Opinion:
¶ “Why UN Climate Science Must Keep Shaping Global Climate Policy” • IPCC reports provide a comprehensive assessment of the scientific evidence on climate change. Their 30-odd page ‘Summary for Policymakers’ has a sense of ‘ownership’ by UN member states as it goes through a line-by-line approval process by government delegations. [Impakter]
Ghost forest (NC Wetlands, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
Science and Technology:
¶ “The Growing Impact of Attribution Science in Climate Science” • Attribution science studys how climate change relates to natural weather patterns and variability. It can help us learn the connections between extreme weather and climate change, providing insight into what emissions are driving the worst impacts, and helping shape solutions. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Cyclone Freddy: Winds And Rain Lash Mozambique As Storm Arrives” • Mozambique is being hit by Cyclone Freddy again, as it makes its second landfall this month. It was formed 34 days ago and may become the longest-lasting storm on record. Experts says climate change is making tropical storms around the world wetter, windier, and more intense. [BBC]
Cyclone Freddy (NASA image)
¶ “Copperstring 2 – Coal Money To Buy 6-Gigawatt Renewable Project” • The Queensland Labour government will use increased taxes on coal miners to buy and complete Copperstring 2, a 1,000 km network. These transmission lines will connect areas of Queensland rich in solar and wind power with the industrial hub of Townsville. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Italy’s BEV Market Down 26.6% In 2022 – Will Tesla Come To The Rescue?” • 2022 was a year of defeat for electric mobility in Italy. Europe’s fourth largest market struggled to keep up with the rest of Europe’s major auto markets. EVs made important gains in market share elsewhere in Europe, but Italian sales of plug-in vehicles suffered a setback. [CleanTechnica]
Fiat 500e (Alexander Migl, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Tesla Recruits Asian Partners To Help Ramp 4680 Battery Cell Production” • Getting the 4680 battery right is essential to getting the long-awaited Tesla Cybertruck into production. Panasonic is running a pilot 4680 production line at its Wakayama factory in Japan and plans to start volume production later in the fiscal year that ends in March 2024. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Renewable Energy Investors Squeezed By Higher Interest Rates, Costs” • Corporations and investors have been pouring money into renewable energy projects, seeing an opportunity to do good while doing well. But sharply higher interest rates have further stressed a model strained by soaring prices for steel and silicon. [The Business Standard]
Wind turbines (Pixy.org, CC0)
¶ “Safety Costs At Nuclear Plants In Japan Exceed ¥6 Trillion” • Costs for safety measures necessary to restart Japan’s idle nuclear reactors following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster ballooned to over ¥6.09 trillion ($45.11 billiion) in January, according to 11 major power companies in the country. And some companies have not included anti-terrorism costs. [Japan Today]
¶ “CNNC Announces Largest Ever Annual Investment Plan On Nuclear Power, New Energy” • China National Nuclear Power Co recently unveiled its 2023 investment blueprint, worth of 80.02 billion yuan ($11.58 billion), which is a near 60% of year-on-year increase, also marking the highest annual investment since it was listed on the stock market. [Global Times]
Wind turbines and nuclear plant (Pixy.org, CC0)
¶ “French Nuclear Revival Hits Trouble As New Reactor Defects Found” • France’s troubled nuclear industry is supposed to be in revival, but more defects were found at reactors, stoking fears of another difficult year. EDF SA’s fleet of 56 atomic power plants has long been the backbone of Europe’s energy system, but in 2022 it was more of a millstone. [Yahoo Finance]
US:
¶ “Ford F-150 Lightning Production To Resume; Morgan Stanley Pooh-Poohs Tesla Cybertruck” • After a Ford F-150 Lightning parked in a company holding lot caught fire, Ford immediately halted production and stopped shipments until the cause of the fire was identified. The company now says it has found the issue and will resume production. [CleanTechnica]
Ford F-150 Lightning (Ford image)
¶ “Texas Senators Unveil Bills To Boost Power Grid Reliability, Foster Natural Gas Production” • Lt Gov Dan Patrick and a bipartisan group of Texas senators shared details of a nine-bill plan to reform Texas’ power grid. The bills would establish loans to maintain natural gas and coal plants while eliminating a state subsidy for renewable energy. [Community Impact]
¶ “More Expensive To Keep Coal Plants Running Than To Build New Renewable” • According to a recent analysis, renewables have become more economically viable than coal in the US. For 99% of the country’s coal-fired power plants, it’s now more costly to continue operating than to construct a completely new solar or wind energy facility in the vicinity. [Warp News]
Have a basically perfect day.
geoharvey 
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