such a great plan.”

        Gassy finally stumbled back over. “Hey Babe, Ya ready to step out with me?”

        “Sorry Gassy,” Wanda retorted as she took Wade’s arm. “I  think a more profitable and cleaner future lies elsewhere.  After all, this is our only home.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”
*https://e360.yale.edu/features/china-renewable-energy

        “My poor granddaughter!” Oma Gosh lamented. “She worked so hard to make the varsity volleyball team, but that finicky coach picked a younger girl in her place.  She was heartbroken.  Luckily, her friend invited her to join the cross-country team instead.  Turns out she actually LOVES cross-country,” Oma sniffed as she took a sip of tea.

        Ima Phraid could hardly wait to share her juicy gossip. “Did you hear that Maeby Imsic went in to get some blemishes taken off before her twenty-fifth anniversary party.  But that fussy doctor wouldn’t do it until they could do a biopsy.  Just imagine! She had to have her party with those unsightly blotches on her neck.  How humiliating!  I guess they actually did catch and treat the cancer that probably would have killed her.  Still, it kind of makes me mad.”

        “Hmm,” Donna Worrie chimed in, “sounds like you both need a dose of something called equanimity.  It’s a fancy word meaning being even-tempered and composed, especially in difficult situations.  Equanimity implies that we actually need to wait and see how something disappointing plays out in the end instead of assuming the worst.  I remember years ago I missed a bus to a job interview.  I blew my first big career opportunity and sat crying my eyes out when a handsome, young fella came by to comfort me.  And now George and I have been married for 40 years!  Reminds me of a relentlessly chipper character I saw in a movie once.  “It’s always better in the end,” he said. “If you’re not happy; it’s not the end!”

        “You know me,” Donna continued, “I’m always reading about the next environmental crisis.  There are more than enough to give a person nightmares.  But we really don’t know what tomorrow will bring.  Fretting about it doesn’t help, but working on solutions does.  Take global warming - it’s a huge challenge, but it’s driving some amazing technological advances.  New, lower-cost energy options really can create a cleaner, healthier future.  We just need to make it happen.  The ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, said, ‘New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.’”

        “I get it!  No more gossipy moping for me,” Oma cheered. “I’ll help work toward that happy ending because we don’t really have a choice do we.  This is our only home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

        Forrest Phires was all smiles as he stepped into his favorite watering hole.  Sure enough, there were the ’24 Hurricanes – Beryl, Francine, Helene, Debbie and Milton – yuking it up around the poker table.  “Great season, eh Forrest!?” Beryl called out with a wave.  At the bar Forrest found his old pals Lotti Floods and Ty Phoon.  He sauntered over and pulled up a stool.

        “What are you grinning about?” Lotti asked giving Forrest a high-five. “I just can’t believe what these humans are letting us get away with, especially this year,” Forrest exclaimed. “It’s like the World Series, Super Bowl and the World Cup all rolled up into one.  Count ‘em - 24 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each in the good ‘ol U S of A.

        “Just think.  In the old days, those of us in the environmental disaster business were lucky to squeak out 3 or 4 billion-dollar disasters a year.  For 1980 – 2023 the annual average is just 8.5 events (CPI-adjusted), and most of those have been in the past 5 years. But this year we’ve already pulled off 24, and there’s still two months to go!  Those humans just keep on paying up.  Since 1980 our shenanigans have cost them over $2.79 trillion!  (Let’s see.  A trillion is 1,000 billion, right?)”

        “Yeah,” interjected Lottie, “I was a little nervous back in 1987.  You remember; scientists had raised the alarm about the growing ozone hole over Antarctica.  Then all the countries cooperated and made a pact to prohibit the use of chlorofluorocarbons. And it’s working; the ozone hole is gradually shrinking.  So I figured once the alarm was raised about greenhouse gases polluting the atmosphere and raising Earth’s temperature, everybody would once again cooperate on a plan to reduce their use.  Hasn’t happened!

        “It’s a real mystery,” Ty added.  “Humans seem to prefer to pay to clean-up and rebuild instead of using some of that $2.79 trillion to create an energy system that’s not sooo destructive.
 
        “The thing is, these humans are very clever.  Their scientific and industrial infrastructure is more than sufficient to take on this issue.  So let’s not count our chickens yet.  I bet they’ll figure out how to cooperate to get the job done.  After all, this is their only home.  It’s where they’re all forever… Earthbound.”