An electric vehicle is plugged in to an EV charging station at a Walmart parking lot in Duarte, California on Sept. 14, 2018. FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP via Getty Images
Six major U.S. electricity utilities will collaborate to build a massive EV charging network across 16 states, they announced Tuesday.
<p>Transportation is the country's largest source of greenhouse gas pollution, and electrifying the sector is a major opportunity to reduce those emissions through increased efficiency and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable</a>-generated electricity. Utilities stand to benefit from massively-increased electricity demand driven by widespread EV adoption, but range anxiety — the fear of running out of battery power without being able to reach a convenient charging station — is a barrier to many customers who might purchase (or consider purchasing) an EV. </p>
<p>The newly-formed Electric Highway Coalition — made up of American Electric Power, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Entergy, Southern Company, and the Tennessee Valley Authority — is seeking to ameliorate those concerns by creating a network of charging stations from <a href="https://www.eenews.net/image_assets/2021/03/image_asset_109985_enlarged.png?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=114111450&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9k5vIAjm_YzZ_iiLXicLacXmu3hkR-wm8QCUkZ6MUcE2CDpTCR5QWgFl4mnvsc2psJ2FvfG1kuIy53LxVe4m3mSfK9Tg&utm_content=114111450&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Texas to Indiana to Virginia to Florida</a>. The announcement follows a similar initiative by major midwest utilities last year. </p>
<p>As reported by <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/major-utilities-are-gearing-up-to-install-ev-charging-s-1846399234?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=114111450&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9HybzhR2eXuuIAhGW5t1nDYlQBXogsm85KjaIBAqKCjEecjzbhS_I-8IImc5Z_7zi0Lvxx0NDvelhAlMH460owrIc7Tg&utm_content=114111450&utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">Earther</a>:</p><blockquote>"It's exciting to see utilities engaging more in this space," said Kathy Harris, the Eastern clean vehicles and fuels advocate at Natural Resources Defense Council. Harris pointed out that while utility investment in electric vehicle infrastructure "isn't a new concept," most of the billions of dollars spent around the country on it have been focused in California and the Northeast. Last year, for example, a coalition of West Coast utilities announced they're <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/west-coast-states-are-teaming-up-to-build-an-electric-h-1844080301" target="_blank">working on a plan</a> to electrify shipping routes to phase out diesel trucks.</blockquote><blockquote>The announcement didn't specify whether or not customers would have to pay for the charging stations, or how much costs could be, which actually isn't surprising given the number of different states covered by the coalition. Harris said that different states have different laws on the books regarding paying for EV charging stations. Some states require customers to pay a set dollar amount to use stations, while others have them pay directly for the electricity used.</blockquote>
<p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br/></p><p><a href="https://www.eenews.net/energywire/2021/03/03/stories/1063726475?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=114111450&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--wNKUJJ-75OCNZE0mSxD-kzxp6GUs1UvpqUFIHm5icGSolhH7A7vcAobBYSItBCem9aYPK9LLdmpT4FlXgQ_4ZbnAfLA&utm_content=114111450&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">E&E</a>, <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/facing-an-ev-boom-aep-duke-4-other-utilities-unveil-plan-for-multi-regio/596032/?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=114111450&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8jAZ14uU5cVr3hROqni1teRsPGzfdev_c0OZPXPTER5h7cUqwzteNS3EAriPF-jbINMJzGpyub45OvlJ7hPNiHeT7g1w&utm_content=114111450&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Utility Dive</a>, <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/major-utilities-are-gearing-up-to-install-ev-charging-s-1846399234?utm_campaign=Hot%20News&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=114111450&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9HybzhR2eXuuIAhGW5t1nDYlQBXogsm85KjaIBAqKCjEecjzbhS_I-8IImc5Z_7zi0Lvxx0NDvelhAlMH460owrIc7Tg&utm_content=114111450&utm_source=hs_email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Earther</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, sign up for daily </em><a href="https://www.linktrack.live/hot-news-sign-up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>, and visit their news site, </em><a href="https://nexusmedianews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Nexus Media News</em></a><em>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A technician inspects a bitcoin mining operation at Bitfarms in Saint Hyacinthe, Quebec on March 19, 2018. LARS HAGBERG / AFP via Getty Images
As bitcoin's fortunes and prominence rise, so do concerns about its environmental impact.
<p>The process of mining the cryptocurrency is enormously energy intensive, so much so that it consumes more electricity in a year than Argentina or the Ukraine, according to the latest data from the <a href="https://cbeci.org/cbeci/comparisons" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index</a>. Its energy hunger even led to a warning from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen last week, as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/22/yellen-sounds-warning-about-extremely-inefficient-bitcoin.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CNBC reported</a>.</p><p>"It's an extremely inefficient way of conducting transactions," Yellen said, "and the amount of energy that's consumed in processing those transactions is staggering."</p>
<p>Bitcoin's value rose past $50,000 two weeks ago, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/16/investing/bitcoin-50000-price-record/index.html" target="_blank">CNN Business reported at the time</a>. It was in part buoyed by the success of Elon Musk, whose electric car company <a href="http://tesla/" target="_blank">Tesla</a> made more than $900 million after buying $1.5 billion of the currency, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56215787" target="_blank">BBC News reported</a>. Its value has subsided somewhat since then, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/feb/27/bitcoin-mining-electricity-use-environmental-impact?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR32SsssuI2vJel6JIv35Rynz8rUuwDOjKG06vMdBGDQA0LuFQ389eE9B_g#Echobox=1614421164" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>. But Musk's endorsement raised a concern: How did his support of the currency meld with Tesla's <a href="https://www.tesla.com/about#:~:text=Tesla's%20mission%20is%20to%20accelerate%20the%20world's%20transition%20to%20sustainable%20energy.&text=Today%2C%20Tesla%20builds%20not%20only,energy%20generation%20and%20storage%20products." target="_blank">goal</a> of moving the world towards a "zero-emission future?"</p><p>The question is larger than Musk, of course. Bitcoin mining is energy intensive by design. There are only 21 million bitcoins that can be mined, a process that involves solving complex math problems on a computer to release new coins. When bitcoin first started in 2009, it was possible to mine for bitcoin on a normal computer. However, the currency is designed so that the fewer bitcoins left to be released, the more complicated the problems become. Now that 18.5 million bitcoins have been mined, an average computer cannot handle the calculations.</p>
<p>As the price rises, more people are motivated to get in on the action.</p><p>"They want to get that revenue," University of Chicago economics professor Gina Pieters told BBC News, "and that's what's going to encourage them to introduce more and more powerful machines in order to guess this random number, and therefore you will see an increase in energy consumption."</p><p>Pieters is part of the University of Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), which runs the bitcoin electricity use index. CCAF <a href="https://cbeci.org/" target="_blank">calculates</a> that bitcoin now uses 129.22 terawatt hours of electricity a year, according to its most recent update.</p>
<p>This doesn't necessarily mean that mining bitcoin is increasing <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/greenhouse-gas-emissions" target="_self">greenhouse gas emissions</a>. Bitcoin proponents say that the mining can be powered using <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/renewable-energy" target="_self">renewable energy</a> sources, according to The Guardian. However, the mining process does motivate miners to seek out cheap energy sources.</p><p>"The more machines a miner operates, the more likely he is to find the solution to the puzzle," the CCAF <a href="https://cbeci.org/faq/" target="_blank">explained</a>. "However, more machines also means that more electricity is needed to run and cool the equipment, which in turn results in higher costs for the miner in question. Miners are thus always searching for abundant electricity sources at the lowest possible price."</p><p>Seeking the cheapest electricity source may mean <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal" target="_self">coal</a> in many places, The Guardian pointed out. More bitcoin is mined in China than in any other country, and about two-thirds of its electricity still comes from coal.</p>
<p>The CCAF said it does not yet have the data to determine the cryptocurrency's carbon footprint, since this would require accurate assessments of the energy mix behind mining. However, it pointed out that even if all bitcoin mining was powered by coal, an unlikely scenario, it would still only account for 0.17 percent of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions. That doesn't mean bitcoin's growth isn't a concern for the attempts to combat the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate crisis</a>, however.</p><p>"There are valid concerns that Bitcoin's growing electricity consumption may pose a threat to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the future," the index wrote.</p><p>That threat increases the more bitcoin gains in popularity. Bitcoin expert and Digiconomist founder Alex de Vries told BBC News what would happen if bitcoin were adapted as a global reserve currency.</p><p>"[T]he Bitcoin price will probably be in the millions, and those miners will have more money than the entire [US] Federal budget to spend on electricity. We'd have to double our global energy production," he said. "For Bitcoin."</p>
