Opinion:
¶ “Say “Climate Pollution” Instead Of “Greenhouse Gases” – The Difference In Impact Is Huge” • Climate activists are altering the language they employ to describe our quickly warming world, and the term “climate pollution” has started to shift the way that the public ascribes responsibility for the existential crisis that surrounds us. [CleanTechnica]
Supercell over Oklahoma (Raychel Sanner, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “You Call That An Energy Plan?” • Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin issued a press release on what he calls his energy plan. Along with it was 26 pages labeled “2022 Virginia Energy Plan,” but it isn’t a plan at all. To start with, the “plan” fails to comply with legal requirements of what the plan must include. It fails even to mention climate change. [Virginia Mercury]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Advances In Decarbonizing Steel And Cement Manufacturing” • The steel industry produces nearly 8% of all carbon emissions globally, according to a McKinsey report. The cement industry is responsible for about 8% of global emissions, according to the BBC. A number of companies are developing different ways to decarbonize these processes. [CleanTechnica]
How to make steel (Electra image)
World:
¶ “Fuel Protests Gripping More Than 90 Countries” • High costs of living are driving people to protest in the streets against high prices. The BBC has mapped all reported demonstrations over fuel since January 2021, revealing a huge increase in protests this year. Around the world demonstrators have demanded that fuel be made more affordable. [BBC]
¶ “EU Produces Record Wind And Solar Energy As It Shirks Russian Gas” • Wind and solar power made up a record 24% of the European Union’s electricity since Russia invaded Ukraine, a report says. It’s a boost that also helped the bloc battle soaring inflation. Nineteen of the EU’s 27 member states had record wind and solar generation since March. [CNN]
Wind farm (Anastasia Palagutina, Unsplash)
¶ “Mercedes CEO Says Europe’s Gas Crisis Will Accelerate Its Shift To Renewables” • Europe’s gas crisis will be “a catalyst” for Mercedes-Benz to push deeper into clean energy, says its CEO. Mercedes is taking steps to cut down its use of natural gas at the company’s factories in Germany by roughly half, while keeping production levels up. [CNN]
¶ “Volkswagen BEV Sales Nearly 500,000 A Year – Now Ewan McGregor Is Providing A Boost” • Volkswagen aims to be the top selling battery EV maker in the world. That’s not going to be easy, but the German auto giant has made a lot of progress. Tesla plans to reach 1.4 million BEV deliveries this year. Volkswagen Group is approaching 500,000. [CleanTechnica]
Use the Force (Volkswagen image)
¶ “South Africa’s Eskom Signs Land Lease Agreements With Independent Clean Power Generators” • To move forward on the switch to renewable energy, Eskom is making land available close to its power stations, where there is sufficient grid capacity, for Independent Power Producers to lease and invest in renewable energy projects. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Renewable Investments Could Outstrip Upstream Oil And Gas In 2022” • High spot electricity prices, particularly in Europe, are changing narrative for the utility wind and solar investment. Potential payback periods of under one year could start a race to develop renewable assets purely based on project economics, Rystad Energy research shows. [Oil Price]
Solar power plant (Zbynek Burival, Unsplash)
¶ “Portugal Bets All On Renewable Energy After Abandoning Coal” • As the UN steps up calls to make the switch to renewable energy to fight the global climate emergency, Portugal is among the first EU countries to abandon coal entirely. Portugal is has been joined by Belgium and Sweden in its renouncing coal as an energy source. [Global Times]
¶ “Germany To Postpone Nuclear Plant Closures As Russia’s War In Ukraine Fuels Energy Crisis Fears” • German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ordered ministers Monday to prepare to keep all three of the country’s remaining nuclear plants running until mid-April, putting his foot down on an issue that had threatened to split his three-party government. [CBC]
Neckarwestheim Unit 1 (Felix König, public domain)
US:
¶ “Stealthy Green Steel Startup Cracks Lazy Iron Ore Code” • Electra figured out a solution to the problem of carbon emissions for steel, which involves, well, a solution. The idea is to dissolve less costly, low-grade iron ore in a solution, then extract the iron. The company states that its process can work on ores with an iron content as low as 35%. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “California’s Tomato Farmers Are Getting Squeezed By Water Crisis As Growing Costs Continue To Rise” • This year, fewer tomatoes were grown as rising interest rates, inflation, and the crushing drought squeezed farmers who saw their margins sliced and diced. While the cost of growing tomatoes continues to rise, it ultimately hits consumers. [CNN]
Tomatoes (Meg MacDonald, Unsplash)
¶ “BP Buying Leading RNG Production Group In $4.1 Billion Deal” • British oil major BP is continuing to diversify its energy portfolio. It announced a deal to acquire a company considered a leader in production of renewable natural gas, Houston-based Archaea Energy. BP is paying $3.3 billion in cash, along with $800 million for Archaea’s debt. [Power Magazine]
¶ “DOE Invests $14 Million To Enhance Environmental And Wildlife Benefits From Solar Energy Infrastructure” • The DOE announced $14 million in funding to study how solar energy infrastructure interacts with wildlife and ecosystems. These projects are part of a DOE renewable power research portfolio of nearly $100 million. [Department of Energy]
Have a satisfyingly extraordinary day.
geoharvey 
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