Opinion:
¶ “Automakers Are Going Green To Save Money, Not Just The Planet” • Virtually all major automakers worldwide are shifting to all-electric futures – and that’s as much about the bottom line as it is about the environment. Volkswagen plans to launch roughly 70 pure electric models by 2030 and General Motors hopes to sell only zero-emission cars by 2035. [CNN]
Chevy Bolt (Chevrolet image)
¶ “Top 10 Things We Learned About Climate Change In 2020” • A report prepared by a group of 57 leading researchers from 21 countries suggests there was both good news and not so good news about our overheating planet during the year 2020. The International Institute for Sustainable Development summarized the report’s findings. [CleanTechnica]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Posidonia, The Mediterranean’s ‘Super Plant'” • The sea grass Posidonia oceanica is incredibly effective at filtering the water and producing oxygen. In fact, 1 square meter of Posidonia produces as much oxygen as 1 hectare (10,000 square meters) of Amazon rainforest. Despite attempts to protect it, Posidonia is in grave threat of disappearing in a few decades. [BBC]
Posidonia oceanica (Nachosan, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Shift to plant-based diets is key to saving world’s wildlife” • The global food system is the primary driver of biodiversity loss and species extinction, and a shift to plant based diets is needed to curb the damage being done to nature, according to a report from Chatham House. Biodiversity is crucial to both human well-being and a healthy planet, [CNN]
¶ “Experimental ‘Blowhole’ Wave Energy Generator Goes Online Down Under” • A 200-kW demonstration of Wave Swell Energy’s “blowhole” power generator has been set up off Tasmania. The device channels waves in and out of a concrete chamber, pushing air in and out of an artificial blowhole in the top of the chamber to drive a wind turbine. [New Atlas]
Wave Swell Energy demonstration unit (Wave Swell Energy)
World:
¶ “France Not Doing Enough To Tackle Climate Change, Court Rules” • A Paris court has found France legally responsible for its failure to meet greenhouse gas emissions targets. The lawsuit was launched by Greenpeace France, Oxfam France, and two other NGOs after an online petition gathered a record-breaking 2.3 million signatures. [CNN]
¶ “Tesla Moves Into Israel With Fairly Low Prices” • Tesla has entered the Israeli market with lower than expected prices, Haaretz reports. Tesla’s Hebrew site sets a delivery date for its vehicles in March and reflects the company’s plans to target the mainstream market. Prices start at 180,000 shekels ($54,600) for the Tesla Model 3, after taxes. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla Model 3 Israeli pricing
¶ “World’s biggest Battery With 1,200-MW Capacity Set To Be Built In NSW Hunter Valley” • CEP Energy said it plans to build the world’s biggest battery in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, the latest in a flurry of major energy storage projects. The battery is part of a larger plan including a total of 2,000 MW of storage and 1,500 MW of solar power. [The Guardian]
¶ “Northland Plans C$20 Billion Renewables Drive” • In Canada, Northland Power is targeting C$15 to C$20 billion (€9.8 to €13 billion, $11.7 to $15.6 billion) of gross capital investment in new renewable projects over the next five years. It said they would be “anchored by identified offshore wind projects that are currently in active development.” [reNEWS]
Building a wind turbine (Northland Power image)
¶ “Scotch Whisky Distilleries To Use Renewable Electricity Created By Underwater Turbines” • Whisky distilleries on an archipelago west of mainland Scotland could soon be powered with electricity from subsea tidal turbines. Tidal energy firm Nova Innovation said it would install 3 MW of turbines between two islands of the Inner Hebrides. [CNBC]
¶ “Denmark Gives Nod To Offshore Energy Hub” • Denmark has reached a landmark agreement on the construction of an energy hub in the North Sea. It will further integrate European grids with more offshore wind that are planned for nearby waters. The energy hub will be an artificially constructed island 80 km off the coast of Jutland. [reNEWS]
Proposed green energy hub (Vindo Consortium image)
¶ “Removal Of Four Deformed Fuel Units Begins At Fukushima Daiichi” • The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant crippled after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami has started removing four deformed nuclear fuel assemblies from the storage pool of the No 3 reactor building. It is now ten years since the meltdown at the plant. [NHK World]
US:
¶ “Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, And Blumenauer Unveil Bill Pushing Biden To Declare National Climate Emergency: ‘We Are Out Of Time'” • Three progressive lawmakers introduced legislation that would require President Joe Biden to declare a national climate emergency, arguing that the US is “out of time and excuses” to deal with the climate crisis. [CNN]
Bernie Sanders at Council Bluffs, Iowa (Matt A J, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Rad Power Bikes Receives $150 Million Investment To Scale Up Its E-Bike Business” • Leading US e-bike brand Rad Power Bikes announced that it has received a $150 million investment from “a prestigious group of investors.” The investment could help the company expand its market, strengthen its sales, and speed up its deliveries. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “US EIA Explores Covid-19’s Impact On US Energy Mix 2020–2050” • The US will likely take years to return to 2019 levels of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions following the impact of Covid-19 on the US economy and global energy sector, according to projections by the US DOE’s Energy Information Administration. [CleanTechnica]
Have a surprisingly peachy day.
geoharvey 