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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A female condor above the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in Ventura County, California. Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
<p><br/></p>
<p>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) <a href="https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">estimated</a> that a median average of 234,012 birds were killed by land-based wind turbines a year as of 2017. While that number is far fewer than the 599 million killed by glass buildings and the 2.4 billion killed by cats, it is not nothing. Further, the American Bird Conservancy <a href="https://abcbirds.org/program/wind-energy-and-birds/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">warns</a> it could climb to five million a year if wind power increases to provide 35 percent of U.S. electricity.</p>
<p>Now, at least one wind energy company is trying to compensate for the damage it might cause. Avangrid Renewables is working with federal <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_self">wildlife</a> officials and the Oregon Zoo to breed <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species" target="_self">endangered</a> California condors to replace any that might be killed by its turbines, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildlife-wind-power-california-condors-2f8fc5848b6d903718593d4fc7f24409" target="_blank">The Associated Press reported Monday</a>.</p><p>"We see this as a win for condors," Amy Parsons, Avangrid's operations wildlife compliance manager, told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/01/california-condor-endangered-wind-turbines-breeding" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>.</p>
<p>Specifically, Avangrid seeks to offset any damage done by its Manzana wind power project, a 126-turbine wind farm in the Tehachapi mountains northeast of Los Angeles. The turbines have 252-foot diameter blades, which might pose a threat to the birds that have a 9.5 foot wingspan.</p><p>The farm has been open since 2012, and since that time there are no records of any condors being killed there. However, the company estimates that as many as two adult condors with two chicks or eggs each may be killed by the turbines in the next 30 years, according to The Associated Press.</p>
<p>To offset this, the company will provide more than $500,000 in funding to breed six condors over three years at the Oregon Zoo's Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation.</p><p>"We're prepared to start this condor mitigation effort as early as this spring," Oregon Zoo condor recovery lead Kelly Flaminio told The Associated Press. "Our zoo already nurtures the second-largest breeding population of condors in the nation."</p>
<p>Once raised, the condors will then be released into the wild. California condors were nearly driven to extinction by the 1980s because of hunting, habitat loss and poisoning from lead bullets left in the animals they scavenged from, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/california-condor-chick-born-2639303735.html" target="_self">as EcoWatch reported previously</a>. A breeding program has helped their populations to recover, however, and there are now more than 300 in the wild and 500 worldwide.</p><p>If no condors are killed by Avangrid's turbines, then the wild population will simply increase by six, Flaminio told The Associated Press. However, some conservationists argue that the company's plans do not go far enough.</p><p>The plan "should provide funding to raise a minimum of 30 condors to 1.5 years of age when they are released into the wild." the Center for Biological Diversity wrote in comments to the FWS.</p>
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Workers install solar panels on a house near downtown Oakland, California. Grid Alternatives
By Galen Barbose, Eric O'Shaughnessy and Ryan Wiser
Until recently, rooftop solar panels were a clean energy technology that only wealthy Americans could afford. But prices have dropped, thanks mostly to falling costs for hardware, as well as price declines for installation and other "soft" costs.
<p>Today hundreds of thousands of middle-class households across the U.S. are turning to <a href="https://emp.lbl.gov/tracking-the-sun" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">solar power</a>. But households with incomes below the median for their areas remain less likely to go solar. These low- and moderate-income households face several roadblocks to solar adoption, including cash constraints, low rates of home ownership and language barriers.</p><p>Our <a href="https://emp.lbl.gov/publications/income-trends-among-us-residential" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">team of researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory</a> examined how various policies and business models could affect the likelihood of people at all income levels adopting solar. In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-00724-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">recently published study</a>, we analyzed five common solar policies and business models to see whether they attracted lower-income households.</p><p>We found that three scenarios did: offering financial incentives to low- and moderate-income households; leasing solar panels to homeowners; and lending money to buy panels, with the loan repaid on property tax bills. All of these approaches resulted in people at a wider range of income levels trying solar energy.</p>
<h2>Solar Power for Everyone</h2><p>For over a decade our team at the Berkeley lab's <a href="https://emp.lbl.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Electricity Markets and Policy group</a> has kept tabs on trends in the rooftop solar market through our annual report, "<a href="https://emp.lbl.gov/tracking-the-sun" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tracking the Sun</a>." It documents how prices have fallen, and the number of installations has risen in U.S. solar markets.</p><p>Over the past decade rooftop solar power has grown significantly in the U.S., spreading beyond initial hot spots in California and Hawaii to states such as <a href="https://www.seia.org/research-resources/top-10-solar-states-0" target="_blank">North Carolina, Florida and New Jersey</a>. The industry projects that rapid growth will continue for the foreseeable future.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUwMTU2OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNzgyMTgyMH0.sNBN6gsNwzI9biagSAiT0Ey04xGoJb0dvnzsueOD0lc/img.png?width=980" id="57aac" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5698a7f42da3ecf5785eada2c33ac8b9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1276" data-height="644" />
Chart: The Conversation, CC BY-ND. Source: Barbose et al., 2020. Get the data
<p>More recently our researchers have combined this tracking report with data on household-level demographics and income of solar adopters, covering more than 70% of the U.S. residential solar market. Among the research products we've created is an <a href="https://solardemographics.lbl.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">online interactive tool</a> that shows the demographic characteristics of solar adoption <a href="https://emp.lbl.gov/projects/solar-demographics-trends-and-analysis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">down to the county level</a>.</p><p>Thanks to these price and growth trends, an increasing number of state and local governments, utilities and businesses want to help lower-income customers go solar. They believe solar will cut energy bills, reduce money spent on bill payment programs, avoid pollution and create green jobs.</p><p>So far, 20 states are offering 38 programs to help lower-income customers go solar. California, the largest, has budgeted over US$1 billion for such programs. A number of utilities and solar developers, like <a href="https://www.posigen.com/" target="_blank">Posigen</a> and <a href="https://gridalternatives.org/" target="_blank">GRID Alternatives</a>, are also developing business models that work for all customers. These initiatives leverage state and federal incentives to deliver free or very low-cost solar to eligible households.</p>
<div id="1fd16" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="81c311df8ff44e84e6820ee7f5f86489"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1318076805048393728" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Donnel Baird's company makes energy-saving updates to buildings almost exclusively in low-income areas. Cutting the… https://t.co/5uWGSVnu9m</div> — NPR (@NPR)<a href="https://twitter.com/NPR/statuses/1318076805048393728">1603088973.0</a></blockquote></div>
<h2>Reducing Upfront Costs</h2><p>In our study we evaluated five policies and business models to see which ones helped low- and moderate-income households go solar:</p><ul><li>Financial incentives targeted at low- and moderate-income households, usually rebates or other incentives to reduce upfront costs.</li><li>Leasing rooftop solar systems, which reduces upfront costs.</li><li>Property Assessed Clean Energy financing, or PACE, which allows customers to finance energy improvements through their property tax payments. Currently, residential PACE is available only in California, Florida and Missouri.</li><li>Financial incentives such as rebates offered to customers of any income level.</li><li>"Solarize" campaigns, in which customers band together in a group purchase to get a good price.</li></ul><p>The study includes data on more than 1 million residential rooftop photovoltaic systems installed on single-family homes in 18 states from 2010 to 2018. We compared modeled household-level income estimates for solar adopters with area median household incomes from U.S. Census data.</p><p>We found that three of the interventions – targeted incentives, leasing and PACE – effectively increased adoption equity. These approaches are boosting sales to low-income customers in existing markets and helping solar companies move into new markets, such as low-income areas where solar sales have been weak or absent.</p><p>Policies that don't address the needs and constraints of low-income households, like the federal income tax credit, have not had much effect on equity. And solarize campaigns are rarely pitched to low-income buyers.</p>
