Via the Washington Post article – Consumers’ Checkbook – 65 Things You (Probably) Shouldn’t Pay For – “Let’s face it: We often waste money on stuff we don’t really need. Five-dollar lattes. Top-of-the-line appliances and granite countertops to plate up takeout and microwave frozen meals from Trader Joe’s. Golfing gear. Home theaters. Designer clothes, shoes, and… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Energy
Google launches new features to help users shrink their carbon footprints
The Verge: “Google announced a suite of new features that it says will help people who use their platforms make more sustainable choices. The new services focus on reducing planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions and are primarily found on Search, Maps, Travel, and Nest. But before we get into the details of how their new tools… Continue Reading
Massachusetts is Pouring Billions into a Gas System that Will Be Obsolete
New Report Uncovers Opportunity to Fund Energy Transition – Boston, MA — “Today the Gas Leaks Allies release the first in-depth analysis of a massive Massachusetts program—the Gas System Enhancement Program (GSEP)— to accelerate the replacement of leak-prone gas pipes. The report, GSEP at the Six-Year Mark: A Review of the Massachusetts Gas System Enhancement Program, finds… Continue Reading
New study shows that drought could shut down the biggest US Hydro Plants in the next few years
“According to newly-released projections from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations, there’s a significant chance that both Lake Powell and Lake Mead — the largest hydroelectric power sources in the country — will stop working in the next few years.” “Five-year projections of future conditions, currently through 2026, in the Colorado River system are typically updated… Continue Reading
Regeneration Banking & Finance Fossil Fuels
Banking on Climate Chaos – Fossil Fuel Finance Report 2021: “This report analyzes fossil fuel financing from the world’s 60 largest commercial and investment banks — aggregating their leading roles in lending and underwriting of debt and equity issuances — and finds that these banks poured a total of $3.8 trillion into fossil fuels from… Continue Reading
They Knew: How the U.S. Government Helped Cause the Climate Crisis
Yale Environment 360 – “James Gustave Speth has been calling for action on climate since serving in the White House in the 1970s. In an e360 interview, he talks about his new book, which chronicles how successive U.S. administrations repeatedly failed to act in response to scientists’ increasingly dire warnings. Few people have followed the… Continue Reading
Solar Energy Could Power 40% of US Electricity by 2035
Energy.gov: “The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released the Solar Futures Study detailing the significant role solar will play in decarbonizing the nation’s power grid. The study shows that by 2035, solar energy has the potential to power 40% of the nation’s electricity, drive deep decarbonization of the grid, and employ as much as… Continue Reading
New State of the Climate report confirmed 2020 among three warmest years in records
“…New high temperature records were set across the globe. The report found that the major indicators of climate change continued to reflect trends consistent with a warming planet. Several markers such as sea level, ocean heat content, and permafrost once again broke records set just one year prior. Notably, carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the… Continue Reading
Greenhouse gas emissions must peak within 4 years, says leaked UN report
The Guardian: “Global greenhouse gas emissions must peak in the next four years, coal and gas-fired power plants must close in the next decade and lifestyle and behavioural changes will be needed to avoid climate breakdown, according to the leaked draft of a report from the world’s leading authority on climate science. Rich people in… Continue Reading
Most of the power sector’s emissions come from a small minority of plants
Ars Technica – Shutting down the worst 5% would cut electricity’s carbon emissions by 75%. “…It should surprise nobody that all the worst offenders are coal plants. But the distribution of the highest polluting plants might include a bit of the unexpected. For example, despite its reputation as the home of coal, China only has… Continue Reading
Taking Stock: A global assessment of net zero targets
Black, R., Cullen, K., Fay, B., Hale, T., Lang, J., Mahmood, S., Smith, S.M. (2021). Taking Stock: A global assessment of net zero targets, Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit and Oxford Net Zero “In this report we present what is, we believe, the first systematic analysis of significant emitters, looking at the robustness of net… Continue Reading
World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency 2021
BioScience: World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency 2021 – Published 28 July 2021 “In 2019, Ripple and colleagues (2020) warned of untold suffering and declared a climate emergency together with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from 153 countries. They presented graphs of planetary vital signs indicating very troubling trends, along with little progress by… Continue Reading
