Opinion:
¶ “Are ICE Vehicles Heading The Way Of CRT TVs?” • New tech replaces old tech all the time, but rarely in history have we seen what was old become worthless in such a short span of time as happened with the old TVs with cathode ray tubes. There are several reasons to believe it could happen with old technology internal combustion vehicles. [CleanTechnica]
Old Portable TV (Hana Kirana, Public domain)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Scientists In The US Are Flying Planes Into Clouds To Make It Snow More” • With 61% of the contiguous US in drought, wouldn’t it be nice if we could just “make it rain” or just “make more snow?” Well, certain parts of the country are doing just that, sort of. It’s called cloud seeding, and it’s nothing new. It’s been around since the 1940s. [CNN]
¶ “Holes The Size Of City Blocks Are Forming In The Arctic Seafloor” • Marine scientists discovered deep sinkholes – one larger than a city block – and ice-filled hills that have formed “extraordinarily” rapidly on a remote part of Canada’s Beaufort Sea. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute published results of their study in the journal PNAS. [CNN]
Underwater vehicle (Charlie Paull © 2016 MBARI)
World:
¶ “Australian Court Overturns Teenagers’ Landmark Climate Ruling” • The Australian government has successfully appealed a court ruling that ordered the federal environment minister to consider the impact of carbon emissions on children when approving new coal mining projects. The case was originally brought by eight children. [CNN]
¶ “EU Looks To Cut Reliance On Russian Gas With Investment In Heat Pumps” • The EU is seeking to reduce use of fossil fuels to stop financing Russian aggression. One pillar of the European Commission’s new REPowerEU plan is the increased deployment of electric heat pumps to displace fossil gas demand for heating in Europe. [CleanTechnica]
Heat pump guts (Oak Ridge National Laboratory image)
¶ “Diversifying The Rare Earth Value Chain For Europe’s Green Transition – Puławy Separation Plant In Poland” • To Secure critical raw materials for the European market, the European Raw Materials Alliance will support Mkango Resources Ltd. with getting financing for the development of a rare earth separation plant to be built in Puławy, Poland. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Subaru Planning For Life After STI” • Subaru says it is looking beyond internal combustion engines to electric powertrains. It just announced its first battery-EV model, the Solterra, which will be a high-performance car designed to be a successor of the STI. After Subaru announced the Solterra, the model was sold out for the year in the first 48 hours. [CleanTechnica]
Subaru STI (Image courtesy of Subaru)
¶ “Widespread Support In EU Parliament For 45% Renewable Energy Target” • There is growing support in the European Parliament to increase the EU’s 2030 renewable energy target. The European Commission is set to push for its 2030 target to be increased to 45%. Just over 22% of Europe’s energy comes from renewables currently. [EURACTIV.com]
¶ “Strong Demand Prompted Increased Funds For Renewable Power Sources At Cabins” • The Government of Nunavut raised the funding available through its Renewable Energy Cabin Grant Program by $100,000 due to strong demand. There were 82 applications from Nunavummiut for financial assistance to install solar or wind systems on cabins. [NNSL Media]
Arctic cabin (Hendrik Morkel, Unsplash)
¶ “US To Help Philippines Develop Nuclear Power Program; Groups Push Renewable Energy Instead” • The Philippines and the US have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to develop the Philippines’ nuclear power program. But a Manila-based climate and energy policy group said that nuclear is no better than coal. [Philippine Star]
¶ “Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Loses Power Hours After Being Turned Back On” • Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear plant has lost power just hours after it was restored. The decommissioned plant, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, was seized by Russian forces within days of the invasion. Its high-voltage power line was damaged by fighting. [Metro]
Chernobyl Confinement (Cls14, GNU License 1.2)
US:
¶ “House Democrats To Biden: Use Climate Action To Restart Negotiations On Spending Bill” • A bloc of 89 House Democrats sent a letter to President Biden urging him to restart negotiations on a Democrat-only spending bill centered around climate action. The lawmakers stressed that Biden must not fail to act on climate change. [CNN]
¶ “Court Case In Hawaii Against Fossil Fuel Companies Passes Major Milestone” • In Hawaii, a state judge ruled that a lawsuit seeking damages from major oil and gas companies can move forward. The companies are accused of working for decades to deceive the public and policymakers about the devastating impacts of climate change. [CleanTechnica]
Hawaii (Luca Bravo, Unsplash)
¶ “Wood Mackenzie In Partnership With Puerto Rican Solar Foundation” • Wood Mackenzie is partnering with the Let’s Share The Sun Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit charity that focuses on helping the poorest get access to electricity. They sent a team of three analysts to Puerto Rico to help with installing solar PVs on off-grid housing. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Sarasota Takes Next Step Toward 100% Renewable Energy Target” • The City of Sarasota is moving forward to meet its goal of 100% renewable energy generation by 2045. In collaboration with the Sierra Club, the Race to Zero campaign and the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sarasota is to embark on a deep energy analysis. [Sarasota Magazine]
Have an incontrovertibly lovely day.
geoharvey 