'Basic peer pressure’: The plan to turn out millions of pro-climate voters in the 2024 U.S. election:
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| 'Basic peer pressure’: The plan to turn out millions of pro-climate voters in the 2024 U.S. election - Yale Climate Connections - Policy |
Apr 24 · Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Yale Climate Connections
With the November election fast approaching, political campaigns across the country are targeting that most coveted of groups: “likely voters.” Once identified, most campaigns inundate them with mailers, phone calls, and advertisements.
But the Environmental Voter Project flips conventional campaign wisdom. The nonprofit goes after those with voting records so dismal they’re written off by other campaigns. The Environmental Voter Project’s founder and director Nathaniel Stinnett believes there’s gold in those “unlikely voter” rolls, and his ... Read more ...
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'Just do it!’ Wisconsin couple built a net-zero home:
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| 'Just do it!’ Wisconsin couple built a net-zero home - Yale Climate Connections - Energy |
Apr 25 · Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Yale Climate Connections
A few years ago, Jacqueline Freidel and her husband built their new home near Madison, Wisconsin, complete with four bedrooms and an open-concept floor plan.
But the couple’s house has a hidden feature - it runs entirely on electricity and is net-zero, meaning it produces just as much energy as it uses every year.
Freidel: “If you were walking by and didn’t know anything about the house, you might not even guess that it is net-zero energy and all-electric.”
Freidel is an energy efficiency consultant. But she says anyone can build a net-zero ... Read more ...
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'Leave politics to the politicians’: why rural Queensland is a hotbed of renewable energy:
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| 'Leave politics to the politicians’: why rural Queensland is a hotbed of renewable energy - Guardian - Energy |
Apr 2 · Agriculture was once king in Glen Beasley’s neighbourhood on Queensland’s Darling Downs, a vast agricultural area about 200km west of Brisbane. “It was all grain, beef, timber and a bit of coal,” he says.
Then a high voltage power line was built through his family farm outside Chinchilla in 1984. The whispers of gas came with the turn of the millennium, and by the early 2010s, the coal seam gas industry was booming. Gas company Arrow Energy now holds a tenement over his property and a few doors down, there’s a coal seam gas waste facility.
“Now we have traffic lights in town, more shops, and there’s a lot more people around,” Glen’s wife, Barbara Beasley, says. “But when ... Read more ...
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'Privileged access’: pro-plastic lobbyists at UN pollution talks increase by a third:
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| 'Privileged access’: pro-plastic lobbyists at UN pollution talks increase by a third - Guardian - Energy |
Apr 2 · Fossil fuel and petrochemical campaigners at Ottawa summit outnumber scientists, EU and Indigenous delegates
The number of fossil fuel and petrochemical industry lobbyists has increased by more than a third at UN talks to agree the first global treaty to cut plastic pollution, analysis shows.
Most plastic is made from fossil fuels via a chemical process known as cracking, and 196 lobbyists from both industries are at the UN talks in Ottawa, Canada, where countries are attempting to come to an agreement to curb plastic production as part of a treaty to cut global plastic waste, according to analysis by the Center for International Environmental Law (Ciel).
The 196 ... Read more ...
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A better way to predict Arctic riverbank erosion:
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| A better way to predict Arctic riverbank erosion - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · But there's a caveat to this concern: Existing models have predicted a more dramatic rate of Arctic riverbank erosion than has actually been observed. In a new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, Madison Douglas and Michael Lamb set out to determine why.
To do this, the team created a model that couples the movement of sediment, such as sand and mud, with permafrost thaw to determine riverbank erosion. The model better reproduces erosion observations on parts of the Yukon River in Alaska. This is because in real-world scenarios, the rate of erosion is slowed by an insulating layer of thawed sediment. Rather than the warmer river water ... Read more ...
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A Call for Climate Justice at the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights:
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| A Call for Climate Justice at the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights - Union of Concerned Scientists - Global Warming |
Apr 25 · This week, the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights (IACHR) started to hear testimony at the University of the West Indies, near Bridgetown, Barbados, addressing one of the most pressing global issues of our time: climate change and its implications on human rights. Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) Research Scientist Carly Philips (pictured on the left above) testified on April 24. With dozens testifying over three packed days, the court heard powerful statements focused on impacts to small nation-states, connections between climate and health, calls for intergenerational justice, and - the focus of UCS’s input - state obligations to reduce corporate emissions. All testimony was ... Read more ...
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A Chemical Mystery Solved -- The Reaction Explaining Large Carbon Sinks:
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| A Chemical Mystery Solved -- The Reaction Explaining Large Carbon Sinks - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · A mystery that has puzzled the scientific community for over 50 years has finally been solved. A team from Linköping University, Sweden, and Helmholtz Munich have discovered that a certain type of chemical reaction can explain why organic matter found in rivers and lakes is so resistant to degradation. Their study has been published in the journal Nature.
"This has been the holy grail within my field of research for over 50 years," says Norbert Hertkorn, scientist in analytical chemistry previously at Helmholtz Munich and currently at Linköping University.
Let us take it from the beginning. When, for example, a leaf detaches from a tree and falls to the ground, ... Read more ...
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A shade closer to more efficient organic photovoltaics:
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| A shade closer to more efficient organic photovoltaics - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · Semitransparent photovoltaics are able to convert sunlight into electricity without blocking visible light. This makes them attractive for building integrated applications, such as windows, facades and greenhouses.
Unlike traditional silicon-based cells, organic photovoltaics can be flexible and can also be tailored to be transparent. Yet the more transparent the solar cell, the less light it captures for producing electricity.
Organic solar cells typically rely on an active layer called a bulk heterojunction—comprised of electron donor and acceptor materials—to capture and convert sunlight. Upon contact, sunlight can excite electrons to higher energy states ... Read more ...
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Activist groups not directly involved in Tiwi Island lawsuit must hand over documents to Santos, court rules:
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| Activist groups not directly involved in Tiwi Island lawsuit must hand over documents to Santos, court rules - Guardian - Energy |
Apr 2 · Broad terms of subpoenas a 'chilling’ precedent that could undermine future climate litigation, legal experts say
A federal court judge has allowed Santos to subpoena paperwork held by three activist groups who were not directly involved in a lawsuit against the oil company.
Justice Natalie Charlesworth ruled on Wednesday afternoon that Santos could pursue financial records and communications between activist groups – Sunrise, Jubilee Australia and the NT Environment Centre – and the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) in order to determine whether the company will also pursue the campaign organisations for costs for the lawsuit carried out by the EDO on behalf of Tiwi ... Read more ...
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Africa's megacities threatened by heat, floods, disease - action needed to start greening, adapt to climate change:
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| Africa's megacities threatened by heat, floods, disease - action needed to start greening, adapt to climate change - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · African megacities like Lagos, Nigeria (with 21 million residents) and Cairo, Egypt (with 10 million residents) are experiencing significant temperature increases due to the urban heat island effect and climate change.
