World:
¶ “Cannibalistic Jellies And Aggressive Blue Crabs: Invasive Species Threaten Venice’s Fragile Lagoon” • The city of Venice and its surrounding lagoon are iat the mercy of climate change. Research shows how warming seas are bringing invasive species that threaten the lagoon ecosystem and the livelihoods of local fishing communities. [Euronews]
Venice (Kit Suman, Unsplash)
¶ “Canada’s EV Policy Shift Is About Credits, Not Mandates” • The government of Canada has moved away from explicit EV sales quotas and toward steadily tightening the average fleet emissions standards, paired with open credit trading and a deliberate trade policy choice that allows large volumes of low cost EVs to enter the country. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Which Chinese EV Automakers Will Sell In Canada?” • As Chinese EV makers look at work markets, Canada may be the most realistic entry point into North America. It has stringent safety and environmental regulations, a ready consumer base, and just a bit more regulatory flexibility than the US. Here we look at which EV makers are ready. [CleanTechnica]
XPENG P7 (Photo from XPENG)
¶ “Connecting Home Solar And Electric Vehicle Batteries To The Grid Could Boost South Africa’s Clean Energy And Strengthen The Electricity System” • South Africa is committed to reaching phasing out human-caused carbon pollution by 2050. To get to that goal, it needs to push as much renewable energy as possible into the national grid. [The Conversation]
¶ “Zimbabwe Plans To Build Solar Manufacturing Plant, A Key Industry Body Reveals” • Zimbabwe’s plans to build a solar panel manufacturing plant has attracted global interest and is expected to mark a shift in its energy and industrialisation strategy, a top African solar industry report shows. The thrust signals a push to attract foreign investment. [The Herald]
Harare, Zimbabwe (ctsnow, CC BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Saudis To Invest In Renewable Power In Turkiye, Including 2 GW Of Solar” • Saudi investments in 5 GW of renewable energy projects were announce during a visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Riyadh. The initial project will be two solar farms with a total 2 GW of capacity, funded by Saudi investment of $2 billion. [Informed Comment]
¶ “Fire Safety Shortfalls Are Uncovered At Hinkley Point C As Inspectors Issue Enforcement Notices” • Inspectors identified a series of “significant” shortfalls at Hinkley Point C during a visit in December. They include combustible waste left on emergency exit stairs, poor fire‑risk assessments, and a lack of escape routes for site workers. [Burnham-On-Sea.com]
Hinkley Point C (gov.uk, open government licence v3.0)
¶ “IAEA Calls For Restraint As Russian Attacks Cause Ukrainian Nuclear Plants To Lose Power” • Ukrainian nuclear power plants have stopped operations due to a Russian attack, and the situation is compromising nuclear safety. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, said the Russian strike forced the nuclear plants to stop generating. [Yahoo]
US:
¶ “Stellantis Stumbles In A Staggering EV Retreat” • Stellantis announced that it is taking a $26 billion hit as it backtrack on EVs. The vast majority of the write-down is specific to North America, where Stellantis has essentially given up on plug-in vehicles. EV production is being replaced with a return of ICE powertrains, including the “Hemi.” [CleanTechnica]
RAM pickup trucks (Stellantis image)
¶ “Tesla Powerwall: Headwinds And Nasty Comments” • Like a superball on steroids bouncing from one shiny object to the next, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has left the hot mess of Cybertruck behind to launch a new line of in-house solar panels. Tesla’s EV sales are circling the drain month after month. Doesn’t he have a business to run? [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Iowa’s Wind Boom Stalls As Politics Clashes With Power Prices” • Anti-renewable sentiment has grown in rural and red areas recently and pushed by the Trump administration. This stance has caused many state economies to plateau, as some of the most important areas of renewable energy development were unfolding in red states. [OilPrice.com]
Iowa wind farm (Drew, Unsplash)
¶ “You Can’t Just Walk Out On Climate Frameworks!” • The US has withdrawn from the historic Paris global climate frameworks by Trump’s executive order, but can a president unilaterally the country from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change? A former US senator asks asks that question. The exutive order has its problems. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Trump’s Fossil Fuel Push Gets a Legal Reality Check” • A federal judge ruled that the DOE broke the law when Secretary Chris Wright handpicked five researchers who reject scientific consensus on climate change to write a report. The Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 says agencies are not permitted to use secret groups for such purposes. [OilPrice.com]
Have a pleasingly cozy day.
geoharvey 