Opinion:
¶ “The Win To Stop The Rocky Hill Coalmine Happened In The Right Place And Just In Time” • As Tasmanian forests burn, Queensland is flooded, and New South Wales suffers drought, the chief judge of an Australian court of superior jurisdiction has found, for the first time, that a coalmine ought to be refused for its impact on climate change. [The Guardian]
Valley saved (David Angel | Alamy Stock Photo)
¶ “The Repression Of Environmental Activists Fuels Climate Change” • Coal enthusiast Poland hosted COP24. The outcomes of the summit were widely criticised for being too little too late. But Poland’s actions also drew attention to another alarming global trend: the repression of environmental and climate defenders. [Eco-Business]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Study Says Massive Insect Decline Could Have ‘Catastrophic’ Environmental Impact” • Insect populations are declining precipitously worldwide due to pesticide use and other factors, with a potentially “catastrophic” effect on the planet, a study has warned. Insect biomass is declining by a staggering 2.5% per year worldwide. [CNN]
Spraying pesticides in the Negev Desert
(Menahem Kanaha | AFP | Getty Images)
World:
¶ “Government Subsidies For Coal Nearly 400 Times More Than Environment Ministry Budget” • Indian government subsidies for fossil fuels, including oil and gas, have decreased by 76% over the three years to 2017. Nevertheless, subsidies for the coal industry have remained stable over the same period, a study has found. [IndiaSpend]
¶ “ETA To Supply Subsea Hub For Scots Tidal” • Subsea engineering specialists ETA is to supply a connection system for tidal turbines of Simec Atlantis’ Project Stroma in the Pentland Firth off northern Scotland. The subsea hub will allow multiple turbines to be connected to a single power export cable, which will significantly reduce the costs. [reNEWS]
Installing MeyGen water turbines (Simec Atlantis Energy)
¶ “Rooftop Solar, Batteries Early Winners In NSW Election Race” • Both of the major political parties in New South Wales have answered calls to get serious about renewable energy and climate policy in the state. The two most important parties both unveiled plans over the weekend aimed at boosting solar and battery storage uptake. [RenewEconomy]
¶ “Energy From Coal To Shrink At 1.25 GW Every Year, Says S&P Global” • Energy from coal will shrink at 1.25 GW every year as solar would continue to expand with the deployment forecast of 20 GW every year, according to the International Energy Agency’s Sustainable Development Scenario, S&P Global Platts Analytics said in a recent report. [ETEnergyworld.com]
Coal loader
¶ “Renewables Generate 42% Of Iberdrola’s Electricity In 2018” • Iberdrola produced a total of 61,754 GWh of electricity from renewables sources in 2018, equivalent to 42% of its output, according to the Spanish utility’s provisional data. While overall generation increased by 5.9%, renewable power generation grew by 21.7% year-on-year. [Renewables Now]
¶ “Russia, China Back Nuclear As A Clean-Power Fix For Africa” • South Africa is the only country on its continent to operate a nuclear power plant. In recent years, however, at least seven other sub-Saharan African states have signed agreements to deploy nuclear power with backing from Russia, despite numerous inherent risks. [Arabian Industry]
Nuclear power plant
US:
¶ “Duke Energy Renewables Buys 100-MW Texas Solar Farm Project” • 7X Energy, Inc sold the 100-MW Lapetus Solar Energy Project in Andrews County, Texas, to Duke Energy Renewables. Construction is expected to begin before the end of March. Duke Energy Renewables will continue development and manage construction. [Power Engineering Magazine]
¶ “A Toxic Crisis In America’s Coal Country” • At some of America’s most controversial coal mines, companies use huge amounts of explosives to blow the tops off mountains. Isolated communities say this poisons their water, and now people must decide if they will fight back against an industry they have relied upon for generations. [BBC]
Removing tops of Appalachian Mountains (Getty Images)
¶ “Puerto Rico Renewable Energy Plan Calls For Solar, Storage, And “Midi” Grids” • Puerto Rico is still struggling to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Maria, which obliterated its aging and poorly maintained electrical grid. A draft of a plan by the local utility would replace the old grid with new mid-sized power grids. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Green New Deal Backers Rally Outside US Rep Antonio Delgado’s Kingston Office” • Activists gathered at Rep Antonio Degaldo’s office in Kingston, NY, to urge him to support moves to counter climate change. They want work ended on all new fossil fuel projects, 100% renewable electricity by 2035, and a renewable energy economy. [The Daily Freeman]
Have an enchantingly agreeable day.
geoharvey 