Meelan Thondoo is a medical anthropologist and environmental epidemiologist who researches the health impacts of climate change in cities of fast-developing countries. She explains what cities in Africa are doing to mitigate climate change, and what further steps they need to take to protect their populations.
What health effects of climate change do African cities experience?
Currently, 3.3 billion to 3.6 billion people globally live in cities that ... Read more ...
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Airborne observations of Asian monsoon sees ozone-depleting substances lofting into the stratosphere:
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| Airborne observations of Asian monsoon sees ozone-depleting substances lofting into the stratosphere - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · The study, led by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) and NASA, found that the East Asian Monsoon delivers more than twice the concentration of very short-lived ozone-depleting substances into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere than previously reported.
"It was a real surprise to fly through a plume with all those very short-lived ozone-depleting substances," said NSF NCAR scientist Laura Pan, the lead author of the study. "These chemicals may have a significant impact on what will happen with the ozone layer, and it's critical to quantify them."
The study was published in the Proceedings of the National ... Read more ...
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Airborne single-photon lidar system achieves high-resolution 3D imaging:
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| Airborne single-photon lidar system achieves high-resolution 3D imaging - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Single-photon lidar uses single-photon detection techniques to measure the time it takes laser pulses to travel to objects and back. It is particularly useful for airborne applications because it enables highly accurate 3D mapping of terrain and objects even in challenging environments such as dense vegetation or urban areas.
"Using single-photon lidar technology on resource-limited drones or satellites requires shrinking the entire system and reducing its energy consumption," said research team member Feihu Xu from University of Science and Technology of China.
"We were able to incorporate recent technology developments into a system that, in comparison to other ... Read more ...
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Artificial intelligence helps scientists engineer plants to fight climate change:
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| Artificial intelligence helps scientists engineer plants to fight climate change - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · To design these climate-saving plants, scientists in Salk's Harnessing Plants Initiative are using a sophisticated new research tool called SLEAP—an easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) software that tracks multiple features of root growth. Created by Salk Fellow Talmo Pereira, SLEAP was initially designed to track animal movement in the lab. Now, Pereira has teamed up with plant scientist and Salk colleague Professor Wolfgang Busch to apply SLEAP to plants.
In a study published in Plant Phenomics, Busch and Pereira debut a new protocol for using SLEAP to analyze plant root phenotypes—how deep and wide they grow, how massive their root systems become, and other ... Read more ...
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Artificial Intelligence Helps Scientists Engineer Plants to Fight Climate Change:
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| Artificial Intelligence Helps Scientists Engineer Plants to Fight Climate Change - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) declared that removing carbon from the atmosphere is now essential to fighting climate change and limiting global temperature rise. To support these efforts, Salk scientists are harnessing plants' natural ability to draw carbon dioxide out of the air by optimizing their root systems to store more carbon for a longer period of time.
To design these climate-saving plants, scientists in Salk's Harnessing Plants Initiative are using a sophisticated new research tool called SLEAP -- an easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) software that tracks multiple features of root growth. Created by Salk Fellow Talmo Pereira, SLEAP was ... Read more ...
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Asian Monsoon Lofts Ozone-Depleting Substances to Stratosphere:
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| Asian Monsoon Lofts Ozone-Depleting Substances to Stratosphere - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · Powerful monsoon winds, strengthened by a warming climate, are lofting unexpectedly large quantities of ozone-depleting substances high into the atmosphere over East Asia, new research shows.
The study, led by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) and NASA, found that the East Asian Monsoon delivers more than twice the concentration of very short-lived ozone-depleting substances into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere than previously reported.
"It was a real surprise to fly through a plume with all those very short-lived ozone-depleting substances," said NSF NCAR scientist Laura Pan, the lead author of the ... Read more ...
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Australia's tall, wet forests were not open and park-like when colonists arrived - and we shouldn't be burning them:
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| Australia's tall, wet forests were not open and park-like when colonists arrived - and we shouldn't be burning them - PHYS.ORG - Biology |
Apr 24 · A key question then is: what does the evidence say about what tall, wet forests actually looked like 250 years ago? The answer matters because it influences how these forests are managed. It's also needed to guide efforts to restore them to their natural state.
In a new scientific paper, we looked carefully at the body of evidence on the natural pre-invasion state of Australian forests, such as those dominated by majestic mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans), the world's tallest flowering plant. We analyzed historical documents, First Nations Peoples' recorded testimonies and the scientific evidence.
Our analysis shows most areas of mainland mountain ash forests were likely ... Read more ...
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Balancing AI and physics: Toward a learnable climate model:
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| Balancing AI and physics: Toward a learnable climate model - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · Previous studies have demonstrated that Pangu-Weather can accurately replicate certain climate patterns like tropical Gill responses and extra-tropical teleconnections through qualitative analysis. However, quantitative investigations have revealed significant differences in wind components, such as divergent winds and ageostrophic winds, within current AI weather models. Despite these findings, there are still concerns that the importance of physics in climate science is sometimes overlooked.
"The qualitative assessment finds AI models could understand and learn spatial patterns in weather and climate data. On the other hand, the quantitative approach highlights a limitation: ... Read more ...
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Behind the billionaire climate tax:
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| Behind the billionaire climate tax - Heated World |
Apr 25 · The climate crisis is extremely unaffordable. That’s the conclusion of a new study published in Nature last week, which found that global warming will cost $38 trillion every year by 2050. For comparison, the entire global economy is about $100 trillion per year.
But one economist has a novel idea about how to pay for at least part of the bill. At a meeting of the world’s wealthiest countries and banks last week, Esther Duflo proposed that the richest people should compensate poor people for the climate damages they disproportionately caused. That money would be raised through a climate tax on billionaires and large corporations.
Duflo is the youngest person and second ... Read more ...
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Biden administration creates new rule to speed up clean energy transmission:
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| Biden administration creates new rule to speed up clean energy transmission - Greenbiz |
Apr 25 · The Department of Energy finally streamlines permitting requests and requires only one environmental impact statement for each project.
Transmission lines carrying renewable energy. Photo: Shutterstock/lovelyday12
The U.S. Department of Energy will become a "one-stop-shop" for permits for new electricity transmission projects under a rule announced by the Biden administration. The move is intended to make building green energy projects simpler and faster, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told reporters.
The rule will create a new program, the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorization and Permits (CITAP), which will be the lead agency handling permits for ... | By Leah Garden Read more ...
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Biden Finalizes Plan To Overhaul Dirty Power Grid And Reduce Blackouts:
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| Biden Finalizes Plan To Overhaul Dirty Power Grid And Reduce Blackouts - Huffington Post |
Apr 25 · The Biden administration rolled out its plan Thursday to overhaul the United States’ aging patchwork of fossil-fueled electrical grids, finishing work on a suite of regulations designed to rein in rising utility bills and stem worsening blackouts while cutting planet-heating pollution from power plants.
