Opinion:
¶ “Individual Actions Matter” • We can blame greedy companies or politicians for climate change. But ultimately, pointing fingers misses a larger point that decarbonizing makes everyone’s life more comfortable, affordable, healthier, and resilient. So we all should take action at every level, not out of obligation but out of self interest. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla (Martin Katler, Unsplash, cropped)
Science and Technology:
¶ “How NASA-ISRO’s NISAR Mission Will Track Disasters And Climate Change” • By tracking subtle changes in Earth’s surface, NISAR will “spot warning signs of imminent volcanic eruptions, help to monitor groundwater supplies, track the melt rate of ice sheets tied to sea level rise, and observe shifts in the distribution of vegetation around the world.” [NewsBytes]
¶ “How Beavers Are Reviving Wetlands” • Wetlands store water, act as a carbon sink, and are a source of food. They do more for humanity than all other terrestrial ecosystems. But we are losing wetlands three times faster than forests, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands says. For restoring wetlands, there is one hero with remarkable powers – the beaver. [BBC]
Beaver (Andrew Patrick, Pexels)
¶ “International Group Of Scientists Warns Nuclear Radiation Has Devastating Impacts On Ecosystems” • Use of nuclear weapons of any kind would cause widespread devastation, according to a position paper by a group of renowned scientists. They want to make clear the lasting consequences of nuclear radiation. [Warner College of Natural Resources]
¶ “How Safe Will NASA’s Nuclear-Powered Mars Rocket Be?” • It’s the stuff of science fiction movies and novels: Human beings harnessing the power of the atom to travel to other planets and explore space. But soon, it will become a reality. So, just how safe is a nuclear-powered rocket? Officials say it will be safe, but there are questions that remain. [Spectrum News 13]
Nuclear thermal propulsion (DARPA image)
World:
¶ “Chile’s Wildfires Leave At Least 22 People Dead, Officials Say” • Hundreds of fires have recently been buring in south-central Chile. In days, twenty-eight of them burned an area of woodland the country typically loses over the course of a year, Interior Minister Carolina Tohá said. She pointed out that temperatures hit levels never previously recorded. [CNN]
¶ “The World Is Creating More Single-Use Plastic Waste Than Ever, Report Finds” • The world is producing a record amount of single-use plastic waste, mostly made from polymers created from fossil fuels, despite global efforts to reduce plastic pollution and carbon emissions, according to a report compiled by the Minderoo Foundation. [CNN]
Beach (Dustan Woodhouse, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Honda Doubles Down On Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Car Commitment” • While the debate between batteries and fuel cells rages on, some automakers have decided to settle the issue by producing an electric car with both a battery pack and a fuel cell stack. Honda is one, and it plans on adding green hydrogen punch to the picture, too. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Top Five Countries with 100% Renewable Energy in Electricity Generation” • Some countries have been particularly successful with renewable electricity and have made significant progress in increasing the share of renewable energy in their overall energy mix. Here is a look at the top five countries for using renewably generated electricity. [The CSR Journal]
Bridge at a village in Norway (Tobias Tullius, Unsplash)
¶ “Marcos Welcomes Isabela Solar Power Project And Lauds Renewable Energy Projects” • Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. welcomed the ₱18 billion ($331 million) 440-MW Isabela Solar Power Project, which is seen to boost the administration’s renewable energy thrust and to create jobs in its local area of Luzon. [Manila Bulletin]
¶ “South Australia Plans World’s Largest Electrolyzer And H₂ Power Plant” • South Australia, the state that built the world’s first grid-level “big battery” is striking out on an even more ambitious green energy project: the world’s biggest hydrogen power station, fed by an electrolysis facility that is 10 times larger than anything running today. [New Atlas]
South Australia (Jay Wennington, Unsplash)
¶ “Timmermans: Africa Likely To Be EU’s Most Important Renewable Energy Partner” • Africa is likely to be Europe’s most important partner as it looks to increase its renewable energy supply and switch to green hydrogen, EU climate chief Frans Timmermans told EURACTIV. For example, a submarine cable could run from Egypt to Greece. [EURACTIV.com]
US:
¶ “Tesla Model 3 Lease Price Reduced To Match The Toyota Corolla!” • Tesla has dropped its lease pricing so much that it costs the same to lease a Tesla Model 3 as a Toyota Corolla! The Model 3 is clearly a much larger car for passenger and luggage volume than the Toyota Corolla and slightly larger than the BMW 3 Series sedan. [CleanTechnica]
Tesla Model 3 (Charlie Deets, Unsplash)
¶ “Colorado River Crisis Is So Bad, Lakes Mead And Powell Are Unlikely To Refill In Our Lifetimes” • Even with above-average snowpack in the Rocky Mountains, scientists say everyone in the Colorado River Basin will need to plan for low reservoir levels for years to come. Some think the river’s major reservoirs probably won’t refill in our lifetimes. [Yahoo]
¶ “Buh-Bye Gas: Enphase Launching Seamless Vehicle-To-Grid System” • The case for full home electrification just keeps getting better, and the news for natural gas stakeholders keeps getting worse. Now, Enphase Energy plans to launch a car charger that provides EV owners with all the benefits of new vehicle-to-grid technology, at their fingertips. [CleanTechnica]
Have a uniquely encouraging day.
geoharvey 