Science and Technology:
¶ “World Registers Hottest Day Ever Recorded – What’s To Come?” • So far in July, the record for the world’s hottest day has been broken four times, data from the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction shows. ASU News interviewed Randy Cerveny, who keeps the world’s weather records for the World Meteorological Organization. [CleanTechnica]
Desert (Fabian Struwe, Unsplash)
¶ “Reality Check: Natural Gas’s True Climate Risk” • New RMI analysis has definitively calculated natural gas’s global life-cycle emissions and compared those to the global life-cycle emissions of coal. A study published in the science journal Environmental Research Letters concludes that leaky gas is as damaging to the climate as coal. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Yamuna River Surpasses Height Record As Northern India Reels From Deadly Floods” • A major river overflowing near New Delhi, India’s capital, has reached the highest level on record, authorities said, prompting mass evacuations and causing havoc with water supplies. Northern states report that death rates are rising from heavy flooding. [CNN]
Flooding in northern India (NASA Earth Observatory)
¶ “Tesla Plans To Manufacture A $24,000 Car In India” • Building a new Tesla factory in India is good news, but here’s the real meat in the stew: According to insiders with knowledge of the talks that have been going on since May, the starting price of the vehicles manufactured in India will be ₹2 million, or $24,401 at today’s exchange rate. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “EU Approves Nature Restoration Plan” • An report in The Guardian, says nature is dying faster than humans have ever known due to climate change, pollution, and the way people exploit the Earth, a scientific assessment shows. The EU passed a law to protect 20% of its land and fisheries from degrading more and to help restore biodiversity. [CleanTechnica]
EU Parliament (Courtesy of EU Parliament)
¶ “Diversifying Critical Material Supply Chains Minimizes Geopolitical Risks” • The energy transition requires a dramatic increase in the supply of critical materials, yet supplies chains remain vulnerable to a range of geopolitical risks. Geopolitics of the Energy Transition: Critical Materials examines the geopolitical risks and opportunities. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Iraq’s Electricity Ministry Plans To Award A Contract For A 700-MW Solar Power Plant” • Iraq, an oil-producing country and member of OPEC, announced plans to grant a contract for the development of a new solar power plant with a capacity of 700 MW, Electricity Minister Ziyad Fadel said. He said the cabinet is expected to approve the project. [SolarQuarter]
Solar power (Thomas Coker, Unsplash)
¶ “China Is Quietly Building A Green Energy Empire In Latin America” • China is expanding its green energy production and growth potential rapidly in key emerging markets. While China is busily making inroads in renewable energy markets in Asia, Africa, and even the West, nowhere has its influence grown more rapidly than in Latin America. [Oil Price]
¶ “US Natural Gas Loses Ground As Europe Leans On Solar Power” • For decades, natural gas has been Europe’s primary source of electricity, but Europe move away from its dependence on natural gas after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The US stepped in to help Europe deal with shortages, but now, solar power is reducing the amount of gas needed. [Yahoo Finance]
Natural gas tanker (Zetong Li, Unsplash)
¶ “France’s Nuclear Power Stations To Limit Energy Output Due To High River Temperatures” • High temperatures could halve nuclear power production at plants along France’s Rhone River this week. Output restrictions are expected at two nuclear plants in eastern France due to high temperature forecasts, nuclear operator EDF said. [Euronews.com]
US:
¶ “Summer Has Become A Survival Test As Heat Gets More Extreme” • More than fifty record-high temperatures have been set across Florida since the start of June, and brutal humidity has made the heat even more dangerous, making it more difficult for the body to cool itself. Every day is a grueling endurance exercise for Florida’s farm workers.[CNN]
Farm in Florida (Scott Bauer, USDA, public domain)
¶ “Excessive Heat Scorches Millions Across US Southwest” • An unrelenting heatwave is scorching the Southwest, with Arizona projected to see a record stretch of extreme hot weather. Over 115 million people are under some form of heat warnings, according to the National Weather Service. Phoenix has had fourteen days of temperatures hitting at least 43°C (110°F). [BBC]
¶ “Kia Georgia Production Plant Expanding For EV9” • Kia is getting ready to produce the fully electric EV9 SUV in Georgia. The Korean automaker is expanding its West Point assembly plant in Georgia to produce the Kia EV9, a three-row SUV. The production facility will start with model-year 2024 production in the second quarter of 2024. [CleanTechnica]
Kia EV9 (Kia image)
¶ “Batteries, Not Blackouts: California’s Power Grid Gets Boost From Battery Energy” • As California increases its reliance on renewable energy sources like solar and wind, there’s a concern that there may not be enough energy during certain seasons and times of the day to keep the lights on. But now, California has 5,600 MW of battery capacity. [CBS News]
¶ “Lawsuits Could Delay Start Of NJ’s First Offshore Wind Power Project” • Litigation could delay the start of New Jersey’s first offshore wind energy project, as developer Ørsted sues various governments, including Cape May County and Ocean City, to stop delaying necessary permits, and citizens groups try to halt the project altogether. [NBC10 Philadelphia]
Have an abundantly comical day.
geoharvey 
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