<h2>An Untapped Customer Base</h2><p>When solar expands into new markets and neighborhoods, it can have a spillover impact. If a system is installed in a neighborhood that had no solar before, neighbors who see it will be more likely to adopt it themselves. Moving into new markets may have greater potential effects on low-income adoption rates than reaching lower-income households in existing markets.</p><p>Expanding sales to low- and moderate-income households can also tap a larger base of potential customers. The U.S. National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) found in a study that <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy18osti/70901.pdf" target="_blank">42% of rooftops</a> where solar power could work are on low- and moderate-income housing.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUwMTU3My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMjE4OTAyNX0.UVbQEoxvTLZCawz6SI2FdRpydlLelnwinJ78iac6p9E/img.jpg?width=980" id="cc3d2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bfc6f221c67576352dc4aae047667ed5" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="778" />
A 2018 study estimates that installing rooftop solar systems on low- and moderate-income housing could provide up to 42% of all rooftop technical potential in the residential sector and improve energy affordability in low-income communities. NREL
<p>As the solar market grows, decisions to install solar systems are increasingly driven by the prospect of saving money, rather than strictly by green values or buyers' interest in new technologies. A survey led by NREL found that roughly half of people who decided to install solar in California, New Jersey, New York and Arizona in 2014 to 2016 <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/solar/seeds/2014-2016-study.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">identified cost savings as a primary factor in their decision to adopt solar</a>.</p><p>For low- and moderate-income households, the financial benefits of solar power can make a big difference. Many lower-income households carry a large energy burden, meaning that energy and utility costs consume a large share of their income. Across the U.S., low-income households <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-0582-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spend about three times more of their income on energy costs</a> than other households. Solar power can reduce those energy burdens by providing on-site power at a lower cost than grid electricity.</p><p>Making homes more energy efficient is an established strategy for cutting energy bills, but there's growing interest in having solar play a role. Deploying solar power for low- and moderate-income households can be a way to fulfill policy and social goals like creating jobs and improving the environment.</p><p><em>The study described in this article was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technologies Office.</em></p>
<p>
<em>Galen Barbose is a research scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.<br/>
</em><em>Eric O'Shaughnessy is a research consultant at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.<br/>
</em><em>Ryan Wiser is a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statements: Eric O'Shaughnessy is a renewable energy research analyst at Clean Kilowatts, LLC. Ryan Wiser is a board member of the Clean Energy States Alliance. </em><em>Galen Barbose does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/cheaper-solar-power-means-low-income-families-can-also-benefit-with-the-right-kind-of-help-151907" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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A plume of exhaust extends from the Mitchell Power Station, a coal-fired power plant built along the Monongahela River, 20 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, on Sept. 24, 2013 in New Eagle, Pennsylvania. The plant, owned by FirstEnergy, was retired the following month. Jeff Swensen / Getty Images
By David Drake and Jeffrey York
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.
The Big Idea
People often point to plunging natural gas prices as the reason U.S. coal-fired power plants have been shutting down at a faster pace in recent years. However, new research shows two other forces had a much larger effect: federal regulation and a well-funded activist campaign that launched in 2011 with the goal of ending coal power.
<p>We studied the retirement of U.S. coal-fired units from January 2008 to September 2016 and compared the effects of various market factors, regulations and activism on their early closure. In all, 348 coal-fired units either retired or switched to natural gas during that time.</p><p>Among the many pressures on coal power that we reviewed, a federal regulation implemented in 2015 had the biggest overall effect. The <a href="https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/2017/09/cross-state-air-pollution-rule-and-section-126-petitions/" target="_blank">Cross State Air Pollution Rule</a> requires states to reduce soot and smog pollution that blows across state lines, including from power plants. We estimate that it was responsible for reducing the expected production life of the coal power units that it affected by a total of 1,170 years.</p>
<p>Looking at coal units individually, however, we found that the <a href="https://coal.sierraclub.org/" target="_blank">Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign</a>, backed by <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2020/09/bloomberg-philanthropies-and-sierra-clubs-beyond-coal-campaign-reaches" target="_blank">over $174 million</a> to date from Bloomberg Philanthropies, had the most impact per targeted plant.</p><p>The campaign works by generating public pressure on utilities and state and local politicians to close down coal-fired units, often through targeted lawsuits. When the Beyond Coal campaign targeted a coal-fired unit, we found that the unit's life expectancy, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12618-3" target="_blank">normally 50-60 years</a>, was reduced by an average of just over two years.</p><p>The Cross State Air Pollution Rule was the second-biggest factor per individual plant, though it affected more plants. It reduced the expected life span of each coal-fired generating unit that it affected by an estimated average of about 21 months.</p><p>We were surprised to find that neither low natural gas prices nor the adoption of renewable energy significantly reduced the life of coal units. Both have been widely touted by politicians and business leaders as the market-based drivers of coal plant retirement.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMzM1Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTE0NDY2OH0.YivSnJf8zxVGrZ-tqR5DKJBuXIvMU0sK9mvoE0zOnlE/img.png?width=980" id="5a990" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f93a313d8569c2cebd38ce041d696230" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1308" data-height="924" />
<p>However, while adoption of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a> alone did not reduce coal units' life spans, the average use of each source of renewable energy in an area did have a significant impact. Coal units operating in regions with high average renewable energy use retired an average of 15 months earlier.</p><p>It is important to note that a large number of coal plants were already nearing the end of their lifecycles during this period. But through statistical modeling, we were able to isolate the impact of each of these interventions on accelerating the retirement of a given unit.</p>
<h3>Why It Matters</h3><p>A rapid transition away from carbon-intensive energy sources such as coal is essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet. Burning coal releases <a href="https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=73&t=11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">nearly twice as much carbon dioxide</a> per unit of energy produced as natural gas does, and the natural gas contribution to global warming is significant.</p><p>From 2011 through 2018, coal-fired generating capacity in the U.S. contracted by 23%. We estimate that the emissions impact of the accelerated retirements we studied was equivalent to taking <a href="https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">38 million typical passenger cars off the road</a>.</p><p>The common narrative has been that <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2021/02/08/biden-coal-energy-industry-policy-renewables-natural-gas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">market forces and economics have driven the demise of coal</a>. However, our research suggests that a continued focus on federal policy is a more effective route for reducing emissions.</p><p>The Biden administration has already <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/president-biden-takes-office/2021/01/27/960941799/biden-to-pause-oil-and-gas-leasing-on-public-lands-and-waters" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">halted new leases</a> for coal, oil and gas extraction on federal lands. And its climate task force – which includes the Cabinet-level department and agency heads – <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/02/11/readout-of-the-first-national-climate-task-force-meeting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">met in</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/11/climate/biden-climate-change.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">February</a> to start coordinating <a href="https://theconversation.com/biden-plans-to-fight-climate-change-in-a-way-no-u-s-president-has-done-before-152419" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">government-wide</a> climate change solutions. Those likely will include new regulations and could include a price on carbon.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMzM2Ny9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNjAzMTEwNn0.vvLRY5Hd-ZUC7v9FF7TAv4ea0jv2hS8gqJUzh15KJcM/img.png?width=980" id="a304a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9c74d6048af72ea038d4d550ca9f736b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1288" data-height="676" />
<h3>What's Next</h3><p>Our current work sheds light on where responsibility lies for the acceleration of coal-fired power unit retirements through late 2016.</p><p>Next, we are interested in expanding on our findings about differences between renewable energy use and initial adoption. Understanding how to increase use of renewable sources, while creating new businesses and jobs, is a critical research agenda for addressing climate change.</p>
<p>
<em>David Drake is an assistant professor of strategy, entrepreneurship and operations management at the University of Colorado Boulder.<br/>
</em>
</p><p>
<em>Jeffrey York is an associate professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Boulder.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-really-driving-coal-powers-demise-153868" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) talks to reporters during her weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on Sept. 18, 2020 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
The House of Representatives passed a sweeping bill to boost clean energy while phasing out the use of coolants in air conditioners and refrigerators that are known pollutants and contribute to the climate crisis, as the AP reported.
