Opinion:
¶ “Energy Transition Startups Shake Up The Business World” • The shift to a low-carbon future is turning the economy inside out. Christoph Frei, secretary general and CEO of the World Energy Council, said start-ups “deliver this kind of ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking and the necessary attitude. They have no fear of reinventing everything.” [CleanTechnica]
Making green synthetic diesel (© Sunfire)
¶ “City Where Chernobyl TV Series Was Filmed Fears Real-Life Nuclear Disaster” • The capital of Lithuania is on edge over the imminent opening of a nuclear-power facility just 40 km away in Belarus. Following a string of incidents during construction, and attempts to conceal them, many believe that the Russian-built Astravets plant is unsafe. [Stuff.co.nz]
¶ “From Scientist To Activist” • In grad school and during my postdoc (1998–2008) I saw the need to raise awareness, but I didn’t yet view my role as an activist or in encouraging others to act. Contributions of women climate scientists, activists, and children have inspired me to join them and raised my awareness of climate justice. [Common Dreams]
Climate strikers in Seattle (Photo: Heather Price)
¶ “What If We Stopped Pretending?” • The struggle to rein in global carbon emissions and keep the planet from melting has had a clear goal for thirty years, and despite earnest efforts we’ve made essentially no progress toward reaching it. Today, the scientific evidence verges on irrefutable. It may be time to rethink what it means to hope. [The New Yorker]
World:
¶ “Mick Jagger Slams Trump Over Environmental Policy” • At the Venice Film Festival, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger took on President Donald Trump’s environmental policies and slammed him for leaving the Paris climate agreement. Others at the festival, including Donald Sutherland, agreed with Jagger and made their own criticisms. [CNN]
Mick Jagger (Kevin Winter | Getty Images)
¶ “China Data Centers Set To Consume More Power Than Australia: Report” • China’s data centers – the backbone of the country’s fast-growing digital economy – are on track to guzzle more electricity by 2023 than all of Australia did last year, according to a Greenpeace report. China’s data centers remain dependent on coal. [Macau Business]
¶ “Fires Destroy More Than 4.2 Million Wild Acres In Bolivia” • It’s not just the Brazilian Amazon burning. Fires burned more than 1.7 million hectares (4.2 million acres) in Bolivia, officials said. That’s more than double the damage from just two weeks ago. Fires are leaving blackened trees and ash-covered forest floors in their wake. [CNN]
Bolivian fire (Natalie Gallon | CNN)
¶ “Three Trends Shaking Up The Philippines Energy Market” • Much of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon is powered by natural gas from an offshore field that may be running out. The Philippines is pushing for more renewable energy generation using microgrids, for more EVs, and for a reduction in the red tape holding up change. [GovInsider]
¶ “Southeast Asia’s Largest Solar Farm Begins Operations In Southern Vietnam” • A 420-MW solar power project, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia, has officially started production in Tay Ninh Province. The $391 million complex, covering 540 hectares, lies on semi-submerged land at Vietnam’s largest artificial lake. [VnExpress International]
Solar farm, Tay Ninh Province (Quynh Tran | VnExpress)
¶ “ARENA Backs Wave Power Generation Pilot Project Off King Island” • The Australian Renewable Energy Agency announced it will tip $4 million into a $12.3 million trial of Australian wave energy technology. The pilot project will be a 200-kW device from Wave Swell Energy, integrated with an existing microgrid off King Island, Tasmania. [RenewEconomy]
¶ “Simec Atlantis Mulls Tidal-Powered Data Center” • Simec Atlantis Energy has announced ambitions for a tidal-powered data center in the Caithness region of Scotland. The supply for such a data center would include electricity delivered through a private wire network from tidal turbines at the existing MeyGen project site. [reNEWS]
Tidal turbine installation (Simec Atlantis image)
¶ “Energy Firms Plan UK’s First Carbon-Neutral ‘Industrial Cluster'” • Energy companies have ignited multi-billion-pound plans for the UK’s first carbon-neutral “industrial cluster” near the Humber estuary. An alliance of companies is leading a campaign to shrink the carbon footprint of Britain’s most polluting industrial zone. [The Guardian]
US:
¶ “ASU And Phoenix Are Working Together To Meet Solar Sustainability Goals” • Arizona State University and the city of Phoenix have been working together to build their sustainable practices, and both credit their strong relationship as a reason they were able to meet many of their goals. ASU set ambitious sustainability goals in 2011. [The State Press]
ASU working with Phoenix (Sally Rodriguez | The State Press)
¶ “Indiana Sees Surge In Wind Power Despite Lack Of Standards” • Indiana has had a surge in wind farm construction over the past decade that has given the state the nation’s 12th-highest number of wind turbines. But some renewable energy advocates say Indiana needs to encourage wind power more if it is to retain that position. [NBC Chicago]
¶ “Researchers Looking At Renewable Energy And Food Security In Rural Alaska” • Researchers at the University of Alaska are looking at how renewable energy could power the fish processing industry in Alaska’s remote communities. The goal is to make these communities more food secure, and less dependent on diesel fuel for electricity. [KTUU.com]
Have a radically awesome day.
geoharvey 