COP25:
¶ “Without Trump’s Help, America’s Other Leaders Go It Alone In The Fight Against Climate Change” • President Trump may have the US government stepping away from the climate crisis, but a large group of US cities, states, universities, and businesses that are still committed to holding global warming below 2°C. And they are represented at COP25. [CNN]
Nancy Pelosi at COP25 (Andrea Comas | AP)
¶ “Investors Urge Governments To Step Up Climate Ambition” • Institutional investors managing more than $37 trillion in assets urged governments to step up efforts to tackle the global climate crisis in a statement issued at COP25. They want governments to phase out coal, to stop subsidies for fossil fuels, and to tax carbon emissions. [The Maritime Executive]
¶ “Put Children At Heart Of Tackling Crisis, Says UN” • Children and young people must be at the center of dealing with the climate crisis, the UN and campaigners said, as climate talks in Madrid enter their second week with little concrete progress. A number of young people are at the conference to put pressure on negotiators. [The Guardian]
Greta Thunberg and other young activists (Andrea Comas | AP)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Newly Identified Jet-Stream Pattern Could Imperil Global Food Supplies” • During the summer of 2018, highly amplified jet stream patterns remained stuck in place for unusually long periods of time, producing disastrous weather patterns. The patterns are believed to be twenty times more likely because of climate change. [Scientific American]
¶ “Flora To Fuel: Could Wind-Powered Algae Make Bioreactors Competitive?” • The BioEconomy project has a bioreactor using LED technology to grow microalgae. The cultivation system allows integration with local renewable energy grids. Wind turbines can power photo-bioreactors that grow algae, which can then be used to make biofuels. [Power Technology]
Microalgae (Photo: NEON ja, colored by Richard Bartz)
World:
¶ “NSW Energy Minister To Renewables Opponents: ‘Enjoy Your Kodak Moment’” • New South Wales energy minister Matt Kean believes missing the economic opportunities of embracing renewable energy would be “negligent.” He told those with vested interests in the fossil fuel sector to get ready to “enjoy their Kodak moment.” [RenewEconomy]
¶ “Oil Producers And Companies In Carbon-Intensive Industries ‘Will Lose Half Their Value Within Ten Years'” • The UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment warns that carbon-intensive firms could lose 43% of their market value with the “inevitable policy response” to the climate emergency. Very progressive companies could see gains of 33%. [iNews]
Thermal generating plant (Photo: Volker Hartmann | Getty)
¶ “Renewables ‘To Become France’s Main Energy Source By 2027’” • Renewable energy is forecast to become France’s dominant energy source by 2027, according to an analysis by GlobalData. This would see it take the lead from nuclear power, which is currently the country’s most important electricity generating technology. [Energy Live News]
¶ “UK Hits Renewable Energy Record As Wind Shatters 16-GW Threshold” • The UK hit an all-time renewable energy record as wind generation broke the 16-GW threshold Sunday. According to National Grid, onshore and offshore wind generated up to 43.7% share of electricity, more than double the 20.5% that was produced by nuclear plants. [Energy Live News]
Wind turbines (Shutterstock image)
¶ “Thousands Were Paid To Use Extra Renewable Electricity On Windy Weekend” • Thousands of households were paid to use extra renewable electricity over the weekend as windfarms generated unprecedented levels of clean power. Homes using a new type of smart energy tariff were urged to plug in their electric vehicles overnight. [The Guardian]
¶ “EDF Clean Power Tops 2 GW In France” • EDF Renouvelables reached the 2-GW mark for wind and solar capacity in France, following a record year for onshore wind for the company in the country. The company said in 2019 it had commissioned almost 200 MW of onshore wind capacity and had a similar volume under construction in France. [reNEWS]
Commissioning a windfarm (EDF image)
US:
¶ “Lawmakers Want Massachusetts To Be Powered With 100% Renewable Energy By 2045” • So far more than 150 state and local lawmakers have signed on in support of a plan to power Massachusetts using 100% renewable energy by 2045. The bill would place a huge emphasis on wind and solar energy, along with reducing consumption. [WWLP.com]
¶ “Renewable Energy Installations In Michigan Up By 57% In 2018” • The annual report from the Michigan Public Service Commission shows continued growth of distributed energy in the state, with a 57% growth of installations for 2018. The year saw 1,952 renewable energy installations with a combined capacity of 13,910 kW. [Daily Energy Insider]
Rooftop solar system (Shutterstock image)
¶ “Sunrise Columbia Accelerates Climate Justice Movement With Their #NobodyWins Video Campaign” • Colaborating with 17 other universities, the Sunrise Movement at Columbia made a video campaign called #NobodyWins. It aims to present a unified message calling attention to the university fossil fuel divestment movement. [CU Columbia Spectator]
¶ “Knoxville Coal Mine Company Deciding To Idle Its Mines” • Around 100 coal miners are worried about whether they’ll still have jobs after the holidays, after a Tennessee coal company decided to idle its mines. Many of those workers had lost jobs when Blackjewel went bankrupt, but were eventually hired by Kopper Glo in Knoxville. [WATE 6 On Your Side]
Have a pleasantly entertaining day.
