Opinion:
¶ “Britain Was Promised A Bold And Visionary Energy Plan. But We’ve Been Sold A Dud” • The double threat of climate crisis and war requires an urgent response. The government supplied its energy security strategy, which includes eye-catching headlines, especially on expanding nuclear power. But it fails on immediate, pressing problems. [The Guardian]
Delivery of a turbine blade (ShellAsp, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Power Outages Can Mean The Difference Between Life And Death – Rooftop Solar Can Help” • Puerto Rico is in the throes of an energy crisis. On Thursday, a fire at a power plant outside the southeastern town of Guayanilla caused an island-wide blackout. Blackouts are a feature of daily life, along with price increases. There is a better way. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “EU Foreign Ministers Must Lead On Immediate Sanctions On Russian Oil” • EU foreign ministers will meet in Brussels, as the world looks on in horror at the suffering in Ukraine. Discoveries of atrocities makes clear the violent actions against the Ukraine’s people. But the EU still sends Putin $285 million a day to feed its dependence on imported oil. [CleanTechnica]
Russian natural gas facility (JukoFF, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
World:
¶ “Real Embargo On Russian Energy Could End Ukraine War” • A “real embargo” on Russian energy by Western countries could stop war in Ukraine, President Putin’s former chief economic advisor has suggested. Dr Andrei Illarionov said Russia “did not take seriously” the threats by other countries to reduce their energy usage. [BBC]
¶ “T&E Annual Report 2021 – Great Expectation” • From our growing national offices, T&E continues to influence national capitals across Europe and this year also saw the T&E-backed Clean Cities Campaign gather momentum. T&E’s report shows that European policymakers were more ambitious than ever before in 2021. [CleanTechnica]
T&E Annual Report 2021
¶ “Why Many Experts Aren’t Impressed With The UK’s Energy Plans” • Environmentalists and many energy experts reacted with dismay as the government’s energy security strategy fails to cut emissions and bills in the short term. They say it down-plays the fastest and cheapest ways to combat energy dependency, energy efficiency, onshore wind, and solar power. [BBC]
¶ “Volvo Cars Invests In Flax Fibers For Sustainable Interiors” • Volvo Cars is moving away from such “luxury” materials as leather in its car interiors. It recently made a strategic investment in Bcomp, a firm developing high-performance, lightweight materials based on natural flax fibers to replace conventional, petroleum-based plastics. [CleanTechnica]
Volvo interior (Volvo image)
¶ “Samsung Heavy And Seaborg To Develop Floating Nuclear Power Plant Combined With Hydrogen And Ammonia Plants” • Samsung Heavy Industries and Seaborg signed a partnership agreement to develop floating nuclear power plants based on Seaborg’s Compact Molten Salt Reactor. The reactor is claimed to be inherently safe. [Green Car Congress]
¶ “Three-Quarters Of Britons Back Expansion Of Wind Power, Poll Reveals” • In an Opinium poll, 79% of Tory voters said they were strongly or somewhat in favor of windfarms being installed in the UK, compared with 83% of Labour voters and 88% of Lib Dems. Only 46% of all voters favored new nuclear power stations in principle. [The Guardian]
Wind turbines (Dan Meyers, Unsplash)
US:
¶ “Over 100 NYC Streets Will Be Car-Free For Earth Day” • More than 100 streets in New York City’s five boroughs will go car-free to celebrate Earth Day, Saturday, April 23, from 11 AM to 5 PM. For the fifth year in a row, the city will mark the occasion by closing streets to vehicles, according to a news release from the NYC Department of Transportation. [CNN]
¶ “Frustrated And Anxious, Climate Advocates Are Turning To Legal Action. The Latest Petitioners: College Students” • College campuses have for years been at the center of climate change activism. But now, frustrated and anxious by what they see as slow action alongside growing climate damages, students are engaging a new tactic: legal action. [CNN]
Protest (Kate Ausburn, Unsplash)
¶ “US Auto Sales Declined 22–23% In 4th Quarter” • US auto sales declined in Q4 of 2021. Among car makers, Mitsubishi had the most growth on a percentage basis (68%), followed by Tesla (54%), Chrysler (18%), and Porsche (5%). But every other auto brand saw a decline in sales, including Cadillac (-48%), Infiniti (-47%), Audi (-47%), and Chevrolet (-45%). [CleanTechnica]
¶ “UW Madison, Alliant Energy Partner On A Renewable Energy Project” • University of Wisconsin Madison and Alliant Energy are using solar and agricultural research for a joint project that could make waves in the world of solar sustainability. The 2.25-MW solar project is set to begin in Spring 2023. It will be built on 15-acres on UW Madison land. [NBC15]
UW Madison (UW Madison image)
¶ “Georgia Power Presents Plan To Reduce Reliance On Coal, Boost Use Of Renewables” • Executives from Georgia Power Co outlined the utility’s planned mix of generating sources for the next 20 years in Public Service Commission hearings. Their plan is to close nine coal and three oil-burning plants and install 2.3 GW of renewables by 2029. [The Augusta Chronicle]
¶ “Hundreds Rally In Plymouth To Prevent Nuclear Wastewater Dumping Into Cape Cod Bay” • Hundreds of people are voicing their opposition to a proposal to dump a million gallons of processed radioactive water from Plymouth’s decommissioned Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station into the ocean off the coast of Massachusetts. [WCVB-TV]
Have a comprehensively luscious day.
geoharvey 
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