<p>The 900-page Clean Energy and Jobs Innovation Act passed the House in a 220-185 vote. The bill, if it were approved by the Senate and signed by the president, would increase the energy efficiency standards for building and boost research and investment in the development of solar, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric power, according to <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/518102-house-passes-sweeping-clean-energy-bill" target="_blank">The Hill</a>.</p><p>The Clean Energy and Jobs Innovation Act was crafted after negotiations with the Senate. It is full of agreed upon, "practical and achievable clean energy policies that are possible for us to achieve this year," said Frank Pallone, Democrat from New Jersey and chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, as <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/trump-veto-of-house-clean-energy-bill-likely-as-ginsburg-replacement-fight/585625/" target="_blank">Utility Drive</a> reported.</p>
<p>Pallone added that the bill would "modernize our energy system, create jobs and take positive steps towards addressing the climate crisis," as the AP reported. He called it "one of the most impactful steps we can take now to create manufacturing jobs and boost our competitiveness, all while protecting our environment."</p><p>The effort to pass the bill, however, may have been in vain. Earlier in the week, The White House said the president's advisors would suggest he veto the bill. "With the news of Justice Ginsburg's passing, I cannot even venture a guess of how the next few weeks and months may play out," said Rep. Paul Tonko, a Democrat from New York in speaking to a National Clean Energy Week symposium, according to Utility Drive.</p><p>And yet, some in Congress were somewhat hopeful that the bill had a chance of becoming law. The Hill reported that a House Democratic aide believed that if the Senate passes their similar bill, then the respective committees can work together to settle the small discrepancies between the two bills.</p>
<p>The bills that are in the House and the Senate are modest in their ambition, which House Democrats acknowledged.</p><p>"I want to give a clear-eyed assessment: This bill is not going to stop climate change," said Tonko, as the AP reported. "But it is a good opportunity to make good and sometimes necessary changes to programs, which might make it easier to do a bigger, more ambitious bill in the near future."</p><p>The National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), an advocacy group, examined the bill and praised it in a <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/marc-boom/house-bill-would-deliver-needed-steps-toward-clean-economy" target="_blank">blog post</a> as "a needed step forward to ensure future climate action will be built from a solid foundation." It added that this bill is unique from past legislation because it "has opened the door for better ideas on how to spur progress in clean energy innovation."</p>
<p>And yet, the NRDC noted that the funding for clean energy fell behind the money spent for fossil fuels and nuclear energy. "This bill is very promising but it's obvious that it won't provide the transformative change we need to win the fight against climate change and protect our environment," the NRDC wrote.</p><p>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised the bill for taking a step to thwart the climate crisis and putting the wheels in motion to start legislation aimed at climate action.</p><p>"It takes actions that scientists, researchers and experts tell us is needed by launching the research and development needed to unleash a clean energy revolution and reduce pollution in our communities, making a bold down payment for future climate action by modernizing America's energy innovation infrastructure," she said, as The Hill reported.</p>
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Michael Mann photo inset by Joshua Yospyn.
By Jeff Masters, Ph.D.
The New Climate War: the fight to take back our planet is the latest must-read book by leading climate change scientist and communicator Michael Mann of Penn State University.
<p>Published Jan. 12, 2021, <em>The New Climate War</em> describes how outright <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-denier" target="_self">denial</a> of the physical evidence of human-caused climate change simply is no longer credible. It describes in explicit detail how forces of denial and delay – fossil fuel companies, right-wing partisans, media and talking heads, and oil-funded governments – continue to profit from our dependence on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a>. It explores how they have shifted to new tactics, using "an array of powerful Ds: disinformation, deceit, divisiveness, deflection, delay, despair-mongering, and doomism."</p>
<p>In better understanding how prospects for climate action still are threatened, readers will learn fascinating climate history and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/science/">science</a>, and will be uplifted by Mann's take on how close society may be to a tipping point on solving the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate crisis</a>. "A clean energy revolution and climate stabilization are achievable with current technology," Mann writes. "All we require are policies to incentivize the needed shift."</p><p>The new Mann book consists of nine sections:</p><p>The first two chapters, "The Architects of Misinformation and Misdirection" and "The Climate Wars," outline the history of climate science denial over the years.</p>
<p><strong>The Crying Indian' and the Birth of the Deflection Campaign</strong> details how vested interests use <em>deflection</em> campaigns to defeat policies they dislike. A classic example is the iconic "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7OHG7tHrNM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Crying Indian</a>" commercial of the 1970s, which alerted viewers to accumulating glass bottle and can waste litter. The commercial was part of a successful deflection campaign by the beverage industry to blame the public rather than corporations, emphasizing individual responsibility over collective action and regulations.</p>
<p><strong></strong><strong>It's YOUR Fault</strong> describes how fossil fuel interests, using <em>deflection</em> campaigns, "are actually all too happy to talk about the environment. They just want to keep the conversation around individual responsibility, not systemic change or corporate culpability." Mann also details how deflection campaigns criticize individuals for their air travel to attend conferences.</p><p>Internet bots and trolls from oil-rich Russia are also involved in deflection campaigns, Mann writes. He writes that barbs aimed at 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton "appeared to come from the environmental left, criticizing her climate policies (for example, her position on fracking). We now know that many of those attacks were actually Russian trolls and bots seeking to convince younger, greener progressives that there was no difference between the two candidates (so they might as well stay home)." Mann writes also that Russia is believed to have helped instigate the 2018 'Yellow Vest' revolts that undercut French governmental efforts to introduce a carbon tax.</p><p>Mann describes a number of "wedge" campaigns run to divide climate advocates. He points to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/feb/21/climate-tweets-twitter-bots-analysis" target="_blank">a 2020 news story in The Guardian</a> reporting that "the social media conversation over the climate crisis is being reshaped by an army of automated Twitter bots." That article estimated that "a quarter of all tweets about climate on an average day are produced by bots," with a goal of "distorting the online discourse to include far more climate science denialism than it would otherwise."</p>
<p><strong>Put a Price on It. </strong><em><strong>Or Not.</strong></em> This chapter begins with Mann's concerns that "the fuel industry has been granted the greatest market subsidy ever: the privilege to dump its waste products into the atmosphere at no charge." When <em>implicit</em> subsidies are included like the health costs and environmental pollution damage, including the damage done by climate change, Mann writes, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-the-challenge-of-defining-fossil-fuel-subsidies" target="_blank">estimated</a> subsidies of over $5 trillion were paid in the year 2015 alone. These subsidies need to end, Mann argues, preferring a price on carbon emissions to force polluters to pay for the climate damage done by their product, fossil fuels, and a tilt giving an advantage to clean and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a> forms.</p><p>Mann rejects flat-out concerns over a potential carbon tax. For instance, he writes that "whether a carbon tax is progressive or regressive depends on how it is designed. A fee-and-dividend method, for example, returns any revenue raised back to the people."</p><p>Mann also expresses support for supply-side measures like "blocking pipeline construction, banning fracking, stopping mountain-top-removal coal mining, divesting in fossil fuel companies, and putting a halt to most new fossil fuel infrastructure."</p>
<p>In <strong>Sinking the Competition</strong>, Mann backs explicit incentives for renewable energy and elimination of incentives for fossil fuels. He says fossil fuel interests and their backers have "put their thumbs on the scale by promoting programs that favor fossil fuel energy while sabotaging those that incentivize renewables, and engaging in propaganda campaigns to discredit renewable energy as a viable alternative to fossil fuels."</p>
