Opinion:
¶ “The Profound Climate Implications Of Supreme Court’s West Virginia v EPA Decision” • When the Supreme Court decided West Virginia v EPA, it caught fewer headlines than some of the term’s other cases. But it threatened Earth-shifting implications all its own by thrusting into question a critical EPA lever for addressing climate change. [CleanTechnica]
Wind and coal (Johannes Plenio, Unsplash)
¶ “It’s The Perfect Moment For A Clean-Energy Future: But War And Greed Are Getting In The Way” • Thursday’s Supreme Court decision, which sharply curbs the EPA’s authority to regulate pollution from US power plants, comes at a surprising moment. Even the utilities being regulated begged the court not to throw out the EPA’s flexibility. [Salon]
¶ “Could nuclear plant ruin Suffolk haven for avocets, bitterns and harriers?” • Minsmere is an ornithologist’s paradise. But a threat hangs over its wildlife glories. The government is set to announce its decision on whether to allow the Sizewell C nuclear power plant to be built by EDF on land that overlooks the 1,000-hectare (2,500-acre) reserve. [The Guardian]
Avocets (Joshua J Cotten, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Why The World’s Tallest Trees Are Dying” • Over the course of three years, 90% of the trees in a 15 acre private forest were killed by beetles. It used to be that the beetles were killed by the cold temperatures, which used to go below -30°F (-34°C), but it rarely goes below 0°F (-18°C) now, and the beetles can survive in the changed environment. [BBC]
¶ “You Can Spot Climate Change In Old Restaurant Menus” • A study from the University of British Columbia shows a startling way that climate effects are already showing up in our lives. They didn’t find it in ice cores or weather patterns, but in restaurant menus. In the 1880s, Vancouver’s seafood joints served lots of salmon. Now they serve squid. [The Atlantic]
Calamari (Esperanza Doronila, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Norway Grows EV Share – Tesla Model Y Bestseller” • The Norwegian electric vehicle transition continued to progress in June, with plugin electric vehicle share of 89.9%, up from 84.9% year-on-year. Overall auto volumes were down 27% year-on-year, to 14,901 units. The Tesla Model Y was the overall bestselling auto, at 2,531 units. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Volvo Cars Building Climate-Neutral Electric Car Factory In Slovakia” • Volvo Cars was the first legacy automaker to set a target for when it would produce only 100% electric cars. This week, it’s taking that leadership forward again by announcing a third factory in Europe, one that will produce electric cars and capture future growth potential. [CleanTechnica]
2022 Volvo XC40 Recharge (Mariordo, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “NTPC To Build 10,000 MW Renewable Energy Project In Rajasthan, To Help Reach Its 60,000 MW Clean Power Target By 2032” • NTPC Renewable Energy Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTPC, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Rajasthan to develop a total of 10-GW of renewable energy in the state. [Swarajya]
¶ “Swiss Minister Pushes For Renewable Energy To Replace Gas Imports” • The Swiss Energy Minister said the government made plans to prevent energy blackouts due to a drop in Russian gas imports in the context of war in Ukraine. But it was impossible to guarantee sufficient supplies for about 300,000 Swiss households that have gas heating systems. [SwissInfo]
Zug, Switzerland (Florian Wehde, Unsplash)
¶ “Investments In Renewable Energy To Generate Over 300,000 Jobs” • Key findings from a World Bank study make an estimate of new investments in grid-connected and off-grid renewable energy projects in Pakistan. Together, these investments could generate more than 190,000 direct jobs and 137,000 indirect jobs by 2030. [Dawn]
US:
¶ “How The Climate Crisis Is Forever Changing Our National Parks” • The consequences of the climate crisis – more wildfires, devastating drought, sea level rise, flooding, ecological disease – are plaguing the country’s national parks. Unprecedented flash flooding recently overwhelmed Yellowstone National Park and some of its surrounding areas. [CNN]
Yellowstone mule deer (David Garry, Unsplash)
¶ “California Approves Tax On Lithium Extraction” • California approved a plan to tax the lithium extracted from the Salton Sea area, according to a Reuters report. The money generated will be used to remediate the environmental damage done to the area by decades of abuse by humans. The tax will go into effect in January of 2023. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “How Fast-Growing Colorado Is Tackling Its Transportation Emissions” • From Denver smog to jammed mountain highways, Colorado is focusing on transportation to solve congestion, pollution, and climate problems. Colorado’s efforts stand out in a scorecard recently released by RMI, a first-of-its-kind assessment of progress by states on climate goals. [CleanTechnica]
Colorado, the way we think of it (Briana Tozour, Unsplash)
¶ “New Scorecards Show Climate Progress Of Six Front-Runner States” • As midterm elections approach and Congress continues to debate federal climate and clean energy legislation, this week RMI released first-of-their-kind climate scorecards showing the progress of five key states leading on climate and clean energy. One more is coming soon. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Green Energy Helping Texas Power Grid Withstand Unusually High Demand” • As hot weather sweeps across the Southwest, new records for electricity demands are being set. In Texas, the electric grid has been able to successfully meet high electricity demand. Experts say that is partly due to the strong performance of wind and solar power. [StreetInsider]
Have a personally rewarding day.
geoharvey 