Science and Technology:
¶ “From Cradle To Grave, EVs Have Fewer Greenhouse Gas Emissions Than Gas Vehicles” • Cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas emissions for a small gasoline SUV in 2020 were estimated to be 429 grams of CO₂ equivalentper mile, while the same size EV with 300 miles of range had 48% fewer GHG emissions, Argonne National Laboratory analysis shows. [CleanTechnica]
Comparing emissions (energy.gov)
World:
¶ “Alberta Will Never Comply With Federal Clean Power Grid Plan, Premier Vows” • Alberta will never comply with a Canadian government plan to phase out carbon emissions from power generation by 2035, Premier Danielle Smith said. She said a net zero power grid by 2050 would be too costly and carry the risk of blackouts. [Yahoo Finance]
¶ “Back To The Future For India’s Rice Farmers” • One farmer said, “Most of the people from the village are farmers but with major climatic changes we started facing a lot of problems. Our crops got destroyed because of unseasonal rains or scarcity of water.” Hybrid rice and heavy use of fertilizer make things worse. Some farmers are going back to old ways. [BBC]
Himachal Pradesh Rice field (7018412375, CC-BY-SA 4.0, cropped)
¶ “NASA Clocks July 2023 As Hottest Month On Record” • On average, July 2023 was 0.43°F (0.24°C) warmer than any other July in NASA’s record, and it was 2.1°F (1.18°C) warmer than the average July between 1951 and 1980. The primary focus of the GISS analysis is long-term temperature changes over many decades and centuries. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “BasiGo Introduces The E9 Kubwa Electric Bus, Which Is Specifically Designed For The Kenyan Marke” • After a successful pilot program supplying twenty K6 electric buses to public transport operators in Nairobi, BasiGo announced that it will introduce a 36-seater electric bus custom designed for the Kenyan market. [CleanTechnica]
BasiGo bus (BasiGo image)
¶ “Models Suggest Dropping Costs Of Solar And Wind Power In Africa May Make Hydro Power Obsolete” • A team of scientists affiliated with several institutions in Europe found, via modeling, that building dams to generate hydroelectricity in Africa may be not be a cost-effective approach in light of falling costs for solar and wind power. [Tech Xplore]
¶ “Solar Power Surges In Europe And Is Set To Double By 2030” • The EU is moving fast to deploy solar power in response to the energy crisis. A report by the lobby group SolarPower Europe found the bloc would have over 400 GW of solar power installed by the end of the decade, almost double the 208 GW of solar power produced today. [ZME Science]
Solar panels in Italy (Sungrow EMEA, Unsplash)
¶ “Sri Lanka To Provide Solar Power To 25,000 Low-Income Households” • The Sri Lankan Cabinet approved a proposal to provide solar power to 25,000 low-income households, an official said. the National Housing Development Authority has selected 11,000 partially completed houses in fifteen housing projects to provide free solar power. [Xinhua]
US:
¶ “Montana Judge Hands Young Plaintiffs Significant Victory In Landmark Climate Trial” • A Montana judge handed a significant victory to more than a dozen young plaintiffs in the nation’s first constitutional climate trial, as extreme weather gets more deadly and scientists warn the climate crisis is eroding our environment and natural resources. [CNN]
Montana (Tony Reid, Unsplash)
¶ “How Much Water Is Left In The Colorado River? Scientists And Officials Are Scrambling To Find Out” • With a phenomenal winter snowpack, water levels on the Colorado River are going up for the first time in years. Some water restrictions are being lifted, but officials, farmers, and tribes are bracing for difficult negotiations to come on water rights. [CNN]
¶ “Biden’s Climate Law Has Led To 86,000 New Jobs And $132 Billion In Investment, New Report Says” • A year after Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act, it’s leading to a surge of clean energy projects and job creation, a report from Bank of America says. Over 270 new clean energy projects have been announced, creating more than 86,000 jobs. [CNN]
Wind turbines (Bastian Pudill, Unsplash)
¶ “Solar And Storage Companies Add Over $100 Billion To US Economy As A Result Of The Inflation Reduction Act” • Since the Inflation Reduction Act passed one year ago, US solar and storage companies have announced over $100 billion in investments, bolstering the US economy, analysis made by the Solar Energy Industries Association shows. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “$50 Million To Enhance Water Infrastructure In The Upper Colorado River Basin” • The Interior Department announced $50 million over five years to improve water infrastructure and drought data collection in the Upper Colorado River Basin. This year, $8.7 million will support drought mitigation in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. [CleanTechnica]
Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Wyoming (Patrick Hendry, Unsplash)
¶ “California’s Power Grid Operator Prepares For Heat Wave, Possible Tight Conditions” • Another round of extreme heat is in the forecast, but will the hot temperatures stress California’s power grid? In short, California ISO, the grid operator, said no, but there could be scenarios where Californians may be asked to cut back on electricity usage. [CBS News]
¶ “Nuclear Plant Moratorium Bill Heads To Veto Session Fight In Illinois” • The veto of a law to end a moratorium on new nuclear power plant construction in Illinois sets up a battle in the fall veto session. In his veto message, Gov JB Pritzker appears to be saying the bill isn’t quite ready for prime time. Clearly people take their different sides and disagree. [WGLT]
Have a deservedly grand day.
geoharvey 
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