Opinion:
¶ “IEA Head Fatih Birol: Electric Cars Are Transforming The Auto Industry. That’s Good News For The Climate” • The global energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing hardship around the world and shining a spotlight on the flaws in today’s energy system. But the current crisis can be a turning point for clean energy. [CNN]
Fatih Birol (IAEA Imagebank, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Queensland’s Renewable Energy Plan Confirms The Politics Of Coal Have Changed For Good” • Four years ago, Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson wasn’t convinced by renewable energy. Recently, Williamson went to the Mackay steelworks and said green energy would be “the future saver, the job protection” for regional Queensland. [The Guardian]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Noru Became A Super Typhoon In Six Hours. Scientists Say Powerful Storms Are Becoming Harder To Forecast” • While Noru didn’t inflict as much damage or loss of life as other recent typhoons in the Philippines, it stood out from the others because it gained strength so quickly. It went from being a typhoon to a super typhoon in just six hours. [CNN]
Noru from space in false colors (Earth Observatory, NASA)
¶ “What Is Blue Carbon?” • Blue carbon refers to carbon dioxide that is absorbed from the atmosphere and stored in the ocean. “Blue” refers to the watery nature of this storage. Most, by far, of blue carbon is CO₂ that has dissolved directly into the ocean. Much smaller amounts are stored in underwater sediments, soils, and coastal vegetation. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “100% Electric Vehicles Are 11% Of New Vehicle Sales Globally!” • Global plugin vehicle registrations were up 60% in August 2022 compared to August 2021, reaching 847,000 units. September could be the first month when the world reaches one million plugin vehicle registrations, making the third quarter of 2022 the best ever for plugins. [CleanTechnica]
BYD Song Plus interior (Courtesy of BYD)
¶ “Climate Change At ‘Point Of No Return’: Jane Goodall” • The Earth’s climate is changing so quickly that humanity is running out of chances to fix it, primatologist Jane Goodall has warned in an interview. Goodall, whose activism has spanned decades, said time was rapidly running out. “We are literally approaching a point of no return,” she said. [Malay Mail]
¶ “RWE Agrees To Acquire Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses, Inc” • German renewable energy company RWE AG signed a purchase agreement with Con Edison to acquire all shares in Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses. Con Edison CEB has about 3 GW of capacity operating in the US and another 7 GW in its development pipeline. [RWE]
Wind farm near Madison, New York (Russell Lovrin, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “IAEA Head Seeks Release Of Ukrainian Nuclear Plant Head” • Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, called for the release of the director-general of Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, saying his detention posed a threat to safety and security. [Reuters]
Russian wind turbine (kallerna, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “Rosatom Keen To Offer Renewable Energy Solutions To Bangladesh” • Amid the fossil fuel price volatility, Rosatom, the Russian nuclear power company is offering renewables to foreign partners, said a top official. Rosatom is Russia’s biggest wind operator, at 600 MW. (So Rosatom has four times as much wind capacity as Vermont does.) [The Business Standard]
US:
¶ “Behind The Blackout Triggered By Hurricane Fiona Is A Long-Embattled History Of Puerto Rico’s Weak And Outdated Electrical Grid” • Less than two weeks ago, Hurricane Fiona made landfall on Puerto Rico. It triggered an islandwide blackout for 1.5 million customers. Power has been restored to 84% of residents, officials said. [CNN]
¶ “Lack Of Flood Disclosure Laws Is Putting Home Buyers At Risk As Extreme Storms Become More Frequent” • According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, most states either have inadequate flood disclosure laws or none at all. This means that homebuyers completely in the dark about the history of flood damage at a property, unless they ask. [CNN]
Fort Lauderdale neighborhood (Luiz Cent, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Power In Parts Of Florida Could Be Out For Over A Week As Flooding Lingers In Ian’s Wake” • It could be over a week before power lines are fully restored in some parts of Florida. And many residents are still dealing with major flooding. Deadly Hurricane Ian is expected to be the most expensive storm in the Sunshine State’s history. [CNN]
¶ “US Commercial Buildings Continued To Increase Energy Efficiency Through 2018” • According to the Energy Information Administration’s recently released 2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, the total floorspace in commercial buildings has increased but energy consumption has not, since the previous survey, of 2012. [CleanTechnica]
Have an actually dreamy day.
geoharvey 