<p><strong>The Non-Solution Solution</strong> chapter details Mann's concerns that those opposing climate action promote "solutions" (natural gas, carbon capture, geo-engineering) that Mann argues aren't real solutions at all. "Part of their strategy is using soothing words and terms – 'bridge fuels,' 'clean coal,' 'adaptation,' 'resilience' – that convey the illusion of action but, in context, are empty promises," he writes. Mann's preferred "viable path forward on climate involves a combination of energy efficiency, electrification, and decarbonization of the grid through an array of complementary renewable energy sources. The problem is that fossil fuel interests lose out in that scenario, and so they have used their immense wealth and influence to stymie any efforts to move in that direction."</p>
<p><strong>The Truth Is Bad Enough</strong> decries obsessive pessimism and "doomism" as unhelpful to tackling the climate crisis. "Exaggeration of the climate threat by purveyors of doom – we'll call them 'doomists' – is unhelpful at best," he writes. "Indeed, doomism today arguably poses a greater threat to climate action than outright denial. For if catastrophic warming of the planet were truly inevitable and there were no agency on our part in averting it, why should we do anything?"</p>
<p><strong>Meeting the Challenge</strong> presents a summary of Dr. Mann's four-point battle plan, which he outlines in the introduction to the book:</p><p><em>Disregard the Doomsayers:</em> The misguided belief that "it's too late" to act has been co-opted by fossil fuel interests and those advocating for them, Mann argues. It's just another way of legitimizing business-as-usual and a continued reliance on fossil fuels. Overt doom and gloom arguments should be ignored.</p><p><em>A Child Shall Lead Them:</em> Youths are fighting to save their planet, and there is a moral authority and clarity in their message that only the most jaded can disregard. Youths are the game-changers climate advocates have been waiting for, and their actions, methods, and idealism are models for all.</p><p><em>Educate, Educate, Educate:</em> Most hard-core climate-change deniers are unmovable, with an ideology impervious to facts. Don't waste time and effort trying to convince them. Instead, work with and help inform victims of climate change disinformation campaigns so they can join efforts to combat the climate challenge.</p><p><em>Changing the System Requires Systemic Change:</em> Those responsible for fossil fuel disinformation engage in either-or arguments rather than address larger systemic issues and consider incentives. Policies need to incentivize shifts away from fossil fuel burning toward a clean, green global economy, and those policies warrant the support of elected leaders.</p><p>The bottom line on <em>The New Climate War</em>: The book could benefit from more graphics and cartoons as complements to its 267 pages of text. Overall, though, the book still is a must-read for every climate-savvy and climate-dependent. (Only air breathers need apply!)</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2021/01/scientist-mike-manns-must-read-book-the-new-climate-war/" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst stand at the Orion spacecraft during a visit at the training unit of the Columbus space laboratory at the European Astronaut training centre of the European Space Agency ESA in Cologne, Germany on May 18, 2016. Ina Fassbender / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
By Monir Ghaedi
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep most of Europe on pause, the EU aims for a breakthrough in its space program. The continent is seeking more than just a self-sufficient space industry competitive with China and the U.S.; the industry must also fit into the European Green Deal.
<h3>'Strategic Autonomy' in Space</h3><p>"I believe we need a more offensive and aggressive strategy," said the European Commissioner Thierry Breton as he laid out the main priorities for the EU space program over the next seven years. Breton said that the European Union must move quickly to reduce its dependence on third countries.</p>
<div id="dc9fc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e59073f4aedd26372600b247d6be1cec"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1348914516969611267" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"Enhancing Europe's strategic autonomy in space is not an option" @ThierryBreton #BBESpaceConf https://t.co/Qm9gOeUh4v</div> — Business Bridge Europe (@Business Bridge Europe)<a href="https://twitter.com/BBE_Europe/statuses/1348914516969611267">1610441257.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"Strategic autonomy" is Brussels's latest catchphrase that echoed throughout Breton's and other EU officials' speeches during the 13th European Space Conference earlier this week. As Europe plans to address economic needs within its borders, its aerospace program is set to focus inwards as well.</p><p>Breton mentioned having independent EU-wide internet coverage as another important target. Noting that "attacks on the internet are not fiction anymore," Breton explained that the EU must construct a secure broadband network.</p><p>He also emphasized that the European Commission needs to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in space, while continuing to expand its existing projects. Otherwise, he said, Galileo and Copernicus – Europe's major satellite projects – will soon become obsolete.</p><p>After these plans receive approval from European governments and the European Parliament, €15 billion ($18.2 billion) will fund space sector projects during the 2021-2027 period, in addition to current funding from national governments and private investments.</p>
<h3>Meeting the Competition and Climate Goals</h3><p>During the past decade, the number of satellite launches and space missions has surged internationally. China's lunar rover landed on the far side of the moon. Private companies in the U.S. have made rapid advancements too. SpaceX successfully returned two of its reusable rocket cores to Earth.</p><p>As vital infrastructure like transportation and communications rely more and more on space technology, there's a greater sense of urgency for the EU to realize its own space ambitions.</p><p>The continent's other pressing objective is to become carbon neutral by 2050. Expansion of EU aerospace activities – now heavily dependent on the production of metal and fuel – must comply with the European Green Deal.</p><p>Alignment of these two goals might not be straightforward, but in the view of EU officials, the space program has a role to play in fighting climate change, fostering green technologies like clean fuels and optimized farming. Additionally, data and services from space are used to constantly monitor the Earth and measure things like CO2 levels.</p><p>EU officials and entrepreneurs mentioned clean fuel production and satellite monitoring missions as two promising areas to help achieve Europe's Green Deal and other environmental targets.</p>
<h3>Clean Energy in Space and on Earth</h3><p>One of the areas in which European space companies have a leg up is the production of liquid hydrogen as fuel. When liquid hydrogen burns, it produces enough propelling force to launch a rocket, but emits only water vapor and warm air. However, it's highly energy-intensive to produce, creating a large carbon footprint. The focus of European firms working on this energy option is to mitigate the impact of liquid hydrogen production on the environment.</p><p>"Hydrogen (as fuel) is expensive today but tomorrow it will be cheap and green," said Xavier Vigor, vice president of Air Liquide, a supplier of industrial gases.</p><p>European rockets have used liquid hydrogen as their fuel for decades. ArianeGroupe, the continent's largest launcher company, aims to launch its carbon-neutral rockets running on hydrogen produced from biomass by 2030. The company also plans to bring the clean fuel to the transport industry. If they succeed, ships and airplanes will be able to travel around the globe, producing no carbon emissions.</p><p>"I am really thankful for the decisionmakers in Europe who made the decision to use hydrogen for European launchers. This was a brilliant bet," said Jean-Christophe Henoux, ArianeGroup's vice president of Future Programmes.</p>
<h3>Satellites Monitoring Climate Change</h3><p>EU officials are confident their satellite program will also help in the fight against climate change. The EU space program will continue to design missions focused on CO2 monitoring and a polar observation by its satellites.</p><p>"Satellite programs such as Galileo and Agnus have already had an important contribution to minimizing our environmental footprint," said Rodrigo da Costa, the head of the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA), in a press briefing.</p><p>Copernicus, the EU's Earth observation system, has monitored climate change since 2017, providing historical data and climate models for the future.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTQ5Nzk2MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3MjI1Njk4Mn0.PSKtNrh_kWGzH6vsGlHWBFLvLHYYGbX30YsZh5jLmuc/img.jpg?width=980" id="bcf7e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9a55c41003928d33600334310f11fbf6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="700" data-height="394" />
European satellites continue to provide data on climate change.
