Opinion:
¶ “Green Backlash? UK’S Leader Fuels Battle Over Driving – Which Could Signal A Coming Climate Fight” • Posing in a car once owned by Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak explained why he was launching a media blitz to burnish his own credentials as a champion of the average voter against state environmental overreach. [NBC News]
Protest (Markus Spiske, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “NOAA And NASA Spearheading Massive Air Quality Research Campaign This Summer” • Scientists from NOAA, NASA, and 21 universities from three countries are deploying state-of-the-art instruments in multiple, coordinated research campaigns this month to investigate how air pollution sources have shifted over recent decades. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Greta Thunberg Pulls Out Of The Edinburgh Book Festival Appearance After Accusing A Key Sponsor Of Greenwashing” • Climate activist Greta Thunberg canceled an appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival after accusing one of the festival’s main sponsors, investment management firm, Ballie Gifford, of maintaining ties to fossil fuels. [CNN]
Greta Thunberg (European Parliament, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “South Africa Imported $1.1 Billion (4.4 GWh) Of Lithium-Ion Cells And Batteries In First Six Months Of 2023!” • According to Gaylor Montmasson-Clair. South Africa imported $1.1 billion of lithium-ion cells and batteries in just the first six months of 2023! This a big jump from the $0.7 billion worth of cells and batteries imported in the whole of 2022. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Pension Wealth In Peril!” • A recent Carbon Tracker report alerts us to the possibility that Pension wealth appears to be in Peril. The report, Loading the Dice against Pension Funds, says that the global financial system is in danger of having to support the stranded assets of fossil fuel companies as national economies go green. [CleanTechnica]
Pump jacks in storage (Larry D Moore, CC-BY-SA 4.0)
¶ “‘Top Renewables State’ NSW Swamped With Bids” • Newly crowned the best state for renewable energy investment, New South Wales is being swamped with bids to replace coal power with new infrastructure. The latest tender round aimed for solar, battery, and other power projects totalling 950 MW of capacity, but it drew bids for 3,100 MW. [CQ Today]
¶ “Installation Of Turbine Twice The Height Of London Eye Begins At World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm” • Wind turbines, each of 13 MW, are being installed 80 miles off the Yorkshire coast at the Dogger Bank Wind Farm. The work is being done by the largest jack-up turbine installation vessel, a Jan de Nul’s ship with a lifting capacity of 3,200 tonnes. [Marine Insight]
Jack-up ship (Dogger Bank Wind Farm image)
¶ “Australia Will Fall Well Short Of 82% Renewable Energy By 2030, Analysts Predict, As Problems Mount” • Plans for Australia to generate more than four-fifths of its power from renewable sources by 2030 are coming under pressure amid claims the country is way off track. Australia gets no more than 35% of its power from renewables now. [ABC]
¶ “Winter Heatwave In Andes Is A Sign Of Things To Come, Scientists Warn” • The record-breaking winter heatwave in the Andean mountains of South America has surged to 37°C (98.6°F), prompting local scientists to warn the worst may be yet to come as human-caused climate disruption and El Niño cause havoc across the region. [The Guardian]
Andes (Alexander Schimmeck, Unsplash)
¶ “Alberta Announces Six-Month Pause On Renewable Energy, Citing Rural Concerns” • Alberta’s conservative government is pausing all approvals in the province’s booming renewable energy industry in response to what it says are environmental and rural concerns. The pause affects solar and wind projects of more than one megawatt. [Red Deer Advocate]
US:
¶ “VinFast Breaks Ground At New North Carolina Factory Despite Perception Backlash, Expects Listing Soon” • Despite facing difficulties in the launch of its cars in the US, Vietnamese EV maker VinFast recently broke ground at its North Carolina EV facility. Once completed, the plant is expected to have an output of up to 150,000 electric cars annually. [CleanTechnica]
Roy Cooper, Governor of North Carolina
¶ “Entergy Arkansas To Offer Clean Energy Program Go ZERO” • Electric utility Entergy Arkansas received regulatory approval to provide a clean energy program for industrial and commercial customers looking to meet sustainability goals, according to a news release. Several businesses have already expressed interest in participating. [Talk Business & Politics]
¶ “A Proposed ‘Battle Plan’ For The Next Republican Presidency Includes Eliminating A Biden-Era Clean Energy Act That Has Funneled Hundreds Of Billions To Primarily Red States” • Red states like Oklahoma and Texas are the biggest beneficiaries of the Inflation Reduction Act, but such conservative groups as the Heritage Foundation oppose it. [Business Insider]
Wind turbines in Oregon (Steve Wilson, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Northwest: Electricity Demand To Rise Nearly 25% In Next Decade” • Demand for electricity in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana is projected to rise by nearly 25% within the next decade, according to an annual report on expected electricity demand. The report was published by the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee. [The News Guard]
¶ “SC’s Nuclear Fiasco: What’s Next In Saga Surrounding Fraud And Mismanagement At VC Summer” • Six years after South Carolina’s grand nuclear power ambitions came crashing down, federal prosecutors say they are not backing down in their attempt to hold accountable those they allege are responsible, despite a major setback. [Post and Courier]
Have a simply perfect day.
geoharvey 