Opinion:
¶ “Covid Looms Over Crucial Climate Talks As Some Leaders Snub The Event” • In the battle against climate change, the summit in Glasgow is still of vital importance, but there is now a question about whether it will adequately flesh out the 2015 Paris Agreement. Some G20 countries have not disclosed their plans yet, and some key leaders will not attend. [CNN]
Climate protest sign (Markus Spiske, Unsplash)
¶ “Senator Manchin’s Inaction On Climate Change Is The Real ‘Fiscal Insanity'” • West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin called the proposed social safety net spending in the reconciliation bill “fiscal insanity.” But when it comes to climate change, the true insanity is ignoring the brutal fiscal reality that our nation will face if we don’t make serious investments now. [CNN]
¶ “The Environmental Disasters We’ve Almost Fixed” • There are no simple solutions to complex problems like climate change. But there have been times in the past when the world has come together to try to fix an environmental crisis. We dealt with acid rain and the hole in the ozone layer. Do those examples have lessons for tackling global warming? [BBC]
Dead trees in Yellowstone National Park (Evan Boehs, Unsplash)
¶ “North Carolina’s Big Clean Energy Plan An Example For Battleground States” • A breakthrough law allows North Carolina to transition from having a Clean Energy Plan to having a law with enforceable steps. North Carolina is a “moderate” state, and this legislation shows how climate solutions can be ground for both sides to advance priorities. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “The Bumpy Road To India’s Electric Car Dreams” • EV sales in India are up, but they still account for only 1.66% of India’s 20 million automobile sales. Some EV firms are betting big, but the demand is still lukewarm. Prime Minister Modi’s government is trying to change that with a $3.5 billion (£2.5 billion) scheme to boost manufacturing. [BBC]
Tata Altroz EV (Alexander Migl, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Q3 Saw Europe’s EV Share Break New Ground Above 20% & Overtake Diesel For First Time” • Europe’s auto market saw plugin electric vehicles climb above 20% share for the first time in Q3 2021, almost doubling year-on-year. Plugin share also overtook diesel’s falling share (15.4%) for the first time – diesel will now quickly fade to nothing. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “The Great Experiment To Put A Price On Nature” • Fresh water, clean air, peace of mind – natural landscapes make life better for humans in myriad ways. Tucked away in the Scottish Highlands, in an old commercial forest, is a rewilding project with a difference. Now scientists are trying to put a dollar figure on exactly how much nature is worth. [BBC]
Robin (Gislane Dijkstra, Unsplash)
¶ “Azure Power Secures Rights To First Wind Farm” • Indian developer Azure Power has received a letter of award from Solar Energy Corporation of India for a 120-MW wind farm in the region of Karnataka, India. The company said the wind farm will be constructed within a period of 18 months from the signing of power purchase agreement. [reNews]
¶ “MingYang Wins 375-MW Order For Vietnamese Offshore” • MingYang Smart Energy secured a 375-MW turbine order from PowerChina for the Can Mau offshore wind farm in Vietnam. The order includes the supply of 75 MySE 5.0-166 machines. Can Mau will be built in two stages, with the first batch of turbines to be delivered in the first quarter of 2022. [reNews]
Offshore wind turbines (MingYang Smart Energy image)
¶ “Singapore grants in-principle approval to import 100 MW solar power from Indonesia” • The Energy Market Authority has granted in-principle approval on a pilot project to import 100 MW of solar power from Indonesia to Singapore. The project is part of a collaboration among a consortium of companies in Singapore and Indonesia. [The Business Times]
¶ “Woodside Petroleum Unveils Plans For $1 Billion Hydrogen And Ammonia Plant In Kwinana” • Oil and gas giant Woodside has announced plans to build a production hub for hydrogen and ammonia on government land south of Perth. But there is debate over the project’s green credentials, as it would start by producing mostly “blue” hydrogen. [ABC News]
Proposed Woodside H2Perth plant (Woodside image)
¶ “RWE Commissions First French Onshore Project” • RWE has commissioned the Les Pierrots wind farm about 250 km south of Paris. The €33 million wind farm is RWE’s first onshore project in the country. It has 11 Nordex N117 2400 turbines for a capacity of over 26 MW. RWE has a three-year PPA with Statkraft for the wind farm’s electricity. [reNews]
US:
¶ “CMC Approves New Bachelor’s Degree Program” • Colorado Mountain College’s board of trustees has approved the addition of a new bachelor’s degree program. The Bachelor of Science in Ecosystems Science and Stewardship program is anticipated to start accepting students in August 2022, when the fall semester begins. [Aspen Daily News]
Coring a tree to find its age (Courtesy photo)
¶ “What Are The Chesapeake Bay’s Marshes Worth? New Study Suggests Billions” • Large swaths of the marshes along the coasts of Maryland and Virginia are expected to disappear under rising water by 2100. That loss will rob many low-lying communities of a critical natural buffer that protects them from storm surges and widespread flooding during hurricanes. [Bay Journal]
¶ “With Decommissioning Complete, PG&E Files Request To Terminate Humboldt Bay Power Plant, Unit 3 License” • With decommissioning activities now complete, Pacific Gas and Electric filed a request with the NRC to terminate the power plant license for Humboldt Bay Unit 3. Decommissioning began in June, 2009. [Redheaded Blackbelt]
Have a totally okay day.
geoharvey 