Opinion:
¶ “Renewables Face Two Major Challenges” • We need more renewable energy and we need it yesterday, but there are barriers that prevent that from happening as quickly as it should. There are some who spread fear, uncertainty and doubt, sometimes for pay. Another significant barrier to renewables is getting them connected to the utility grid. [CleanTechnica]
Renewables (Wheatbridge Renewable Energy Facility)
¶ “US Transportation Blueprint: Good Intentions, Weak Diagnosis, And Possibly Irrelevant” • There is a lot to like in the new US transportation decarbonization blueprint. But the authors didn’t delve deeply enough into the causes of current transportation mode choices and patterns and compare them to leading practices globally. [CleanTechnica]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Some Sierra Nevada Forests Are Being Stranded By Climate Change” • Iconic forests that stretch across Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite national parks are beginning to fray at the edges as the warming climate is creating unsuitable growing conditions for them, according to a study led by Stanford University researchers. [National Parks Traveler]
Yosemite National Park (Nate Foong, Unsplash)
¶ “Sequential Hurricanes Are Becoming More Common Because Of Climate Changes” • Scientists believe that climate change is making hurricanes more dangerous. And when multiple storms hit in a short period of time, it can overwhelm emergency responses, which has been happening repeatedly during the Atlantic hurricane season. [Texas Public Radio]
World:
¶ “SUVs Produced More Planet-Heating Pollution Than Most Countries Last Year” • While new car sales have suffered, sports utility vehicle sales increased. Last year, they were for nearly half of all cars sold, with particular growth in the US, India, and Europe, according to the International Energy Agency. Their climate cost is high. [CNN]
SUV (Hamza Younas, Unsplash)
¶ “Greta Thunberg has joined a protest against wind farms. Here’s why” • Greta Thunberg joined Sámi people, the only recognized Indigenous group in the EU, who are protesting wind turbines on land they use for grazing reindeer. Sámi people feel their land has been appropriated to deal with the climate crisis caused by others. [CNN]
¶ “Fire Knocks Out Half Of Argentina’s Power Grid” • Over half of Argentina has been left without power after a fire affected the Argentine power grid. The fire reportedly started in open fields, affecting crucial power lines in the coastal zone and putting a nuclear power station offline. The blackout comes in the middle of a heatwave and drought. [BBC]
Buenos Aires (Fermin Rodriguez Penelas, Unsplash)
¶ “How Fake Copyright Complaints Are Muzzling Journalists” • Journalists have been forced to temporarily take down articles critical of powerful oil lobbyists due to the exploitation of US copyright law, according to a report. A legal process has been abused by “unknown parties” who create backdated fake articles to target critical news reports. [BBC]
¶ “Dutch BEV Sales Back On Growth Trajectory – 89% Growth” • In January 2023, we saw healthy growth of new fully electric car registrations in the Netherlands: 61% growth year over year to 4,974 registrations. February is even better. BEV registrations grew 89% to 6,892, reaching 24.5% market share. The tailpipe car market is up, but by much less. [CleanTechnica]
Amsterdam (Clarisa Ravasotti, Unsplash)
¶ “UK Renewables Produced Enough Electricity To ‘Power Every UK Home’ Through The Winter, Analysts Say” • British-based renewables generated more electricity than gas did this winter. Renewables produced enough to power every UK home through the winter, according to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit. [The Independent]
¶ “Renewables Help Limit 2022 CO₂ Emissions To 1%” • Global energy-related CO₂ emissions rose by under 1% in 2022, less than initially feared, as the growth of solar, wind, EVs, heat pumps and energy efficiency helped limit the impacts of increased use of coal and oil amid the global energy crisis, the International Energy Agency’s latest analysis found. [reNews]
Wind turbines (Pixy.org, CC0)
¶ “Europe Steps On The Gas, Revs Up Renewable Energy” • Though often fractious, Europe showed surprising solidarity as it faced an energy crisis in the winter of 2022-2023. Renewables not only reduce carbon emissions, but also provide energy security, enhance the capability to plan for future supplies and manage costs. [Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide]
US:
¶ “USPS Orders 9,250 Ford E-Transit Vans And 14,000 EV Charging Stations” • There’s news from the US Postal Service about electrifying its fleet of vehicles. USPS says it has awarded contracts to Ford to purchase 9,250 left-hand-drive regular production E-Transit electric vans and 14,000 EV charging stations to support their use. [CleanTechnica]
USPS electric delivery vehicle (USPS image)
¶ “New York Times Ad Blasts Automaker Climate Hypocrisy, Urges Action From President Biden” • The Center for Biological Diversity and Green Latinos placed a full-page ad in The New York Times blasting automaker doublespeak on clean vehicles. The ad calls on President Biden to make the manufacturers cut carbon emissions 75% by 2030. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Here’s The Good And Bad News On The US Clean Energy Transition” • In key sectors of the US economy, the transition to clean energy is well underway. It’s just not happening fast enough to forestall the worst impacts of climate change. That’s the overriding message of the Sustainable Energy in America 2023 Factbook released Wednesday. [Canary Media]
Have an astonishingly pleasant day.
geoharvey 
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