<p>"We believe we can create synergies between navigation and Earth observation," said da Costa. Better navigation helps shorten transportation routes, which cuts fuel consumption. This is how EU satellite programs can contribute to the implementation of the Green Deal, according to da Costa.</p><p>Full details of the European space plan have yet to be worked out. The European Commission will meet to decide on them in the coming weeks. After that, a consortium of aerospace and telecom companies will start working to operationalize the plan.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/eu-aims-to-curb-carbon-footprint-through-investment-in-space/a-56241227" target="_blank">DW</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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The Västra Hamnen neighborhood in Malmö, Sweden, runs on renewable energy. Tomas Ottosson / Wikimedia Commons / CC by 3.0
By Harry Kretchmer
By 2030, almost a third of all the energy consumed in the European Union must come from renewable sources, according to binding targets agreed in 2018. Sweden is helping lead the way.
<p>As well as targeting <a href="https://sweden.se/nature/energy-use-in-sweden/" target="_blank">100% renewable electricity production</a> by 2040, the country is <a href="https://www.buildup.eu/sites/default/files/content/transforming-a-residential-building-cluster-into-electricity-prosumers-in-sweden.pdf" target="_blank">transforming homes into highly efficient 'prosumers'</a> - buildings which both produce and consume the vast majority of their own energy.</p><p><span></span>Meanwhile local 'district heating' plants are using excess heat to produce <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421520304080" target="_blank">over 75% of the warmth that Swedish households need</a>. The country also manages to combine the world's highest carbon taxes with <a href="https://www.thelocal.se/20200124/why-electricity-prices-are-low-in-sweden-right-now" target="_blank">relatively cheap energy prices</a>.</p><p>These are all reasons why Sweden tops the <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Fostering_Effective_Energy_Transition_2020_Edition.pdf" target="_blank">Forum's Energy Transition Index</a> - providing environmental leadership at a time when a <a href="https://www.weforum.org/great-reset/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Great Reset</a> has never been more needed. Here's how Sweden is building up local solutions in its energy revolution.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQzMzEyOS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1OTU2OTQ1Nn0.lCCzsNTLPm6fhSrx0TYLxHqceeW6KKm2_uItDuHATEc/img.png?width=980" id="a42bf" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3bdefd81caddfc39dd77bf3e0ca9b203" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="643" data-height="426" />
Sweden is a world leader in renewable energy consumption. Swedish Institute/World Bank
Naturally Warm
<p>54% of Sweden's power comes from renewables, and is helped by its geography. With plenty of moving water and 63% forest cover, it's no surprise the <a href="https://sweden.se/nature/energy-use-in-sweden/#" target="_blank">two largest renewable power sources</a> are hydropower and biomass. And that biomass is helping support a local energy boom.</p><p>Heating is a key use of energy in a cold country like Sweden. In recent decades, as fuel oil taxes have increased, the country's power companies have turned to renewables, like biomass, to fuel local 'district heating' plants.</p><p>In Sweden these trace their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544217304140#fig3" target="_blank">origins back to 1948</a>, when a power station's excess heat was first used to heat nearby buildings: steam is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/district-heating-system" target="_blank">forced along a network of pipes</a> to wherever it's needed. Today, there are around 500 district heating systems across the country, from major cities to small villages, providing heat to homes and businesses.</p><p>District heating used to be fueled mainly from the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544217304140" target="_blank">by-products of power plants</a>, waste-to-energy plants and industrial processes. These days, however, Sweden is bringing more renewable sources into the mix. And as a result of competition, this localized form of power is now the country's<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544217304140#fig3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> home-heating market leader.</a></p><img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQzMzE0OC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxOTk2MDE5NH0.AtGztm8u1Chy4nEcQ4YG0L7Vixfc4a0VhxJ9RM3ZlPc/img.png?width=980" id="a3224" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bd8e92706785ef8c7aadb1319d23007d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="753" data-height="500" />
Sweden is using smart grids to turn buildings into energy producers. Huang et al/Elsevier
Energy ‘Prosumers’
<p>But Sweden doesn't stop at village-level heating solutions. Its new breed of energy-generation takes hyper-local to the next level.</p><p>One example is in the city of Ludivika where 1970s flats <a href="https://www.buildup.eu/sites/default/files/content/transforming-a-residential-building-cluster-into-electricity-prosumers-in-sweden.pdf" target="_blank">have recently been retrofitted with the latest smart energy technology</a>.</p><p>48 family apartments spread across 3 buildings have been given photovoltaic solar panels, thermal energy storage and heat pump systems. A micro energy grid connects it all, and helps charge electric cars overnight.</p><p>The result is a cluster of 'prosumer' buildings, producing rather than consuming enough power for 77% of residents' needs. With <a href="http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1232060/FULLTEXT01.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">high levels of smart meter usage</a>, it's a model that looks set to spread across Sweden.</p><div id="d7bf9" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8757b138d5570bec9d6aad18074a429a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1273556364263071744" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Read more about Western Harbour and book a visit: https://t.co/ujSmVs9rNK 🏡🌳🌊 https://t.co/C5PuPziqIM</div> — Smart City Sweden (@Smart City Sweden)<a href="https://twitter.com/SmartCitySweden/statuses/1273556364263071744">1592474473.0</a></blockquote></div>
Scaling Up
<p>A recent development by E.ON in Hyllie, a district on the outskirts of Malmö, southern Sweden, <a href="https://www.eonenergy.com/blog/2019/February/sweden-smart-city" target="_blank">has scaled up the smart grid principle</a>. Energy generation comes from local wind, solar, biomass and waste sources.</p><p>Smart grids then balance the power, react to the weather, deploying extra power when it's colder or putting excess into battery storage when it's warm. The system is not only more efficient, but bills have fallen.</p><p>Smart energy developments like those in Hyllie, Ludivika, and renewable-driven district heating, offer a radical alternative to the centralized energy systems many countries rely on today.</p><p>The EU's leaders have a challenge: how to generate 32% of energy from renewables by 2030. Sweden offers a vision of how technology and local solutions can turn a goal into a reality.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Matteo Colombo / Moment / Getty Images
For nearly 100 years, the Empire State Building has stood as a testament to the industriousness and economic power of the United States. Now, it can also be considered a beacon for the future of sustainable energy. Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) signed a deal in early February to convert the Empire State Building, along with all of its other real estate holdings, to 100% renewable energy.
