Opinion:
¶ “Right Wing Texans Love EVs, If You Don’t Say ‘Environment’” • Buzz Smith is a former car salesman turned blogger who bills himself as The EV-angelist. Take the time to learn how EVs actually work, he counseled. Get the buyers out for a test drive. “The big message, though, is do not mention the environment. Do NOT mention climate change.” [CleanTechnica]
Ford Mustang Mach-E (Adrian N, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Cargo Ships Return To Wind Power, Again” • The ocean-going wind power firm Norsepower launched its different-looking Rotor Sails back in 2014, and now it looks like all that hard work is about to pay off. There are other benefits being free of emissions, as well. “The rotor sails dampen the roll motion so the ship hardly rolls at all.” [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “The Arctic May Be Sea Ice-Free In Summer By The 2030s, New Study Warns” • The Arctic could be free of sea ice roughly a decade earlier than projected, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications. It is another clear sign the climate crisis is happening faster than expected as the world continues to pump out greenhouse gases. [CNN]
Polar bear (Hans-Jurgen Mager, Unsplash)
¶ “A ‘Once-In-200 Years’ Heat Wave Caught Southeast Asia Off Guard. They Will Be More Common” • An unprecedented heat has engulfed Southeast Asia in the past two months. Highs have soared to over 40°C (104°F) in Hanoi, where daily highs for May average 32°C (90°F). Without human-caused climate change, the heat wave would be “virtually impossible.” [CNN]
¶ “Collapse Of Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka Dam An ‘Ecological Catastrophe’” • The Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine has collapsed, sparked fears of an ecological catastrophe. Ukrainian President Zelensky described the situation as “an environmental bomb of mass destruction.” The dam was in Russian control. The cause of the collapse is not entirely clear. [CNN]
Nova Kakhovka dam in 2018 (Дзюбак Володимир, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “Investments In Renewable Energy Exceed Expenditures For Fossil Fuels” • The International Energy Agency released data showing the recovery from the slump caused by Covid-19 and the response to the global energy crisis provoked by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine have provided a significant boost to renewable energy investments. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “BlueFloat Energy Launches In The Philippines, Promising 7.6 GW In Four Locations” • BlueFloat Energy announced its entry to the Philippines, with four Wind Energy Service Contracts. They are in Central, North, and South Luzon, and in Southern Mindoro. Combined, the four sites will deliver 7.6 GW to feed the power-hungry archipelago. [CleanTechnica]
Floating wind turbines (Bluefloat Energy image)
¶ “UAE And Egypt Sign Agreement To Advance $10 Billion Wind Project” • A group of companies, including Abu Dhabi’s Masdar, have signed an agreement with Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority to secure land for a $10 billion wind farm. The 10-GW project is expected to save Egypt $5 billion in annual natural gas costs. [The National]
¶ “Spain’s Renewable Power Generation To Top 50% In 2023” • With strong wind and solar production, Spain is on track to generate over 50% of its electricity from renewable sources this year, the first of the top five European power consumer countries to achieve the feat. In doing so, Spain has beat France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. [OGV Energy]
Wind farm in Spain (Iberdrola image)
¶ “Renewable Energy Grid Survey Shows 66-GW Development Pipeline In South Africa” • A survey of South Africa’s renewable-energy development pipeline shows that 66 GW of wind and solar projects are at various stages of development in the country and that a number of these projects are envisaged to be coupled with battery storage. [Engineering News]
¶ “Ukrainian Dam Is Destroyed – Nuclear Plant Lives In A ‘Grace Period’” • The Kakhovka dam was blown up. It is a critical piece of infrastructure, hosting a hydroelectric plant and managing a reservoir that supplies water for drinking, irrigation, and cooling of the upstream six-reactor Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest. [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]
Cooling spray ponds at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant (Energoatom)
¶ “Ukrainian Dam Collapse Poses ‘No Immediate Risk’ To The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant” • The breach of the Nova Kakhovka dam and the draining of the reservoir behind it does not pose an immediate safety threat to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, but has long-term implications for its future, according to Ukrainian and UN experts. [The Guardian]
US:
¶ “New York City’s Air Pollution Among The World’s Worst As Canada Wildfire Smoke Shrouds Northeast” • New York City topped the list of the world’s worst air pollution for parts of Tuesday as harmful smoke wafted south from over a hundred wildfires in Quebec. Smoke from Canada’s fires has periodically engulfed the region for over a week. [CNN]
Manhattan (Aaron Burson, Unsplash)
¶ “Republican Lawmakers Are Making It Harder For Power Companies To Pivot Away From Coal” • Republican legislators and state officials are making it harder for power companies to retire coal plants even when it makes clear economic sense to do so – propping up the ailing industry at the cost of higher energy prices for their constituents. [CNN]
¶ “Ford Could Sell 500,000 EVs Per Year In USA With Tesla Supercharging Access” • Ford is on track to sell between 40,000 and 50,000 EVs in the US this year. That’s not good, considering that Tesla is on track to sell about 640,000 EVs in the US in 2023. But first-quarter sales imply Ford will be the third best selling car maker for EVs in 2023. [CleanTechnica]
Have a comfortably sustainable day.
geoharvey 
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