The regulatory package includes the nation’s first-ever limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, tighter restrictions on mercury gas and coal ash, and a new way to speed up construction of badly needed transmission lines.
Paired with the billions of dollars in carrots for manufacturing, building and buying modern energy equipment that came with President Joe ... Read more ...
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Biden targets fossil fuel power sector with tough new carbon rules:
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| Biden targets fossil fuel power sector with tough new carbon rules - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · The United States on Thursday announced sweeping new rules requiring coal-fired plants to eliminate nearly all their carbon emissions or commit to shutting down altogether, a keystone of President Joe Biden's agenda to confront the climate crisis.
Hailed by environmental groups as a "gamechanger," the regulations take effect from 2032 and will also mandate that new, high capacity gas-fired plants slash their carbon dioxide output by the same amount - 90 percent - a target that would require the use of carbon capture technology.
It comes as Democratic incumbent Biden faces a tough election rematch against Republican Donald Trump in November, with climate action seen as ... Read more ...
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Black hole 'traffic jams' discovered in galactic centers by astronomers:
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| Black hole 'traffic jams' discovered in galactic centers by astronomers - PHYS.ORG - Biology |
Apr 24 · The study's findings shed light on the gravitational-wave (GW) emissions resulting from the merger of black holes, events detectable by instruments such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).
When two black holes come too close, they disturb space-time itself, emitting gravitational waves before eventually merging into one.
Dr. Evgeni Grishin, a postdoctoral research fellow from Monash University School of Physics and Astronomy who led the study, likened the phenomenon to a busy intersection without functioning traffic lights.
"We looked at how many and where we'd have these busy intersections," Dr. Grishin said.
Additionally, the ... Read more ...
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Book review: “On the Move” is a must-read account of U.S. climate migration:
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| Book review: “On the Move” is a must-read account of U.S. climate migration - Yale Climate Connections - Weather |
Apr 25 · Join Bob Henson and attribution science experts for a webinar on Friday, May 3 at 12 p.m. Eastern.
Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our newsletters.
Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Yale Climate Connections
“A climate-driven migration has already begun,” writes climate journalist Abrahm Lustgarten in his must-read book, “On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America.”
“In the United States,” he continues, “a quiet retreat from the front lines of Western wildfires and Gulf Coast hurricanes is hollowing out small towns. These are the ... Read more ...
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Can climate change accelerate transmission of malaria? New research sheds light on impacts of temperature:
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| Can climate change accelerate transmission of malaria? New research sheds light on impacts of temperature - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · In tropical and subtropical regions where malaria is prevalent, scientists are concerned that climate warming might increase the risk of malaria transmission in certain areas and contribute to further spread. However, there is still much to learn about the relationship between temperature and the mosquito and parasite traits that influence malaria transmission.
In "Estimating the effects of temperature on transmission of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum," a study published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers at the University of Florida, Pennsylvania State University and Imperial College, combined novel experimental data within an innovative ... Read more ...
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Can Climate Change Accelerate Transmission of Malaria? Pioneering Research Sheds Light on Impacts of Temperature:
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| Can Climate Change Accelerate Transmission of Malaria? Pioneering Research Sheds Light on Impacts of Temperature - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite that spreads from bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. If left untreated in humans, malaria can cause severe symptoms, health complications and even death.
In tropical and subtropical regions where malaria is prevalent, scientists are concerned that climate warming might increase the risk of malaria transmission in certain areas and contribute to further spread. However, there is still much to learn about the relationship between temperature and the mosquito and parasite traits that influence malaria transmission.
In "Estimating the effects of temperature on transmission of the human malaria parasite, ... Read more ...
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Car giants vie for EV crown at Beijing's Auto China show:
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| Car giants vie for EV crown at Beijing's Auto China show - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 25 · Chinese car giants locked in a cut-throat price war descended on the capital for the start of the Auto China show Thursday, vying to draw consumers and headlines in the world's biggest electric vehicle market and abroad.
China's EV sector has exploded in recent years, and firms are now engaged in a no-holds-barred battle to offer customers the coolest accessories at the lowest prices.
EV makers from China have made inroads into markets from Europe to Southeast Asia and Tesla's Elon Musk described them in January as "the most competitive car companies in the world".
Beijing's Auto China show, which lasts until May 4, sees dozens of firms square off in a bid to draw ... Read more ...
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Chinese automakers redefine the car as a living space at Beijing Auto Show:
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| Chinese automakers redefine the car as a living space at Beijing Auto Show - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 25 · How about turning a car's front bucket seats 180 degrees so they face the rear seats and extending out a table so the occupants can play cards or eat a meal? Or a 43-inch (109 centimeter) screen for the passengers in the back seat?
The seemingly never-ending efforts of China's electric car makers to redefine the automobile went on display Thursday at the opening of the nation's largest annual auto show. They are forcing established makers such as Volkswagen and Nissan to change the way they develop cars to remain players in what is the world's largest auto market.
Nissan joined Toyota in announcing a tie-up at the Beijing Auto Show with a major Chinese technology company ... Read more ...
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Climate Change Could Become the Main Driver of Biodiversity Decline by Mid-Century:
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| Climate Change Could Become the Main Driver of Biodiversity Decline by Mid-Century - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · Global biodiversity has declined between 2% and 11% during the 20th century due to land-use change alone, according to a large multi-model study published in Science. Projections show climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by the mid-21st century.
The analysis was led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and is the largest modelling study of its kind to date. The researchers compared thirteen models for assessing the impact of land-use change and climate change on four distinct biodiversity metrics, as well as on nine ecosystem services.
GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY ... Read more ...
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Climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by mid-century, analysis suggests:
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| Climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by mid-century, analysis suggests - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Global biodiversity has declined between 2% and 11% during the 20th century due to land-use change alone, according to a large multi-model study published in Science. Projections show climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by the mid-21st century.
The analysis was led by the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and is the largest modeling study of its kind to date. The researchers compared thirteen models for assessing the impact of land-use change and climate change on four distinct biodiversity metrics, as well as on nine ecosystem services.
Land-use change is ... Read more ...
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Climate change supercharged a heat dome, intensifying 2021 fire season, study finds:
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| Climate change supercharged a heat dome, intensifying 2021 fire season, study finds - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · A new study has revealed the extent to which human-caused climate change intensified the extraordinary event, with researchers theorizing the heat dome was 34% larger and lasted nearly 60% longer than it would have in the absence of global warming. The heat dome, in turn, was associated with up to a third of the area burned in North America that year, according to the study, published in Communications Earth & Environment.
"What happens is you get a stagnated weather pattern—it's very hot and very dry," said study author Piyush Jain, research scientist with Natural Resources Canada. "And it dries out all the vegetation and makes whatever is on the ground extremely ... Read more ...