<p>ESTR is working with Green Mountain Energy to purchase renewable power equivalent to its entire real estate portfolio for the next three years, according to a <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/empire-state-realty-trust-becomes-nations-largest-100-user-of-green-power-in-real-estate-301221569.html" target="_blank">press release</a>. This newfound commitment emerged after success in a 10-year partnership with Green Mountain Energy to supply the Empire State Building with renewable energy. In 2011, the building went under massive renovations to bring it up to the latest standards in green energy and technology. This retrofit created a 40% reduction in energy use and emissions for the skyscraper. Now, ESTR is ready to bring that change to the rest of its properties in New York, Connecticut, and surrounding areas. </p>
<p>Commercial buildings are a leading consumer of non-renewable energy, accounting for <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/about-commercial-buildings-integration-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">35% of total electricity use</a> in the U.S. and 16% of all carbon dioxide emissions in the country. Unfortunately, <a href="https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">only 2% of the nation's renewable energy</a> goes to commercial buildings, as compared to 7% in residential and 22% in industrial sectors. Without leaders in the commercial space switching to renewables, this trend is likely to continue.</p>
<p>However, ESTR is trying to change the course of renewables in the commercial sector. By switching their entire portfolio to wind energy purchased from Green Mountain Energy, they estimate a reduction of nearly 450 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from their properties. They will also become the biggest investor in renewable energy in the real estate industry with this partnership.</p>
ESTR is Investing in the Economic and Environmental Future
<p>ESTR's properties throughout the Northeast will not be directly powered by wind energy from Green Mountain Energy. Instead, Green Mountain will ensure that an equivalent amount of energy used by the Empire State Building and other holdings will be produced throughout the U.S. This not only reduces the nation's environmental footprint but provides access to sustainable energy to areas that could otherwise not afford such an investment.</p> <p>This is a major step forward in New York City's commitment to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-york-fossil-fuel-divestment-2524494059.html" target="_self">divesting fossil fuels</a>. In 2018, the city decided to <a href="https://comptroller.nyc.gov/newsroom/climate-action-mayor-comptroller-trustees-announce-first-in-the-nation-goal-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">file lawsuits</a> against several major fossil fuel companies directly contributing to the climate crisis. They also decided to divest the city's pension funds from fossil fuel companies and reserve owners. To celebrate, the Empire State Building glowed green from its peak to show support for the mayor's decision.</p><p>However, ESTR knows it's not just the sustainable choice to switch to green energy -- it's also the most economical. Cyndy Reynolds, commercial sales director for Green Mountain Energy, explains that the deal was made based on a competitive rate structure just as much as it was for environmental factors: "When you have someone like ESRT who you know is going to look at every facet, whether it's cost or reliability, and they decide to move forward … it's not just a PR play at that point...It truly does check the boxes of all the business metrics they have."</p><p>Green Mountain Energy focuses on wind energy production, which is not only the most prevalent form of renewable energy in the U.S. but also the cheapest. <a href="https://www.lazard.com/perspective/lcoe2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Studies</a> by financial advisory firm Lazard confirm that wind energy is more affordable to manufacture than almost all kinds of non-renewable energy, even excluding government subsidies. They report that wind can cost as little as $9 per 1,000 kilowatt-hours; whereas natural gas power typically costs $23 per kilowatt-hour when tax incentives and subsidies are equalized. Plus, research suggests that there will be an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/wind-power-costs-2478701894.html" target="_self">additional 50% decrease</a> in wind energy costs in the next 10 years.</p><p>Anthony Malkin, ESTR's chief executive, believes that the best approach to converting the country to renewables is through market action rather than government action. "We're trying to move the market with capital, rather than through a policy mandate," he said.</p><p>Through ESRT's actions, they are proving that the switch to renewables is not only for good press, but also good for business. To learn more about the Empire State Realty Trust commitment to sustainability, <a href="https://www.empirestaterealtytrust.com/about-us/sustainability/" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p>
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As Kerry Touts U.S. Climate Diplomacy, Biden Is Urged to End Dirty Energy Subsidies
26 January
Politics
Activists rally on Jan. 19, 2021 in New York City to demand that U.S. President Joe Biden take immediate executive action to "Build Back Fossil Free." Lev Radin / Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images
By Kenny Stancil
While President Joe Biden's top climate envoy John Kerry told world leaders at a virtual climate summit that the U.S. will fulfill its commitment to provide financial support to developing countries as they grapple with the deadly consequences of a warming planet, campaigners are urging the U.S. to follow the lead of European Union officials who on Monday pledged to stop subsidizing fossil fuels and instead invest in a just transition toward clean energy.
<p>"Ending government support for fossil fuels is a no-brainer," Laurie van der Burg of Oil Change International said Monday in a <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/01/25/eu-foreign-ministers-commit-push-end-fossil-fuel-subsidies-and-finance-pressure" target="_blank">statement</a> responding to the EU's newly stated commitment to phasing out dirty energy subsidies and helping to fund a global push toward renewable energy. "Globally, governments are still propping up fossil fuels with huge sums of public money, behavior that is incompatible with keeping global warming below 1.5ºC."</p><p>Oil Change International's Collin Rees said that "today's commitment by the EU to end overseas investment in oil, gas, and coal projects is yet another indication that the fossil fuel era is over. As a new administration takes power in Washington, this is a powerful signal that clean energy is ascendant and that the EU stands willing to work with President Biden and others to end all finance for dirty energy."</p>
<p>Noting that Biden "has committed to end fossil fuel subsidies and dirty energy finance," van der Burg pointed out that the UK in December "announced an end to their overseas public finance for fossil fuel."</p><p>According to van der Burg, "This creates a powerful opportunity for the EU, UK, and U.S. to collaborate to finally end government-backed finance for oil, gas, and coal ahead of the UK-hosted UN climate summit in November."</p><p>Rees argued that "Biden should act boldly on his campaign commitments to end finance for dirty energy projects."</p>
<p>"By building on past commitments to end coal finance and extending this to oil and gas," Rees added, "Biden can join the EU and UK in transforming international finance to address the challenges of the next century, not prop up the remnants of the last century's infrastructure."</p><p>Speaking at the Netherlands-hosted Climate Adaptation Summit just days after Biden issued an executive order <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/20/after-incredible-first-steps-kxl-and-paris-biden-urged-go-further-climate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">re-entering</a> the 2015 <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a> — the emissions reduction treaty the country had <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/04/us-officially-quits-paris-accord-amid-election-uncertainty-progressives-say-make" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">abandoned</a> under former President Donald Trump — Kerry said the U.S. "was 'proud to be back' in the global climate discussion," Reuters<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-summit-netherlands/u-s-proud-to-be-back-in-climate-fight-kerry-tells-leaders-idUSKBN29U1N8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> reported </a>Monday.</p><p>"We intend to make good on our climate finance pledge," Kerry said. According to Reuters, the U.S. "has delivered only $1 billion of the $3 billion it pledged under former President Barack Obama to the UN Green Climate Fund, set up to help vulnerable countries transition to clean energy and adapt to a warmer future."</p><p>Three billion dollars is a tiny fraction of what impoverished countries will need to shield their populations from the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/18/no-vaccine-climate-change-coronavirus-has-been-disastrous-says-red-cross-global" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">risks</a> of heatwaves, droughts, fires, floods, and other disasters that have intensified as a result of <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/14/planet-earth-says-noaa-just-had-its-hottest-september-record" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">global warming</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/adaptation-gap-report-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According to</a> a UN report published earlier this month, developing countries alone will need to spend roughly $70 billion per year to combat the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-crisis">climate crisis</a>, and those annual costs could surge to $140 billion to $300 billion by 2030 and $280 billion to $500 billion by 2050.</p><p>Kerry said the Biden administration "also intends to make significant investments in climate action" in the U.S. and abroad, Reuters reported. "He did not give details about those investments, but promised Washington would soon announce a new target for reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that 'meets the urgency of the challenge.'"</p><p>Given that the world's most vulnerable people who have done the least to contribute to the climate emergency are likely to bear the brunt of the damage unless drastic steps are taken to transform society, as well as the disproportionate role played by rich nations — and especially the <a href="http://whygreeneconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Kenner-2016.-Reducing-inequality-and-carbon-footprints-within-countries.pdf" target="_blank">wealthy classes within them</a> — in causing the crisis, climate justice advocates have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/12/02/un-chief-pleads-stronger-climate-policies-end-suicidal-addiction-fossil-fuels" target="_blank">called</a> on affluent countries that are capable of doing more to step up.</p>
