Opinion:
¶ “Unpacking The Reasons Why Republican Senators Oppose EPA Power Plant Rule” • In May, the EPA announced new carbon pollution standards for power plants to protect public health, reduce pollution, and deliver up to $85 billion in climate and public health benefits over two decades. Some 39 Republican US senators signed a letter opposing it. [CleanTechnica]
Power plant (Earth.com image)
¶ “Electric Vehicle Regulations And Laws: A Primer For Decision Makers” • It can be difficult to find easy-to-understand resources regarding the many EV policies and regulations. To save decision makers time, RMI compiled a series of factsheets that clearly and thoroughly outline existing regulations, their goals, who must comply, and what is required. [CleanTechnica]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Devastating Wildfires Spur New Detection Systems” • Almost 900 forest fires were active in Canada during the week of July 17, burning a total of 10 million hectares. OroraTech, a German company, has eight satellites with special infrared sensors that monitor temperatures in grids of four-by-four meters. They can detect fires and issue warnings. [BBC]
Fire in British Columbia (BC Wildfire Service image)
¶ “Scientists Dig Into Wildfire Predictions, Long-Term Impacts” • Wildfires have grown in frequency, range, and intensity as the climate changes. Scientists the US DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are working on several fronts to better understand and predict these events and what they mean for the carbon cycle and biodiversity. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Activists Drape Rishi Sunak’s Mansion In Black Cloth To Protest His Climate Policies” • Five people were arrested after climate activists draped black cloth over British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s private mansion, in a protest against his policy to “max out” the UK’s oil and gas resources in the North Sea. The demonstrators were from Greenpeace. [CNN]
Rishi Sunak (The Conservative Party, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “The Chinese Town Engulfed By A Flood To Save Beijing” • As the flooding emergency in western Beijing turned deadlier at the beginning of this week, taking out bridges, washing away cars by the dozen, and wreaking havoc, the decision was made to divert the raging waters. They went to Zhuozhou, in Hebei Province, with force the locals didn’t expect. [BBC]
¶ “Ocean Heat Record Broken, With Grim Implications For The Planet” • The oceans hit their hottest temperature ever recorded as they soak up warmth from climate change. The implications for our planet’s health are dire. The average global sea surface temperature of 20.96°C, beating a 2016 record, according to the EU’s climate change service Copernicus. [BBC]
Ocean (Joseph Barrientos, Unsplash)
¶ “Jordan Plans To Introduce Regulations For Green Hydrogen Projects In Renewable Energy Push” • According to an official of Jordanian Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Jordan is set to introduce regulations for green hydrogen projects as part of a national strategy to expand renewable energy use and export green hydrogen to other nations. [SolarQuarter]
¶ “South Africa Now Has Over 10 GW Of Wind And Solar Generation Capacity” • South Africa has about 50 GW of electric generating capacity. It is dominated by Eskom’s coal power plants. They are old, they break down often, and the result is load shedding, blacking out large areas daily. The fastest way to deal with this is to install renewables. [CleanTechnica]
Wind turbines in South Africa (Kalle Pihlajasaari, CC-BY-SA 3.0)
¶ “China Pumps Out Coal Plants At Increasing Pace To Allay Power-Security Fears, Risking Climate Transition” • China is approving new coal power plants at an increasing pace to avoid power shortages and restart economic growth, Greenpeace says. This is raising alarm about the country’s ability to meet its stated decarbonization goals. [South China Morning Post]
¶ “Russians Force Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Workers To Get Russian Passports” • Ukraine’s General Staff reported, “In Enerhodar, temporarily occupied by Russian troops, the occupiers are forcing the plant’s staff to obtain Russian passports, threatening them with reprisals, in order to keep them working at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.” [Yahoo News]
Zaporizhzhia NPP (IAEA Imagebank, CC-BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
US:
¶ “Tesla Owners: $25/Month In Texas For Overnight Charging (Unlimited)” • Starting with Texas, Tesla is spreading its wings as a retail electricity provider. Tesla is providing cost-effective electricity to its EV owners and Powerwall customers. The most attractive offer it is making is $25/month unlimited overnight vehicle or Powerwall charging. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Electric Vehicles And The US Economy: A Win-Win Situation” • We know that electrifying vehicles will help the environment. What we haven’t heard much about is the positive influence that EVs will have on the US economy. New research indicates that EVs are going to be really, really good for the US economy, and for a variety of reasons. [CleanTechnica]
Ford F-150 Lightning (WMrapids, public domain)
¶ “133 Self-Storage Rooftops In 3 US States Are About To Power Community Solar” • The largest US self-storage company, Public Storage, is working with rooftop developer Solar Landscape on a multi-state project that will see 87.5 MW of community solar installations on self-storage building rooftops in Maryland, New Jersey, and Illinois. [Electrek]
¶ “2023 Sees The Highest Second Quarter On Record For US Wind Power And Solar Installations” • The American Clean Power Association released a report showing that 5,218 MW of utility-scale solar, wind, and storage capacity were installed in Q2 2023. This makes it the second-highest second quarter for clean power installations. [Evwind]
Have an utterly delightful day.
geoharvey 