Opinion:
¶ “$4.3 Billion On The Table; Huge Benefits To Public Health And Wealth Lie Within Reach” • We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in our homes and buildings, to win big on public health and reduce both housing energy costs and climate change pollution. Now $4.3 billion in new flexible funds are soon to be available from the US EPA. [CleanTechnica]
Home sweet home (Vidar Nordli-Mathisen, Unsplash)
World:
¶ “Pope Francis Lambasts Climate Change Skeptics And ‘Irresponsible’ Western Lifestyles” • Pope Francis has made his strongest statement yet on the growing climate crisis, pinning blame on big industries, world leaders, and “irresponsible” Western lifestyles, in a blistering statement. He criticized climate change deniers and delayers especially. [CNN]
¶ “Unprecedented Temperature Anomalies In 2023 – Hottest Year On Record” • The Copernicus Climate Change Service, with funding from the EU, routinely publishes monthly climate bulletins reporting on the changes observed in global surface air temperature, sea ice cover and hydrological variables. The data for September has no precedent. [CleanTechnica]
Please click on the image to enlarge it. (C3S – ECMWF)
¶ “Search And Rescue Launched For 100 People Missing In Northeast India As Flash Flooding Kills At Least 14” • A search and rescue operation is looking for over 100 missing people in India’s northeast, after flash floods hit the Himalayan state of Sikkim, killing at least 14 people and washing away roads and bridges, the state government said. [CNN]
¶ “Why Countries Are Choosing To Build New Cities In Places At High Risk Of Worsening Floods” • The world is urbanizing, and the amount of building in flood-prone areas is growing quickly, according to research published in the journal Nature. The rapid growth sparks concerns about people’s vulnerability to disasters as the climate crisis escalates. [CNN]
North Jakarta (Fahrul Razi, Unsplash)
¶ “A Certificate To Own A Car In Singapore Now Costs $106,000” • The cost of a certificate to own a large family car in Singapore rose to a record high of S$146,002 ($106,619). The city-state introduced the 10-year certificate of entitlement system in 1990 as an anti-congestion measure. Anyone in Singapore who want to buy a car must have the certificate. [BBC]
¶ “Asia Pacific To Invest $3.3 Trillion In Power Generation Over Ten Years” • The Asia Pacific region is poised to invest as much as $3.3 trillion in power generation over the next 10 years, half of which in solar and wind power. India and China are leading the growth in power demand and investments, according to Wood Mackenzie analysis. [Oil Price]
Rooftop solar panels (Jeroen van de Water, Unsplash)
¶ “Norway’s EVs At A Record 93% Share” • September saw plugin EVs at a record 93% share of Norway’s auto market, up from 89.1% YOY. The gains in share came from erosion of combustion car sales, rather than growth in EV volume. Overall auto volume was 10,342 units, down almost 30% YOY. The Tesla Model Y was September’s bestseller. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Lightning Strike Destroys Biogas Tanks At Severn Trent Food Waste Recycling Facility” • Lightning caused an explosion and fire at a UK anaerobic digestion facility, when it struck a biogas tank. The Cassington facility processes over 50,000 tons per year of commercial food wastes and generates 2.1 MW of electricity, along with biofertiliser. [The Chemical Engineer]
Lightning (Shlomo Shalev, Unsplash)
¶ “IAEA: All Units At Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Should Be In Cold Shutdown” • To prevent safety risks, all units at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant should be brought into cold shutdown, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in their October 4 report. Russia, which occupied the plant, runs one unit in hot shutdown. [Yahoo News]
US:
¶ “High-Performance, Earth-Friendly Materials For Geothermal Wells” • The DOE announced $19 million in funding over four years for a new research center focused on the chemical and mechanical properties of cement composites and other materials used in enhanced geothermal systems. Brookhaven Lab scientist Tatiana Pyatina will lead the effort. [CleanTechnica]
BNL materials scientist Tatiana Pyatina
¶ “Fear And Loathing In Rural Michigan Puts Gotion Battery Factory At Risk” • Gotion is a battery maker with a primary emphasis on LFP batteries. It plans to manufacture batteries in Green Charter Township, Michigan on scrub land that has not had a crop in twenty years. A local movement is trying to save the “pristine farmland.” [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Energy Storage Project In Healy Envisioned To Support More Renewables” • Westinghouse has proposed building an energy storage facility in Healy, Alaska, south of Fairbanks, at the site of a coal-fired power plant unit set to be retired next year. The energy will be stored as heat. The US DOE is supporting the effort with funding. [Anchorage Daily News]
Countryside near Healy (Josh McCausland, Unsplash)
¶ “Athena ZEV Takes Up Challenge Of Electrifying Airports And De-Risking Investment” • Athena is an effort funded by the DOE Vehicle Technologies Office and led by NREL in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It is aiming to de-risk airport investments in support of zero-emission vehicles, with an initial focus on rental cars. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Three New England States Join Together For Offshore Wind Power Projects, Aiming To Lower Costs” • Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts will procure wind energy projects together rather than separately as part of a joint agreement the states’ governors announced. It is the first such multi-state agreement in the nation. [WPRI.com]
Have a uniquely lovely day.
geoharvey 