Opinion:
¶ “The War In Ukraine, Fossil Fuels, And Petro-Dictators” • The damage caused by fossil fuels does not end with climate change, pollution, and fires. Some nations that become wealthy by extracting and exporting fossil fuels also develop their military might and become overly aggressive. Russia and Vladimir Putin give us one example. [CleanTechnica]
Standing up for Ukraine (Courtesy of Razom We Stand)
Science and Technology:
¶ “NASA Expert Explains How New Technology Will Investigate The Remarkable Warming Trend” • The time from February 2023 through January 2024 set a record as the warmest twelve months, at 1.52°C (2.74°F) above the 1850 to 1900 pre-industrial average. Climate change, El Niño, and warm oceans combined to cause the heat. [ABC News]
¶ “Wind Power Returns To Cargo Ships, And Now With Plastic Bottles” • The cargo shipping industry is slowly moving towards low emission fuels, but in the meantime wind power is ready and eager to go. Various forms of high tech sails are showing up on shipping lanes, and to gild the sustainability lily, some are made with recycled plastic bottles. [CleanTechnica]
Cargo ship with Rotor Sails (Courtesy of Norsepower)
¶ “NASA Launches New Climate Mission To Study Ocean, Atmosphere” • NASA’s satellite mission to study ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate for the benefit of humanity launched successfully into orbit. Known as PACE, the Plankton, Aerosol, Climate, ocean Ecosystem satellite, the spacecraft is performing as expected. [NASA]
World:
¶ “World’s First Year-Long Breach Of Key 1.5°C Warming Limit” • For the first time, global warming has exceeded 1.5°C across an entire year, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. World leaders promised in 2015 to try to limit the long-term temperature rise to 1.5°C, which is seen as crucial to help avoid the most damaging impacts. [BBC]
What we are doing‽ (Marek Piwnicki, Unsplash)
¶ “The Fukushima Nuclear Plant Leaked Radioactive Water, But None Escaped The Facility” • Highly radioactive water leaked from a treatment machine at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, but no one was injured and radiation monitoring shows no impact to the outside environment, the utility operator said. [ABC News]
¶ “Ethiopia Banning Non-Electric Car Imports” • Details are a little thin at this point, but the Ethiopian Ministry of Transport and Logistics, Alemu Sime, recently said the country will not allow cars to enter the market unless they are EVs. “A decision has been made that automobiles cannot enter Ethiopia unless they are electric ones,” he said. [CleanTechnica]
Addis Ababa (Yohannes Minas, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “New Zealand EV Market Crash: 5% Penetration In January 2024” • January delivered an EV market crash in plug-in EV sales in New Zealand, to their lowest level in several years. After the monster sales records of December 2023, the removal of the EV tax incentive, and the double whammy of the Road User Charge, it was to be expected. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Statkraft And Better Energy Ink Polish Solar PPA” • Statkraft and Better Energy have strengthened their partnership in Poland, signing agreements to trade energy from four solar parks. Statkraft will purchase green energy from Better Energy’s Krapkowice solar park for 10 years, under a new set of power purchase agreements. [reNews]
Flowers and panels (Bettery Energy image)
¶ “Climate Change Is Fueling The Disappearance Of The Aral Sea. And It’s Taking Residents’ Livelihoods” • Lifelong farm workers and other residents near the Aral Sea say they’re facing a catastrophe they can’t beat: climate change. It is accelerating the decades-long demise of the Aral, which once was the lifeblood for the thousands. [Winnipeg Free Press]
US:
¶ “More Rapid Deployment Of Renewable Energy And Energy Storage Are Needed for a Resilient Power Grid in Puerto Rico” • With lots of solar and wind power, energy storage, and advanced extreme weather impact modeling, Puerto Rico could achieve a 100% renewable power grid by 2050 according to a study on Puerto Rican grid resilience. [CleanTechnica]
Puerto Rico (Andrea Starr, PNNL)
¶ “New Method Monitors Grid Stability With Hydropower Project Signals” • Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, developed a way to predict electric grid stability using signals from pumped storage projects. It provides critical information as the grid shifts more to renewable power. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Super Bowl To Be Hosted In First 100% Renewable Energy NFL stadium” • Super Bowl LVIII will pit the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, February 11. This will be the first Super Bowl that takes place in Allegiant Stadium, home of the Raiders, which is 100% powered by renewable energy. [pv magazine USA]
Allegiant Stadium (David Lusvardi, Unsplash, cropped)
¶ “Arizona Utility Regulators Vote To Kill Renewable Standards” • Arizona utility regulators voted to begin the process of repealing the state’s energy efficiency and renewable standards. Industry advocates expressed disbelief, saying most states are expanding their renewable standards, and Arizona is the only state they know of scrapping them altogether. [12News]
¶ “A Bill That Would Reform The Renewable Energy Standard In Vermont Clears Key Panel” • The Vermont House Environment and Energy Committee voted in favor of H.289, a bill that would increase the amount of renewable energy that Vermont utilities are required to purchase to 100% by 2030. It heads to the House Ways and Means Committee next. [VTDigger]
Have a simply marvelous day.
geoharvey 
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