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Deer are expanding north, and that's not good for caribou: Scientists evaluate the reasons why:
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| Deer are expanding north, and that's not good for caribou: Scientists evaluate the reasons why - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Over the past century, white-tailed deer have greatly expanded their range in North America, explains Melanie Dickie, a doctoral student with UBC Okanagan's Wildlife Restoration Ecology Lab.
In the boreal forest of Western Canada, researchers have considered that both changing climate and increased habitat alteration have enabled deer to push farther north. Climate change can create milder winters, while habitat alteration from forestry and energy exploration creates new food sources for deer.
As they conclude their study, researchers caution that what is good for the deer isn't necessarily suitable for other species, such as the threatened woodland ... Read more ...
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Did climate chaos cultivate or constrain 2023's greenery?:
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| Did climate chaos cultivate or constrain 2023's greenery? - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · In a recent publication in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, a research team led by Academician Piao Shilong from the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences at Peking University delved into the topic. The paper, titled "Vegetation Greenness in 2023," offers a detailed analysis of the interplay between vegetation greening and climate change.
The greening of vegetation is one of the most significant features of changes in the Earth's biosphere during the modern period of climate warming. Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, warming climate, and land use changes are the main drivers affecting global vegetation greening.
Under the long-term warming ... Read more ...
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Diversity and productivity go branch-in-branch: Scientists share which forests can adapt to climate change:
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| Diversity and productivity go branch-in-branch: Scientists share which forests can adapt to climate change - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · Now, a study by an international group, including Kyoto University, found that forests with higher trait diversity not only adapt better to climate change but may also thrive. The work is published in the journal Science Advances.
The study, conducted by researchers from Lakehead University, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, and Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, unveiled how tree functional trait diversity—a key aspect of biodiversity—plays a pivotal role in mitigating climate warming.
"In the face of environmental stress, these diverse trees have been shown to maintain higher productivity levels, in contrast to monoculture ... Read more ...
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DOD Combines Adaptation, Mitigation to Confront Climate Change:
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| DOD Combines Adaptation, Mitigation to Confront Climate Change - defense.gov |
Apr 23 · Official websites use .gov
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
The Defense Department is actively engaging a two-pronged approach to confront climate change by avoiding the unmanageable while at the same time managing the unavoidable, according to one DOD climate official.
Kate White Kate White, director of the Defense Department’s Climate Resilience Program, discusses how DOD is tackling climate change during remarks at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, April 23, 2024. Share: × Share Copy Link Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Download: Full Size (552.96 KB) Photo By: Courtesy photo VIRIN: ... Read more ...
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Electric cars and digital connectivity dominate at Beijing auto show:
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| Electric cars and digital connectivity dominate at Beijing auto show - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 25 · Global automakers and EV startups unveiled new models and concept cars at China's largest auto show on Thursday, with a focus on the nation's transformation into a major market and production base for digitally connected, new-energy vehicles.
Toyota and Nissan both announced tie-ups with major Chinese technology companies as they strive to meet customer demand for AI-enabled online connectivity in cars, from social media apps to autonomous driving features.
Electric vehicles accounted for about a quarter of all auto sales in China last year. Hybrids, which have trailed EVs, are expected to be a growing segment going forward.
China's largest EV maker, BYD, showed ... Read more ...
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Emperor penguins perish as ice melts to new lows: Study:
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| Emperor penguins perish as ice melts to new lows: Study - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Colonies of emperor penguin chicks were wiped out last year as global warming eroded their icy homes, a study published Thursday found, despite the birds' attempts to adapt to the shrinking landscape.
The study by the British Antarctic Survey found that record-low sea ice levels in 2023 contributed to the second-worst year for emperor penguin chick mortality since observations began in 2018.
It follows a "catastrophic breeding failure" in 2022, signaling long-term implications for the population, the study's author Peter Fretwell told AFP.
Emperor penguins breed on sea-ice platforms, with chicks hatching in the winter between late July and mid-August.
The ... Read more ...
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Energy Dept. Aims to Speed Up Permits for Power Lines:
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| Energy Dept. Aims to Speed Up Permits for Power Lines - New York Times - Climate Section |
Apr 25 · The Biden administration has expressed growing alarm that efforts to fight climate change could falter unless the electric grids are quickly expanded.
Reporting from Washington
The Biden administration on Thursday finalized a rule meant to speed up federal permits for major transmission lines, part of a broader push to expand America’s electric grids.
Administration officials are increasingly worried that their plans to fight climate change could falter unless the nation can quickly add vast amounts of grid capacity to handle more wind and solar power and to better tolerate extreme weather. The pace of construction for high-voltage power lines has sharply slowed ... | By Brad Plumer Read more ...
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Engineers uncover key to efficient and stable organic solar cells:
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| Engineers uncover key to efficient and stable organic solar cells - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 25 · Organic photovoltaics (OPV), which employs cost-effective, printable, and environmentally friendly polymer semiconductors, holds tremendous potential for generating sustainable and renewable energy. However, due to the soft nature of polymers, achieving OPV devices with both high efficiency and long operation stability has been a long-standing research challenge.
By investigating the ultrafast charge dynamics using femtosecond laser pulses, the researchers first discovered that controlling the degree of aggregation of the polymerized Y6 acceptors (Y6-PAs) plays a crucial role in promoting electricity generation.
This nanoscale percolation not only enhances charge ... Read more ...
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EPA’s New Power Plant Rules Have Dropped. What Happens Next?:
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| EPA’s New Power Plant Rules Have Dropped. What Happens Next? - Legal Planet |
Apr 25 · EPA has just issued a cluster of new rules designed to limit carbon emissions from power generators. Once upon a time, the presumption would have been that the rules would quietly go into effect, until someday a court rules on their validity. These days, we can expect a lot of action to be begin almost right away.
First, we are likely to lawsuits filed before opponents have even had a chance to read the new rules. Opponents see the new rules as vulnerable because the Supreme Court struck down Obama’s earlier rules in West Virginia v. EPA. (Here’s a brief explanation of that decision.) EPA believes - and I agree - that it has avoided the fatal flaw the Court saw in the ... Read more ...
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EU lawmakers agree to exit energy treaty over climate fears:
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| EU lawmakers agree to exit energy treaty over climate fears - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · The European Parliament on Wednesday backed the EU's withdrawal from an international energy treaty over concerns it offers too much protection to fossil fuel companies.
The Energy Charter Treaty was signed in 1994, after the end of the Cold War, to offer guarantees to investors in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
But the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said in July it was necessary to withdraw from the treaty in a coordinated manner since it is "no longer compatible" with the bloc's "enhanced climate ambition".
During a parliament vote in Strasbourg, 560 lawmakers gave the green light for a withdrawal, while 43 voted against and 27 ... Read more ...
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Extreme heat scorches Southeast Asia, bringing school closures and warnings:
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| Extreme heat scorches Southeast Asia, bringing school closures and warnings - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · Extreme heat scorched parts of South and Southeast Asia Wednesday, prompting schools across the Philippines to suspend classes, heat warnings in the Thai capital and worshippers in Bangladesh to pray for rain.
