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Category Archives: Energy

The Lie-brary

Center for Climate Integrity: “Evidence shows that Big Oil & Gas knew as early as the 1960s that their products would lead to climate change, and that it could have disastrous impacts worldwide. This collection of internal company documents has been compiled thanks to the work of journalists, independent researchers, and academics.

  • They Knew Scientists –  and executives at fossil fuel companies such as Exxon knew since as early as 1968 that burning fossil fuels would raise global temperatures, which could lead to “catastrophic” consequences.
  • They Lied – Voices from inside and outside the industry recognize that addressing climate change could require burning fewer fossil fuels — a threat to industry profits. After deciding that a transition to clean energy would be bad for business, climate polluters such as Exxon deliberately sowed doubt to undermine scientific truths.
  • They’re Still Lying – As the science became overwhelming and public understanding of climate change grew, companies shifted from denying climate science to portraying themselves as part of the solution.”

State of the science on plastic chemicals

PlastChem – Identifying and addressing chemicals and polymers of concern. “Chemicals are a central aspect of the plastics issue. Although there is a wealth of scientific information on plastic chemicals and polymers to inform policymakers, implementing this evidence is challenging because information is scattered and not easily accessible. The PlastChem report and database address this… Continue Reading

Leaded aviation gasoline exposure risk and child blood lead levels

Leaded aviation gasoline exposure risk and child blood lead levels, PNAS Nexus, Volume 2, Issue 1, January 2023, pgac 285, https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac285. Published: 10 January 2023. “Lead-formulated aviation gasoline (avgas) is the primary source of lead emissions in the United States today, consumed by over 170,000 piston-engine aircraft (PEA). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates… Continue Reading

Report – AI likely to increase energy use and accelerate climate misinformation

The Guardian – Claims that artificial intelligence will help solve the climate crisis are misguided, warns a coalition of environmental groups – “Claims that artificial intelligence will help solve the climate crisis are misguided, with the technology instead likely cause rising energy use and turbocharge the spread of climate disinformation, a coalition of environmental groups has… Continue Reading

The Lifeblood of the AI Boom

The Atlantic – The Lifeblood of the AI Boom – [unpaywalled]  “Applications such as ChatGPT and DALL-E have captured the world’s imagination—but AI companies are focused on something else. Artificial intelligence can appear to be many different things—a whole host of programs with seemingly little common ground. Sometimes AI is a conversation partner, an illustrator,… Continue Reading

Pretend Plastic Recycling

Data is Beautiful – Only 1% of all plastics have ever been recycled and put back into use. Most have been dumped (~60%) or incinerated (10%). The remaining 30% are still in use. See also Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse Science Advances – Production, use, and fate of… Continue Reading

State of the Union

USA Facts: In Numbers – A nonpartisan, data-driven snapshot of the state of our union​. “Article II of the US Constitution mandates that the president periodically inform Congress about the “state of the union,” including budget reports and legislative proposals. It is also a chance for the president to review their achievements, with not just… Continue Reading

GreenerCars

“GreenerCars is an annual assessment of every new model in the U.S. light-duty vehicle market. It is based on a lifecycle assessment of the greenhouse gas and criteria pollutant emissions from the production, use, and disposal of each vehicle. Unlike other evaluations of the health and environmental impact of vehicles that rely solely on fuel-efficiency,… Continue Reading

Why Charging Your Gadgets Over 80% Is Such a Bad Idea

IFixIt: “Charging your phone’s battery to 100% is drastically shortening its useful life. But the fix is easy, and while auto companies have known about this and mitigated its consequences for some time, now most major smartphone brands—including Apple, Samsung, and Google—are finally jumping on board.  When we think about battery longevity, we think about… Continue Reading

Atrocious Air

First Street: “Since the middle of the last century, the United States has witnessed significant changes in air quality, driven by industrialization, technological advancements, regulatory measures, and public awareness. The most important of these interventions was the Clean Air Act of 1963, which served as the first federal legislation addressing air quality concerns. While air… Continue Reading

These States Are Basically Begging You to Get a Heat Pump

Wired [read free]: “You need a heat pump, ASAP. Now nine states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of this climate superhero. Nine states have signed a memorandum of understanding that says that heat pumps should make up at least 65 percent of residential heating, air conditioning, and water-heating shipments by 2030. (“Shipments” here… Continue Reading

Secondhand EVs Are Starting to Look Like a Bargain

Bloomberg – The energy transition will falter unless consumers feel more comfortable about buying a used battery-powered vehicle. “You need at least £79,000 ($99,000) to buy a new electric Porsche Taycan in the UK; higher-specification versions of these sporty sedans cost tens of thousands more. However, three-year old Taycans are now available for less than… Continue Reading