Science and Technology:
¶ “The Bacteria That Can Capture Carbon” • Scientists have recently discovered a microbe, a type of cyanobacteria, off the coast of a volcanic island near Sicily, that eats carbon dioxide “astonishingly quickly.” The microbes found in September 2022 are “hyper-efficient at taking up CO₂ through photosynthesis,” one scientist said. [BBC]
Cyanobacteria (Luke Thompson and Nikki Watson, CC1)
¶ “Kia And Wallbox Partner For Bidirectional EV Charging” • This article shares some news from Kia and Wallbox America about their plan to offer bidirectional charging, as they are collaborating to introduce bidirectional charging to Kia’s EV9 customers. But the start gives readers unfamiliar with V2X technology a quick primer on it. [CleanTechnica]
World:
¶ “Chinese People Are Living Two Years Longer Thanks To ‘War On Pollution,’ Report Says” • Ten years ago, China’s capital was often covered in thick yellow and gray smog. The air quality was so bad that Chinese leaders launched a multibillion-dollar “war against pollution.” A decade on, China’s pollution levels had fallen 42%. [CNN]
Great Wall (Hanson Lu, Unsplash)
¶ “China Promised Climate Action. Its Emissions Topped US, EU, And India Combined” • China produces about 30% of the world’s total emissions – more than the US, the EU and India combined, according to Global Carbon Budget 2022. More than any other country, China holds the power to make or break global efforts to prevent a climate catastrophe. [Al Jazeera]
¶ “Still Enormous Coal Use And Growth In China And India” • China and India together consumed 67% of total global coal production in 2022, as China burned 52% and India accounted for 15%. Although both countries are also installing massive amounts of renewables, their consumption of coal is unlikely to decline for some time. [CleanTechnica]
Burning coal (Juan Encalada, Unsplash)
¶ “Oz First Nations Player Signs Solar, Storage Agreements” • Desert Springs Octopus, a majority Indigenous owned and operated company backed Octopus Australia, has announced renewable energy Benefit Sharing Agreements with Northern Territory community organisations for a total of 160 to 230 MW of solar PVs with battery backup. [reNews]
¶ “Fossil Fuels’ Share In EU Power Mix At Lowest Level Since Records Began” • Fossil fuels produced just 33% of EU power in the first half of 2023, the lowest share in records going back to 1990, think tank Ember said. The main reason was lower demand for electricity, which meant the rising renewable energy output could meet more of the demand. [Reuters]
Hallstatt, Austria (Joss Woodhead, Unsplash)
¶ “Chris Bowen’s Five Reasons Why Nuclear Is Wrong For Australia” • After 10 years of denial and delay on climate action, Chris Bowen, the Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy, says he is not interested in more years of distraction by nuclear energy, an energy source that “clearly doesn’t stack up for our country.” [Proactive Investors]
US:
¶ “EPA Reduces Federally Protected Waters By More Than Half After Supreme Court Ruling” • The Environmental Protection Agency and US Army released a new rule that reduces federally protected water by over half. A Supreme Court decision in May had rolled back protections for US wetlands. By acerage, 63% of US wetlands could be impacted. [CNN]
Wetlands (p j, Unsplash)
¶ “Hurricane Idalia Is Expected To Hit Florida As A Category 4 Storm. Officials Warn Of ‘Potential For Death And Catastrophic Devastation’” • The National Hurricane Center warned Hurricane Idalia could hit Florida’s west coast as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm on Wednesday morning, as Idalia continued to intensify and churn toward the state. [CNN]
¶ “What Is A Storm Surge And Why Is It Deadly?” • As Hurricane Idalia barrels towards Florida, over 1.5 million people in 28 counties have been asked to evacuate due to its potential storm surge. The “life-threatening” coastal flood could bring ocean water up 10 to 15 feet (3-5 m) above ground level, the National Weather Service said. [BBC]
Hurricane approaching (Craig Cameron, Unsplash)
¶ “Biden DOJ Tells Court There Is No Constitutional Right To A Stable Climate” • Our Children’s Trust developed a legal theory that a lack of government action on climate change infringes on rights to life, liberty, and equal protection as set forth in the 14th Amendment. The DOJ said “there is no constitutional right to a stable climate system.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “US Department Of The Treasury Releases Guidance On Inflation Reduction Act Provision” • The US Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service released proposed rules on key provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act to ensure clean energy jobs are good-paying jobs with a robust, diverse pipeline of workers. [CleanTechnica]
Worker on the job (IWSI America image)
¶ “There’s A Vast Source Of Clean Energy Beneath Our Feet, And A Race To Tap It” • In a sagebrush valley full of wind turbines and solar panels in western Utah, a drilling rig transplanted from the oil fields of North Dakota. But the softly whirring rig was not searching for fossil fuels. It was drilling for heat, which could be just as powerful for fighting climate change. [Yahoo]
¶ “Biden-Harris Administration Holds First-Ever Gulf Of Mexico Offshore Wind Energy Auction” • The Interior Departmentheld the first offshore wind auction for the Gulf of Mexico region. RWE Offshore US Gulf, LLC won the Lake Charles Lease Area, with a potential to generate approximately 1.24 GW of offshore wind capacity. [US Department of the Interior]
Have a cheeringly lovely day.
geoharvey 