<p>Van der Burg emphasized the importance of wealthy nations taking action domestically — not just in the international arena of climate finance — to drastically reduce emissions and address the root causes of climate disruption.</p><p>Although referring specifically to the EU, her message applies as well to the UK and the U.S.: "For effective diplomacy on this issue, the EU must take action at home, and close loopholes for continued EU support for fossil fuels, including for gas," she <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2021/01/25/eu-foreign-ministers-commit-push-end-fossil-fuel-subsidies-and-finance-pressure" target="_blank">said</a>. "For the EU to lead this agenda at the international level, it must set the right example and phase out all government support for fossil fuels."</p><p>In a letter to Kerry and other world leaders ahead of Monday's climate summit, a group of 3,000 scientists <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-summit-netherlands/u-s-proud-to-be-back-in-climate-fight-kerry-tells-leaders-idUSKBN29U1N8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">warned</a> that if governments fail to adequately invest in climate change mitigation and adaptation now, "the results will be increasing poverty, water shortages, agricultural losses, and soaring levels of migration with an enormous toll on human life."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/01/25/kerry-touts-us-commitment-climate-diplomacy-biden-urged-follow-eu-lead-ending-dirty" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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New Zealand’s Ardern Pledges 100% Renewable Energy by 2030 if Her Labour Party Wins Next Month’s Election
14 September 2020
Politics
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern prepares to speak at a Business NZ Election Conference on Sept. 11, 2020. Hannah Peters / Getty Images
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has promised to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 if her party wins re-election in October.
<p>In announcing the new pledge Thursday, Ardern tied the goal to a green recovery from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_self">coronavirus</a>, <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/jacinda-ardern-pledges-to-end-non-renewable-energy-generation-by-2030-if-she-s-re-elected?fbclid=IwAR3mHKgNevjrgvI86bFFCtcEQwgO61svpkLr33eP2CqokGOqfPYQQT1Gg-o" target="_blank">SBS News reported</a>.</p><p>"The COVID-19 economic recovery represents a once in a generation opportunity to reshape New Zealand's energy system to be more renewable, faster, affordable and secure," she said.</p>
<div id="5ea56" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d3959186ce8c9cef202e8b35f654c91e"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1303865299951779841" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">#BREAKING: We’ve just released our clean energy policy, which outlines that if re-elected we will bring forward our… https://t.co/xgc78zxlHb</div> — New Zealand Labour (@New Zealand Labour)<a href="https://twitter.com/nzlabour/statuses/1303865299951779841">1599700686.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Ardern's pledge ups her Labour Party's previous goal of phasing out non-renewable energy by 2035. New Zealand currently produces 84 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, according to the government. However, these only account for 40 percent of the energy actually used in the country, since it still imports <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal" target="_self">coal</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil" target="_self">oil</a> from outside.</p><p>The promise is part of Labour's broader clean energy policy, <a href="https://www.labour.org.nz/release-renewable-electricity-generation-2030" target="_blank">unveiled Thursday</a>. The plan also includes electrifying transportation and industry, investing in new technologies like green hydrogen, working to make energy more affordable and spending an additional $70 million on a pumped hydro storage solution for dry years.</p>
<div id="d95b4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cbbf9c0e9f36a745d129ad5ba04ef870"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1303865428200968192" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">...and accelerating the electrification of transport and industrial sectors to position New Zealand as a world lead… https://t.co/zeEpDqeYyw</div> — New Zealand Labour (@New Zealand Labour)<a href="https://twitter.com/nzlabour/statuses/1303865428200968192">1599700717.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"We are setting ourselves the new goal of 2030, five years earlier than our previous goal, for us to become one of the few nations in the world with 100 percent renewable electricity," Labour energy spokesperson Megan Woods said in the announcement.</p><p>As of 2018, Iceland and Paraguay received 100 percent of their energy from renewable sources, while Costa Rica got 99 percent, <a href="https://archive.thinkprogress.org/a-100-percent-renewable-grid-isnt-just-feasible-its-already-happening-28ed233c76e5/" target="_blank">Think Progress reported</a>. At the time, New Zealand's South Island was also entirely powered by renewable energy.</p>
<p>Ardern has emerged as a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_self">climate</a> leader since taking office in 2017. She vowed to focus on addressing the climate crisis <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-zealand-trees-2500765147.html" target="_self">during her first campaign</a>, and announced a plan to plant 100 million trees a year upon taking power. During her tenure, she oversaw the passage of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-zealand-zero-emissions-2641247378.html" target="_self">New Zealand's Zero Carbon Bill</a>, which set the country a 2050 deadline for carbon neutrality and committed it to the goals of the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris agreement</a>.</p><p>However, New Zealand's Green Party said that Labour's clean energy plan did not go far enough. While the Green Party plan also set a 2030 deadline for 100 percent renewable energy, it included further measures such as making it cheaper for people to switch to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar" target="_self">solar</a> and ending permits for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> extraction.</p>
<div id="02383" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6fa8679dfe5aa9767e7b3f714c2764a6"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1303876360578822144" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Read our bold energy plan here: https://t.co/eCJXAbl4FZ
#nzpol</div> — Green Party NZ (@Green Party NZ)<a href="https://twitter.com/NZGreens/statuses/1303876360578822144">1599703323.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The National Party, <a href="https://www.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/political-parties/" target="_blank">Labour's current opposition</a>, said the party's energy plan would lose jobs and raise electricity costs by as much as 40 percent.</p><p>"This is a policy that will cost thousands of jobs and put even more people on to the unemployment benefit," National Party leader Judith Collins <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/425709/labour-promises-100-percent-renewable-electricity-generation-by-2030" target="_blank">told RNZ</a>. However, the party still said it wanted more renewable energy.</p><p>Ardern, meanwhile, touted the new renewable energy goal as a job creator.</p><p>"Investment in renewable energy is also jobs rich. Our plan will creating new jobs and develop the high skill workforce our future economy needs to thrive," she said in the plan announcement. "Labour's Clean Energy Plan is a critical element of Labour's wider COVID-19 recovery plan that will both prepare New Zealand for the future while boosting jobs and the economy now."</p><p>The election, which was delayed because of the coronavirus, is slated to take place Oct. 17, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/09/jacinda-ardern-begins-new-zealand-election-tour-at-parents-house-so-they-can-babysit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. Labour is currently favored to win, and may even gain enough seats that it can govern on its own without having to form a coalition. During Ardern's current tenure, Labour governed with <a href="https://www.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/political-parties/new-zealand-first-party/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New Zealand First</a>, with the Green Party <a href="https://www.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/political-parties/green-party/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">offering support</a> through a Confidence and Supply Agreement.</p>
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