¶ “Trillion-Dollar AI Bubble On Verge Of Popping? ” • The amount of investment in AI is wild. Investors all want to bet on leaders of this new era. Large AI companies are pouring a lot of that cash into enormous data centers packed with unbelievable amounts of computer hardware, powered by polluting power plants. Has it all gone too far? [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Why Nuclear Shipping Is A Pipe Dream” • Cheerleaders for next-generation small modular reactors are the only alternative to fossil fuels. But nuclear for decarbonizing shipping raises too many unanswered questions around cost, regulation, insurance, decommissioning, waste, and public acceptance to be a serious proposition. [Lloyd’s List]
World:
¶ “Red Heatwave Alerts Spread Across Europe” • June 24 was the hottest day ever in France, leading to power cuts and tragically to deaths. Hundreds of schools in the UK are closed due to worries that students cannot be kept safe in sweltering buildings. Italy has issued extreme heat warnings for sixteen cities. But in Spain, the heatwave is abating. [Euronews]
Paris on a hot day (Pedro Kümmel, Unsplash)
¶ “Who’s hit hardest by heatwave costs?” • This week’s punishing heatwave is hitting Europeans where it hurts – and that is not just in terms of physical discomfort. Household costs are spiking as power prices hit record highs, parents are scrambling for emergency childcare and outdoor workers are losing hours they can’t afford to miss. [Euronews]
¶ “Heat Stress Is Intensifying Worldwide, Scientists Say” • The number of people who experience heat stress around the world every year increased exponentially in the last several decades due to climate change, according to a study. One billion more people are now facing at least one day of “extreme heat stress” annually compared to the 1970s. [ABC News]
¶ “Europe EV Sales Report: BEVs Jump 39% And Reach 24% Market Share!” • Thanks to a number of factors (new models, high gas prices, etc), EVs have picked up again in Europe. Close to 400,000 plugin vehicles were registered in Europe in May, 275,000 of them being pure electrics (BEVs). Overall, plugin vehicles were up 28% YoY. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Nova Scotia Wants To Embrace Fracking” • Tim Houston, the premier of Nova Scotia, wants to encourage oil and methane companies to begin tapping the province’s natural resources. It has been nearly a decade since the last wells were drilled either on land or offshore, primarily because of the policies of Justin Trudeau and green activists. [CleanTechnica]
Peggy’s Cove (Courtesy of Tourism Nova Scotia)
¶ “Swedish Authority U-Turn To Back Offshore Wind” • The County Administrative Board of Skåne has backed offshore wind power at Sjollen in Öresund after previously rejecting energy extraction in the area. The authority said its new position reflects a higher priority for electricity supply, and it supports all areas proposed by the Swedish Energy Agency. [reNews]
¶ “WindEurope Calls For Binding 2040 Renewables Goal” • WindEurope has called on EU Energy Ministers to commit to a binding 2040 renewables target ahead of its 26 June energy policy discussions. The organization said the absence of a post-2030 target risks stalling investment momentum and undermining Europe’s energy security. [reNews]
Tinne van der Straeten (WindEurope image)
¶ “China’s Power Capacity Tops 4,000 GW, Driven By Massive Green Energy Surge” • China’s investments in renewable energy have helped its total installed power generation capacity overtake the combined total for the US, the EU, India, Japan and Russia. Data from the National Energy Administration shows China’s total capacity is over 4,000 GW. [China Daily]
US:
¶ “Wind-Whipped Utah Wildfire Grows To Nearly 60,000 Acres, Prompts Evacuations” • A wildfire in Utah grew to nearly 60,000 acres. There were mandatory evacuations of homes and camps, and a highway in the mountainous area was completely closed. The Cottonwood Fire in Beaver County has almost doubled in size in the past 24 hours. [ABC News]
Cottonwood fire (Utah Fire Info image)
¶ “Senate Votes Again, Blocking War Powers Resolution, Giving Trump A Win” • Hours after President Trump blasted Senator Bill Cassidy for his support of a war powers resolution, Cassidy helped deliver Trump a victory by voting with the majority of Republicans to block a separate resolution aimed at reining in the president’s war powers in Iran. [ABC News]
¶ “California Preps For Battle Royale Over Offshore Wind Leases That Trump Wants To Kill” • California feels entitled to have a say in its own future, including the use of its own offshore wind resources. The Trump administration thinks otherwise, setting the stage for a high stakes legal mano-a-mano that has suddenly burst onto the media radar. [CleanTechnica]
Floating turbines (California Energy Commission image)
¶ “World’s First Nuclear Fusion Power Plant Receives Go-Ahead In Washington State” • Washington state issued Helion Energy the two licenses it needed to advance work at its Malaga site, according to a report. One covers radioactive materials, and another covers radioactive air emissions. Parts of the facility, known as Orion, are already in place. [Yahoo]
¶ “Vermont Yankee Site Options Include Data Center, Nuclear Reactor, And Battery Storage” • The state of Vermont and a Texas company exploring redevelopment of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant site are working on a letter of intent to govern how the project would proceed and how the public could engage in the process. [Greenfield Recorder]
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