The high temperatures were recorded just a day after the United Nations said Asia was the region that suffered the most disasters from climate and weather hazards in 2023, with floods and storms the chief causes of casualties and economic losses.
Extensive scientific research has found climate change is causing heat waves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.
"It's so hot you can't breathe," said Erlin Tumaron, 60, who works at a Philippine ... Read more ...
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Five Major Climate Policies Trump Would Probably Reverse if Elected:
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| Five Major Climate Policies Trump Would Probably Reverse if Elected - New York Times - Climate Section |
Apr 26 · He has called for increased oil production and said that electric vehicles will result in an 'assassination’ of jobs.
Former President Donald J. Trump has vowed to “cancel” President Biden’s policies for cutting pollution from fossil-fuel-burning power plants, “terminate” efforts to encourage electric vehicles, and “develop the liquid gold that is right under our feet” by promoting oil and gas.
Those changes and others that Mr. Trump has promised, if he were to win the presidency again, represent a 180-degree shift from Mr. Biden’s climate agenda.
When he was president, Mr. Trump reversed more than 100 environmental protections put in place by the Obama ... | By Lisa Friedman Read more ...
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Five Things to Know About Biden’s New Power Plant Rules:
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| Five Things to Know About Biden’s New Power Plant Rules - New York Times - Climate Section |
Apr 25 · The Biden administration released a major climate regulation aimed at virtually eliminating carbon emissions from coal, the dirtiest of the fossil fuels and a driver of global warming.
The Biden administration has effectively moved to end the use of coal to keep the lights on in America. On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency released four major regulations designed to slash multiple forms of toxic and planet-warming pollution from coal-fired power plants, the nation’s dirtiest source of electricity.
The most consequential of the new rules is aimed at nearly eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from the coal plants. The other three rules would cut the emission ... | By Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman Read more ...
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Five things we learned at the China Auto Show:
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| Five things we learned at the China Auto Show - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 25 · One of China's largest auto shows kicked off in Beijing on Thursday, with electric vehicle makers keen to show off their latest designs and high-tech accessories to consumers in the fiercely competitive market.
Here are the key developments from Auto China's first day of action:
The consumer tech giant is the latest entrant to China's cut-throat EV market, with its new SU7 model the star of the show.
Less than one month after its launch, almost 76,000 pre-orders have been placed, Xiaomi said, an accumulation of orders that will take months to deliver given its current production capacity.
Xiaomi boss Lei Jun was swarmed at Auto China on Thursday by legions of ... Read more ...
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Global battery rollout doubled last year – but needs to be six times faster, says IEA:
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| Global battery rollout doubled last year – but needs to be six times faster, says IEA - Guardian - Energy |
Apr 2 · Energy watchdog warns pace must accelerate to hit targets after new batteries increased capacity by 130%
The rollout of batteries across the global electricity industry more than doubled last year but will need to be six times faster if the world hopes to meet its renewable energy targets, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
A report from the global energy watchdog found that new batteries totalling 42 gigawatts (GW) were plugged into electricity systems around the world last year, increasing total capacity by more than 130% from the year before to 85GW.
However, the IEA warned that an estimated 1,500GW of energy storage would be required worldwide ... Read more ...
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Going with the flow: Research dives into electrodes on energy storage batteries:
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| Going with the flow: Research dives into electrodes on energy storage batteries - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) have emerged as promising solutions for stationary grid energy storage due to their high efficiency, scalability, safety, near-room-temperature operation conditions, and the ability to size power and energy capacities independently. The redox reactions in a redox flow battery occur at the surfaces of the electrodes in contact with the electrolyte. Any modifications to the electrode surface can affect the electrochemical activity and affect the overall battery performance.
In an effort to extend the lifespans of VRFBs, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and collaborators from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory ... Read more ...
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Heatstroke kills 30 in Thailand this year as kingdom bakes:
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| Heatstroke kills 30 in Thailand this year as kingdom bakes - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Thailand issued fresh warnings about scorching hot weather on Thursday as the government said heatstroke has already killed at least 30 people this year.
City authorities in Bangkok gave an extreme heat warning as the heat index was expected to rise above 52 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit).
Temperatures in the concrete sprawl of the Thai capital hit 40.1 C on Wednesday and similar levels were forecast for Thursday.
A wave of exceptionally hot weather has blasted parts of South and Southeast Asia this week, prompting schools across the Philippines to suspend classes and worshippers in Bangladesh to pray for rain.
The heat index - a measure of what the ... Read more ...
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Heavy rains and flooding kill dozens as extreme weather racks Kenya:
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| Heavy rains and flooding kill dozens as extreme weather racks Kenya - Washington Post - Climate and Environment |
Apr 25 · NAIROBI - Devastating floods during Kenya’s rainy season, aggravated by climate change, have killed at least 38 people and displaced thousands as rivers burst their banks and inundated low-income neighborhoods.
Social media sites were awash Thursday with images and videos of people on rooftops of submerged houses. Residents across Nairobi neighborhoods used boats to rescue those stranded by the rising floodwaters.
Venant Ndighila, the emergency response manager of the Kenya Red Cross, said 38 deaths and 11,275 displaced people have been reported across the country. He warned about accompanying risks, including disease outbreaks and the disruption of goods and ... | By Thursday evening, Kwamboka said, the volunteers had managed to get some clothes and blankets for most of the displaced in her area. “Now we have to see how the women and children will have dinner as we wait for tomorrow,” she said. Read more ...
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Helping countries reach their climate goals | UNDP Climate Promise:
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| Helping countries reach their climate goals | UNDP Climate Promise - undp |
Apr 23 · UNDP’s Climate Promise 2025, in collaboration with the UN, private sector, and civil society partners, will support new round of climate pledges by developing countries - initiative will provide major boost to goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius
Climate Promise 2025 draws on UNDP’s newly established Climate Hub, which delivers the UN system’s largest portfolio of support on climate action. This portfolio draws on UNDP’s expertise on gender equality, energy, poverty, health, climate security, nature and biodiversity, among others.
New York, 23 April 2024 – The UN Development Programme (UNDP) today unveiled the next stage of the Climate Promise ... Read more ...
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High-energy-density capacitors with 2D nanomaterials could significantly enhance energy storage:
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| High-energy-density capacitors with 2D nanomaterials could significantly enhance energy storage - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · Though the prototype device is just 1-inch by 1-inch, scaled-up versions of this innovation could potentially revolutionize energy storage systems across various industries, including medical, aviation, auto (EV), consumer electronics and defense.
Dielectric capacitors, critical components of electronic devices and energy storage systems, are known for their ability to discharge high amounts of energy quickly, making them crucial for high-power applications.
"High-energy and high-power capacitors are essential for a reliable power supply, especially as we shift to using more renewable energy sources. However, current dielectric capacitors don't store as much energy as ... Read more ...
