[Source: Forbes] Over the last decade, journalists have held up Germany’s renewables energy transition, the Energiewende, as an environmental model for the world. “Many poor countries, once intent on building coal-fired power plants to bring electricity to their people, are discussing whether they might leapfrog the fossil age and build clean grids from the outset,” thanks Read More…
Tag: environment
Measures to reduce air pollution could make heatwaves worse, study suggests
[Source: Evening Standard] Measures aimed at lowering air pollution could in turn make heatwaves more severe, a study has suggested. Researchers believe tiny man-made particles, such as those produced by car exhausts, could have an influence on the severity of future heatwaves. A computerised model was used by scientists from the University of Edinburgh to carry out Read More…
Growing corn is a major contributor to air pollution, study finds
[Source: Jonathan Lambert, NPR Science] You’ve probably heard statistics about how our diet affects the health of the planet. Like how a beef hamburger takes considerably more water and land to produce than a veggie burger or that around a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions stem from food production. In fact, there are websites that can calculate the Read More…
Newsom’s picks for environmental protection and water chiefs will reveal his priorities
[Source: San Francisco Chronicle] One of the keys to former Gov. Jerry Brown’s success as California’s chief executive over the past eight years was the stellar group of individuals he recruited as his top environmental and water officials. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s initial, senior environmental appointments suggest that he is wisely following in Brown’s footsteps. Californians Read More…
As Trump slashes environmental regulations, the EPA union forms the crux of an internal resistance
[Source: Salon] Salon talked to the head of a government employees union about the president’s disastrous environmental policies. For all of the horrifying policies being implemented by President Donald Trump, perhaps the most terrifying prospect is the potential for his climate change attitudes to bring about to the destruction of life on Earth as we know it. As the Read More…
Democrats to target Trump environmental rollbacks if they win House
[Source: Bloomberg] Democratic lawmakers are quietly making plans to use hearings and investigations to focus attention on the Trump administration’s environmental agenda if they win control of the House of Representatives. Because they are less likely to capture the Senate, Democrats would have limited opportunities to enact laws. But they can assert themselves in the Read More…
Environmental defense fund develops methane-hunting satellite
[Source: Astrowatch.net] Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a U.S.-based nonprofit environmental advocacy group, intends to launch a new satellite designed to measure methane emissions worldwide. The spacecraft, named MethaneSAT, could offer a substantial help for countries and companies in combating global warming. MethaneSAT project was unveiled by EDF President Fred Krupp on April 11, 2018. He Read More…
Gavin Newsom, John Cox a world apart on environmental issues
[Source: San Francisco Chronicle] Gavin Newsom and John Cox both drive zero-emission Teslas. That’s about where the common ground ends between California’s candidates for governor when it comes to the environment. Until recently, Cox said he wasn’t sure how much humans contribute to climate change. “I’m not a climatologist,” the Republican candidate would say. As Read More…
Electric trucks facing long road to unseat diesel engines
[Source: Bloomberg] The next battleground for replacing fossil fuel-guzzling vehicles will be U.S. interstate highways, where long-haul trucks keep the economy moving. Electric trucks are coming, and they’ll be cleaner and cheaper to operate than conventional models that burn diesel, according to Tesla Inc., which already has prototypes on the road. Diesel advocates say range Read More…