Opinion:
¶ “Is The UK On Track To Meet Its Targets?” • The UK committed to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions to net zero by 2050. It has a target to cut emissions by 78% by 2035, compared with 1990 levels. But a group of experts that advises the government says the government has credible policies in place to deliver only about a fifth of this cut. [BBC]
Wind farm in Wales (Dara Jasumani, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Europe Gas Prices: How Far Is Russia Responsible?” • Gas prices have been soaring in countries across Europe, and there have been accusations that Russia may be seeking to exploit the situation for its own advantage, using energy as a political weapon. But how far is Russia responsible for current shortages and rising prices? [BBC]
¶ “Cities Must Consider Flexible Transit Options Before The Next Pandemic” • With pandemic and climate change, a demand for new public transport is emerging – flexible, affordable, and capable of carrying many passengers while avoiding pushing them into large crowds. Unitsky String Technologies has transit designs that can do that. [CleanTechnica]
UST technology (UST image)
¶ “Most People Have Already Felt The Effects Of Climate Change” • Research published in Nature Climate Change suggests that 85% of all human beings have already felt the impact of climate change in various forms of extreme weather. The study used machine learning to review over 100,000 studies of events linked to climate change. [CleanTechnica]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Shipping Energy Mix Needs 70% Green Hydrogen-Based Fuels By 2050” • Ocean shipping is responsible for 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The International Renewable Energy Agency said in a report that 70% of the shipping industry’s energy mix needs to be green hydrogen-based fuels by 2050 to reach climate targets. [FreightWaves]
Bulk freighter (Chris Pagan, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Wärtsilä Report Urges 100% Renewables Sooner; Uruguay Proves It Can Happen Now” • A report from Wärtsilä argues that nations can adopt 100% renewable systems faster than currently planned. Uruguay has nearly done that, showing others how. Today, 98% of the electricity for its 3.4 million inhabitants comes from renewables, including hydro. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Carbon Emissions From Rich Countries Rose Rapidly In 2021” • Carbon emissions are rebounding strongly and are rising across the world’s 20 richest nations, according to a new study. The Climate Transparency Report says that CO₂ will go up by 4% across the G20 group this year, having dropped 6% in 2020 due to the pandemic. [BBC]
Coal-burning plant in Germany (Tobias Tullius, Unsplash)
¶ “China Touts Massive Renewable Energy Buildout, New Funding For Biodiversity” • China has broken ground on a massive 100-GW renewable energy project, larger than all solar and wind installations in India combined, President Xi Jinping announced by video link, at the UN Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, China. [Yale E360]
¶ “BHP Signs Supply Deal With Australia’s Largest Wind+Solar Farm” • BHP revealed it will enter a renewable energy supply arrangement with Iberdrola Australia that will allow it to reduce emissions by about half at the Olympic Dam copper-uranium mine site by taking power from the $500 million Port August Renewable Energy Park. [pv magazine Australia]
BHP installation in South Australia (BHP image)
¶ “Scholz Says New Government Will Make Renewable Energy Push” • Germany’s Olaf Scholz said that a new government led by Social Democratics will drive forward the expansion of renewables and energy-infrastructure investment. He expressed certainty that he will succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor by the end of the year. [BNN]
¶ “Ten Member States Urge EU To Mark Nuclear Power As Low-Carbon Energy” • Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Finland, France, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia asked the European Commission to include nuclear power in the EU’s green taxonomy framework and recognize it as a low-carbon technology. [Balkan Green Energy News]
Nuclear power plant (Ben Kerckx, Pixabay)
US:
¶ “Home Heating Costs Will Rise Sharply This Winter, Federal Government Forecasts” • Compared with last winter, American households will spend 54% more for propane, 43% more for home heating oil, 30% more for natural gas, and 6% more for electric heating, the US Energy Information Administration said in a new report. [CNN]
¶ “Biden Administration Announces Plans For Massive Expansion Of Wind Farms Off US Coasts” • The Biden administration is planning to expand US offshore wind energy capacity aggressively, potentially holding as many as seven new offshore lease sales by 2025. The Interior Department has already started lease sales for some areas. [CNN]
Block Island wind farm (Ionna22, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “California’s Alisal Fire Has Prompted Evacuations, Road And Amtrak Closures” • California firefighters are battling flames and strong winds to tackle the Alisal Fire, which shut down a section of Highway 101 and Amtrak lines in Santa Barbara County. The 15,400-acre fire, burning 20 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, was 5% contained on Wednesday evening. [CNN]
¶ “New York City Will Transition To 100% Electric School Buses By 2035” • The New York City Council voted 44 to 1 to require all city-owned school buses to be battery electric by September 1, 2035. The council’s vote was in accord with a new state law that bans the sale of fossil fuel light-duty vehicles after the year 2035. The city has 885 school buses. [CleanTechnica]
Have a delightfully easy day.
geoharvey 