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High-Resolution Lidar Sees Birth Zone of Cloud Droplets:
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| High-Resolution Lidar Sees Birth Zone of Cloud Droplets - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · A team led by atmospheric scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory has demonstrated the first-ever remote observations of the fine-scale structure at the base of clouds. The results, just published in the Nature publication NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science, show that the air-cloud interface is not a perfect boundary but rather is a transition zone where aerosol particles suspended in Earth's atmosphere give rise to the droplets that ultimately form clouds.
"We are interested in this 'droplet activation zone,' where most cloud droplets are initially formed at the cloud base, because the number of droplets formed there will affect the later ... Read more ...
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Honda announces US$11 bn EV battery and vehicle plant in Canada:
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| Honda announces US$11 bn EV battery and vehicle plant in Canada - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 25 · Japanese auto giant Honda announced Thursday the largest automotive investment in Canada's history, worth Can$15 billion (US$11 billion), for a massive new EV battery and vehicle assembly plant.
Honda chief executive Toshihiro Mibe told a joint news conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other officials that electric vehicles (EVs) will start rolling off the new assembly line in 2028.
Once fully operational, the factory will have a production capacity of 240,000 vehicles per year, and a batteries output of 36 GWh per year.
"The world is changing rapidly, and we must work toward realizing carbon neutrality to sustain the global environment," Mibe ... Read more ...
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Honda Commits to E.V.s With Big Investment in Canada:
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| Honda Commits to E.V.s With Big Investment in Canada - New York Times - Climate Section |
Apr 25 · The Japanese automaker, which has been slow to sell electric vehicles, said it would invest $11 billion to make batteries and cars in Ontario.
Honda Motor on Thursday said it and several suppliers would invest $11 billion to build batteries and electric cars in Ontario, a significant commitment from a company that has been slow to embrace the technology.
Like Toyota and other Japanese carmakers, Honda has emphasized hybrid vehicles, in which gasoline engines are augmented by electric motors, rather than cars powered solely by batteries. The Honda Prologue, a sport-utility vehicle made in Mexico, is the company’s only fully electric vehicle on sale in the United ... | By Jack Ewing Read more ...
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How Abrupt U-Turns Are Defining U.S. Environmental Regulations:
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| How Abrupt U-Turns Are Defining U.S. Environmental Regulations - New York Times - Climate Section |
Apr 26 · The polarization of politics means that rules are imposed, gutted and restored with each election. Experts say that’s bad for the economy.
The Biden administration’s move on Thursday to strictly limit pollution from coal-burning power plants is a major policy shift. But in many ways it’s one more hairpin turn in a zigzag approach to environmental regulation in the United States, a pattern that has grown more extreme as the political landscape has become more polarized.
Nearly a decade ago, President Barack Obama was the Democrat who tried to force power plants to stop burning coal, the dirtiest of the fossil fuels. His Republican successor, Donald J. Trump, effectively ... | By Coral Davenport Read more ...
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How divestment became a 'clarion call’ in anti-fossil fuel and pro-ceasefire protests:
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| How divestment became a 'clarion call’ in anti-fossil fuel and pro-ceasefire protests - Guardian - Energy |
Apr 2 · The divestment movement has a long history among US student activists, including in the overlapping movements of today
Cameron Jones first learned about fossil fuel divestment as a 15-year-old climate organizer. When he enrolled at Columbia University in 2022, he joined the campus’s chapter of the youth-led climate justice group the Sunrise Movement and began pushing the school in New York to sever financial ties with coal, oil and gas companies.
“The time for institutions like Columbia to be in the pocket of fossil fuel corporations has passed,” Jones wrote in an October 2023 op-ed in the student newspaper directed toward the Columbia president, Minouche ... Read more ...
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How electric vehicle drivers can escape range anxiety:
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| How electric vehicle drivers can escape range anxiety - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 25 · Two of the biggest challenges faced by new and potential electric vehicle (EV) drivers are range anxiety and speed of charging, but these shouldn't have to be challenges at all. That is according to a study by Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and the University of Delaware, U.S. Researchers discovered that a change in refueling mindset, rather than improving the size or performance of the battery, could be the answer to these concerns.
The transition from filling up at a petrol station to recharging your electric vehicle in the most convenient location for you, requires a whole new way of thinking about refueling a car. However, new EV drivers often remain in their ... Read more ...
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How groups execute the new plan could mean the difference between saving what’s left on Florida’s 360-mile-long coral reef and another summer of catastrophic loss.:
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| How groups execute the new plan could mean the difference between saving what’s left on Florida’s 360-mile-long coral reef and another summer of catastrophic loss. - Washington Post - Climate and Environment |
Apr 26 · In Florida, swaths of coral paint a colorful landscape across the ocean floor and serve a key role in its ecosystem.
But last summer, amid the longest marine heat wave in decades, many were scorched - drained of color and their survival left in question. It’s a scenario becoming much more common.
KEY LARGO, Fla.
With milk crates of corals in hand and scuba tanks strapped to their backs, Sam Burrell and his team disappeared under the water’s choppy surface. Heavy, breaking waves crashed against the charter boat anchored miles off the coast.
With each breath they let out, they descended beneath the surface and felt a sense of relief: On this November morning, ... Read more ...
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How Light Can Vaporize Water Without the Need for Heat:
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| How Light Can Vaporize Water Without the Need for Heat - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · It's the most fundamental of processes -- the evaporation of water from the surfaces of oceans and lakes, the burning off of fog in the morning sun, and the drying of briny ponds that leaves solid salt behind. Evaporation is all around us, and humans have been observing it and making use of it for as long as we have existed.
And yet, it turns out, we've been missing a major part of the picture all along.
In a series of painstakingly precise experiments, a team of researchers at MIT has demonstrated that heat isn't alone in causing water to evaporate. Light, striking the water's surface where air and water meet, can break water molecules away and float them into the air, ... Read more ...
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How marketing classes can rescue 'ugly produce' from becoming food waste:
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| How marketing classes can rescue 'ugly produce' from becoming food waste - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Indeed, some estimates suggest that approximately 40 percent of fruits and vegetables never even leave farms. Much of it gets rejected by wholesalers and retailers based on irregularities in weight, size or shape.
This desire for cosmetically appealing food also extends to consumers, as we often prefer picture-perfect produce. Unsurprisingly, this wanton waste takes a significant environmental toll, with an estimated eight to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions tied to unconsumed food.
Showing ugly produce some love
Some companies have taken strides to counter food waste. A prominent example in the United States is Misfits Market, which launched in ... Read more ...
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How to access $6.97 billion from the EPA’s green bank:
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| How to access $6.97 billion from the EPA’s green bank - Greenbiz |
Apr 26 · The Climate United Coalition has billions of dollars to give out to advance decarbonization. Here’s how to qualify.
Invest in urban decarbonization. Graphic: Sophia Davirro
The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced the nonprofit organizations that will receive some of its $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, including $6.97 billion to the Climate United Coalition.
