Opinion:
¶ “US Climate Bill Success Masks Scale Of Warming Challenge” • Taken together with measures to penalise methane leaks and $20 billion to cut emissions in agriculture, the whole package will likely reduce emissions from the US by 40% below 2005 levels, according to analysis. But is that enough? And how will other countries respond? [BBC]
Climate protestor (Mika Baumeister, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “The Facts Behind Hydropower And HydroSource” • To further the potential benefits of US hydropower resources, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a water energy digital platform called HydroSource. It informs key stakeholders of development and operational costs, environmental concerns, and licensing requirements. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Billionaires Are Funding Massive Treasure Hunt In Greenland As Ice Vanishes” • The climate crisis is melting Greenland down at an unprecedented rate, and this is an opportunity for investors and mining companies. They are searching for a trove of critical minerals to power the green energy transition. And some of the world’s richest people are investing. [CNN]
Nuuk, capital of Greenland (Visit Greenland, Unsplash)
¶ “Sixty Percent Of EU And UK Land Is Now Facing Drought Conditions” • Sixty percent of land in the EU and UK – an area bigger than Alaska and Texas combined – is under either drought warnings or alerts, the European Drought Observatory says. The findings were based on data from a ten-day period near the end of July. [CNN]
¶ “Panama Canal Grapples With The Climate Change Threat” • Global warming and changing weather patterns are affecting the water supply for one of the world’s most important waterways, the Panama Canal. It is also affecting access to drinking water for millions of Panamanians, reports journalist Grace Livingstone from Panama City. [BBC]
Container ship in the Panama Canal (Rikin Katyal, Unsplash)
¶ “Seoul Floods: At Least Seven Dead Amid Heaviest Rain In Decades” • At least eight people have died and fourteen others have been injured as flooding caused by torrential rain hit parts of South Korea’s capital Seoul. Some areas received the highest rate of rainfall in 80 years, Korea’s meteorological agency said. And the rain is still going on. [BBC]
¶ “14 Years In The Making, 20 GWh Pumped Hydro Storage Facility Comes To Switzerland” • Switzerland is about to bring one of the largest pumped hydro facilities in the world online. The Nant de Drance installation has a maximum energy storage capacity of 20 GWh, which it can theoretically store energy for months or even years. [CleanTechnica]
Nant de Drance dam (Sébastien Moret, Nant de Drance)
¶ “Canada’s Oil Province Will Soon Be A Renewable Energy Leader” • The Canadian province of Alberta, home of the country’s oil and gas sector for decades, is set to undergo a renewable energy capacity surge in the coming years, attracting investments given its vast natural resources and favorable regulatory landscape. [Yahoo Finance]
¶ “Russia Threatens To Blow Up Europe’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant If Ukraine Doesn’t Back Off” • Russian Major-General Valeriy Vasilyev, said in a since-deleted statement, “Here will be either Russian land or a desert. The nuclear power plant will be either Russian or no one’s.” He said explosives had be set up in the plant to blow it up. [LADbible]
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant (Ralf1969, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “UN Chief Calls For Access To Ukraine Nuclear Plant After New Attack” • International inspectors should be given access to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over the shelling of the facility in recent days, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. The plant is operated by captive Ukrainian employees. [Voice of America]
US:
¶ “Many Americans Still Don’t Think Climate Change Is Coming For Them” • A majority of Americans acknowledge that climate change is real and that humans contribute to it. But a lot of people in the areas of eastern Kentucky, who have been hit by massive floods, might not know that they’re feeling the effects of the climate crisis. [CNN]
Aerial view of Pikeville, Kentucky (Doc Searls, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Volkswagen Looks To Build Electric Pickup Trucks In US” • At a Management Briefing Seminar panel discussion of the Center for Automotive Research, Inga Von Seelen, senior vice president for purchasing at Volkswagen of America, told attendancees her company is evaluating sites in the US for an assembly plant to build electric pickup trucks. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “New Heat Pumps For Old Apartments” • Gradient, based in San Francisco, has created a novel solution to the problem. The unit hangs from the window sill and can be installed using hand tools. Plug it in to a standard 120-volt wall outlet and you’re good to go. It won Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas Award for consumer products. [CleanTechnica]
Window heat pump (Gradient image)
¶ “Chicago Announces Plan To Power City With 100% Renewable Energy” • Chicago’s public buildings could all be powered by renewable energy under a plan Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced. The city has an agreement with Chicago utility Constellation Energy and Massachusetts-based renewable energy developer Swift Current Energy. [POWER Magazine]
¶ “Virginia Regulators Approve $10 Billion Plan For Nation’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm” • Dominion Energy has reached a major milestone in the development of the 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. Construction of the project was approved by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. It will be 27 miles off Virginia Beach. [Offshore Magazine]
Have a graciously developing day.
geoharvey 