Comprising Calvert Impact, Community Preservation Corporation and Self-Help, Climate United specializes in making green loans to fund specific decarbonization projects while also transforming existing traditional mortgages and project financing markets into greener ... | By Leah Garden Read more ...
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Human Activities Have an Intense Impact on Earth's Deep Subsurface Fluid Flow:
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| Human Activities Have an Intense Impact on Earth's Deep Subsurface Fluid Flow - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · The impact of human activities -- such as greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation -- on Earth's surface have been well-studied. Now, hydrology researchers from the University of Arizona have investigated how humans impact Earth's deep subsurface, a zone that lies hundreds of meters to several kilometers beneath the planet's surface.
"We looked at how the rates of fluid production with oil and gas compare to natural background circulation of water and showed how humans have made a big impact on the circulation of fluids in the subsurface," said Jennifer McIntosh, a professor in the UArizona Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences and senior author of a paper in the ... Read more ...
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Hurricanes Jeopardize Carbon-Storing New England Forests:
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| Hurricanes Jeopardize Carbon-Storing New England Forests - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · As American companies and public policies strive to mitigate their carbon dioxide emissions, many are relying on carbon offsets to reduce their carbon footprint, especially those who have pledged to achieve "net-zero emissions."
Sequestering carbon in forests is an example of a nature-based solution that is being used to address climate change, but a new study suggests that hurricanes could pose a risk.
Offset programs involve investments organizations or individuals can make in projects that cut carbon emissions, such as solar energy, or that can store carbon, such as preserving and enhancing forests.
As it happens, New England is one of the most heavily forested ... Read more ...
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In south China, silkworm farmers reel from deadly floods:
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| In south China, silkworm farmers reel from deadly floods - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Hose in hand, 40-year-old Zhu Huangyi cleans a small concrete room once home to his silkworms, two thirds of which were lost in deadly floods hitting southern China this week.
Just two hours from the economic powerhouse and megacity of Guangzhou, surrounded by lush subtropical vegetation, lies the village of Sancun, one of the worst hit by the recent bad weather.
Around a quarter of households in the village make their living from raising silkworms, insects that secrete precious fibers essential to the textile industry.
Although the water levels had dropped by the time AFP arrived, it reached two meters in some areas - with devastating consequences for residents ... Read more ...
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Indian nuclear facilities found to have radioactive influence on Southern Tibetan Plateau:
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| Indian nuclear facilities found to have radioactive influence on Southern Tibetan Plateau - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · A study published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters has shed light on the long-range transboundary transport of radioactive iodine-129 (129I) from the Indian nuclear fuel reprocessing plants (NFRPs) to the Southern Tibetan Plateau (STP).
This study, conducted by researchers from the Institute of Earth Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), provides a new understanding of the transport of airborne radioactive pollutants from low to high altitudes, and may have implications for environmental protection on the Tibetan Plateau.
The Tibetan Plateau, known as the "Third Pole of the Earth" and the "Roof of the World," is a remote, isolated, and ... Read more ...
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Is Bipartisan Climate Policy Possible in the US?:
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| Is Bipartisan Climate Policy Possible in the US? - Sustainable Brands |
Apr 24 · The reality of climate change’s existence is not the debate that voters are interested in anymore: They have experienced it firsthand and care about solutions.
Well into a major global election year - and with climate, environment and energy measures all on the ballot - can climate action ever be bipartisan in the US?
Judging from the ways that legacy politicians and media talk about the climate crisis, it doesn’t seem possible: Climate solutions are pinned as part of the “liberal agenda,” painted as anti-business, and a keystone issue that fuels the cultural and political divide in the US.
But, if you talk to voters, it’s an entirely different story: Gone are the ... Read more ...
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Key Solar Panel Ingredient Is Made in the U.S.A. Again:
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| Key Solar Panel Ingredient Is Made in the U.S.A. Again - New York Times - Climate Section |
Apr 25 · REC Silicon says it will soon start shipping polysilicon, which has come mostly from China, reviving a Washington State factory that shut down in 2019.
Reporting from Moses Lake, Wash.
A factory in Moses Lake, Wash., that shut down in 2019 will soon resume shipping a critical ingredient used in most solar panels that for years has been made almost exclusively in China.
The revival of the factory, which is owned by REC Silicon, could help achieve a longstanding goal of many American lawmakers and energy executives to re-establish a complete domestic supply chain for solar panels and reduce the world’s reliance on plants in China and Southeast Asia.
REC Silicon ... | By Ivan Penn Read more ...
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Key to Efficient and Stable Organic Solar Cells:
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| Key to Efficient and Stable Organic Solar Cells - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · A team of researchers led by Professor Philip C.Y. Chow from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has made a significant breakthrough in the field of organic photovoltaics.
Organic photovoltaics (OPV), which employs cost-effective, printable, and environmentally friendly polymer semiconductors, holds tremendous potential for generating sustainable and renewable energy. However, due to the soft nature of polymers, achieving OPV devices with both high efficiency and long operation stability has been a long-standing research challenge.
In response to this breakthrough, Prof Philip C.Y. Chow expressed his enthusiasm, stating: "Our ... Read more ...
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Large methane mitigation potential through prioritized closure of gas-rich coal mines:
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| Large methane mitigation potential through prioritized closure of gas-rich coal mines - Nature Climate Change |
Apr 25 · Large-scale closure of coal mines is required for China to achieve carbon neutrality. However, what this means for methane emissions, particularly for abandoned mine methane (AMM), is highly uncertain. Here we construct a detailed and dynamic coal mine database to estimate China’s coal methane emissions during 2011–2019 and evaluate future emission trajectories based on different mine closure policies. We find that AMM emissions have been largely underestimated, which leads to an increased proportion of AMM in China’s total coal methane emissions, and are expected to become the dominant source by 2035. We develop a coal mine closure strategy prioritizing high-gas-content mines. ... Read more ...
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Leaf size and defensive traits found to modulate effects of soil fauna on litter decomposition:
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| Leaf size and defensive traits found to modulate effects of soil fauna on litter decomposition - PHYS.ORG - Biology |
Apr 24 · The work, titled "Effects of leaf size and defensive traits on the contribution of soil fauna to litter decomposition," was published in Forests.
According to the researchers, soil fauna significantly accelerated the decomposition rate across different climate zones (e.g., tropical, subtropical, temperate, and alpine climate zones), ecosystems (e.g., forest, grassland, wetland, and farmland), and litter types (e.g., evergreen woody plants, deciduous woody plants, annual herbs, and perennial herbs).
The combined influence of climate factors (mean annual temperature and precipitation) and litter quality served as a robust predictor of the contribution of soil fauna to ... Read more ...
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Long-term research shows herring arrive earlier in the Wadden Sea due to climate change:
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| Long-term research shows herring arrive earlier in the Wadden Sea due to climate change - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 26 · Due to the changing climate, young herring arrive in the Wadden Sea earlier and earlier in spring. That is shown in a new publication by NIOZ ecologists Mark Rademaker, Myron Peck, and Anieke van Leeuwen in Global Change Biology.
"The fact that we were able to demonstrate this was only due to very consistently - for more than 60 years - and continuously sampling the fish every spring and every fall with exactly the same fyke [net] every time," Rademaker says. "Recognizing this kind of change requires extreme precision and endurance."
Since 1960, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, has been measuring the number and species of fish that swim in the ... Read more ...
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Mechanism of grafting Prunus sp. to control crown gall disease by regulating the rhizosphere environment:
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| Mechanism of grafting Prunus sp. to control crown gall disease by regulating the rhizosphere environment - PHYS.ORG - Biology |
Apr 24 · Here, disease-susceptible cherry rootstock 'Gisela 6' and disease-resistant cherry rootstock 'Haiying 1' were grafted onto each other or self-grafted. The effect of their root exudates on the soil microbiome composition and the abundance of pathogenic Agrobacterium were studied.
Grafting onto the disease-resistant rootstock helped to reduce the abundance of pathogenic Agrobacterium, accompanied by altering root exudation, enriching potential beneficial bacteria, and changing functions of the microbiome. The composition of the root exudates from grafted plants was analyzed, and the potential compounds responsible for decreasing pathogenic Agrobacterium abundance were ... Read more ...
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Microsoft and Amazon face scrutiny from UK competition watchdog over recent AI deals:
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| Microsoft and Amazon face scrutiny from UK competition watchdog over recent AI deals - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · British competition regulators said Wednesday they'll scrutinize recent artificial intelligence deals by Microsoft and Amazon over concerns that the moves could thwart competition in the AI industry.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it's looking into Microsoft's partnership with France's Mistral AI and the company's hiring of key staff from another startup, Inflection AI. The watchdog also separately announced that it's investigating Amazon's $4 billion investment in San Francisco-based Anthropic.
Big Tech companies have been pouring money into generative AI startups amid growing public and business interest in the technology, but the investments have also ... Read more ...
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Modeling Broader Effects of Wildfires in Siberia:
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| Modeling Broader Effects of Wildfires in Siberia - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · As wildfires in Siberia become more common, global climate modeling estimates significant impacts on climate, air quality, health, and economies in East Asia and across the northern hemisphere.
The global effects of increasing wildfires in Siberia have been modeled by researchers at Hokkaido University and colleagues at the University of Tokyo and Kyushu University. The results, published in the journal Earth's Future, suggest significant and widespread effects on air quality, climate, health, and economics under the most extreme wildfire scenarios.
The authors performed global numerical simulation experiments to evaluate how the increased intensity of wildfires in ... Read more ...
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Modeling broader effects of wildfires in Siberia:
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| Modeling broader effects of wildfires in Siberia - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · The global effects of increasing wildfires in Siberia have been modeled by researchers at Hokkaido University and colleagues at the University of Tokyo and Kyushu University. The results, published in the journal Earth's Future, suggest significant and widespread effects on air quality, climate, health, and economics under the most extreme wildfire scenarios.
The authors performed global numerical simulation experiments to evaluate how the increased intensity of wildfires in Siberia would affect air quality, premature mortality, and economy through increased atmospheric aerosols (air pollution particles) under the present climate and near-future global warming ... Read more ...
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New Biden Climate Rules Could Shutter Remaining American Coal Plants:
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| New Biden Climate Rules Could Shutter Remaining American Coal Plants - New York Times - Climate Section |
Apr 25 · Limiting power plant pollution is the last major climate rule expected from President Biden. Donald J. Trump has already vowed to “cancel” it if re-elected.
The Biden administration on Thursday placed the final cornerstone of its plan to tackle climate change: a regulation that would force the nation’s coal-fired power plants to virtually eliminate the planet-warming pollution that they release into the air or shut down.
The regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency requires coal plants in the United States to reduce 90 percent of their greenhouse pollution by 2039, one year earlier than the agency had initially proposed. The compressed timeline was welcomed by ... | By Lisa Friedman and Coral Davenport Read more ...
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New dataset sheds light on relationship of far-red sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence to canopy-level photosynthesis:
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| New dataset sheds light on relationship of far-red sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence to canopy-level photosynthesis - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · One promising method for assessing photosynthetic activity is through the measurement of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence, a byproduct of photosynthesis that can be detected from ground-based sensors as well as from satellites in space.
A study led by Genghong Wu, a Ph.D. student advised by Agroecosystem Sustainability Center (ASC) director Kaiyu Guan, and colleagues has utilized ground-based instruments to measure far-red sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) and various vegetation indices (VIs) that reflect plant health and activity. It compiled 15 site-years of SIF and VIs data from various crops (corn, soybean, and miscanthus) over a span of six years (2016-2021) ... Read more ...
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New insights lead to better next-gen solar cells:
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| New insights lead to better next-gen solar cells - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · Saliba and Malekshahi reached out to researchers at the Molecular Foundry, a Department of Energy Office of Science user facility located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).
Fast forward several months, and the Berkeley Lab team has applied a set of techniques to reveal changes in the crystalline structures of perovskite solar cell materials in real-time as they were being fabricated with Saliba's process. The results, published in a recent Advanced Materials paper, provide researchers with a deeper understanding of how to make better perovskite solar cells.
"Material fabrication is often a black box," said Carolin Sutter-Fella, a Molecular Foundry ... Read more ...
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New Research for Week #17 2024:
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| New Research for Week #17 2024 - Skeptical Science |
Apr 25 · Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:
In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products hampers the detection of inland changes. In-situ measurements using stake surveys or GPS have lower uncertainties. To detect inland changes, we repeated in-situ measurements of ice-sheet surface velocities at 11 historical locations first measured in 1959, located upstream of Jakobshavn Isbræ, west Greenland. Here, we show ice velocities have ... Read more ...
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New research predicts peak groundwater extraction for key basins around the globe:
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| New research predicts peak groundwater extraction for key basins around the globe - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Scientists at Pacific Northwest and Oak Ridge national laboratories examined water, energy and food systems for 235 basins under 900 scenarios to analyze patterns in nonrenewable groundwater usage over the 21st century, as detailed in an article published in Nature Sustainability.
"The world's not running out of water, but how and where we source it looks likely to shift in the coming decades as major groundwater sources become unviable," said Sean Turner, a water resources analyst at ORNL.
Regions with the greatest current rates of depletion, including some in the United States, are more likely to face higher groundwater and food production costs by mid-century. The ... Read more ...
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New rule compels US coal-fired power plants to capture emissions – or shut down:
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| New rule compels US coal-fired power plants to capture emissions – or shut down - Guardian - Energy |
Apr 2 · New EPA directive will cut pollution equivalent to the emissions of 328m cars, but industry group decries it as a 'reckless plan’
Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued on Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
New limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric plants are the Biden administration’s most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the power sector, the nation’s second-largest contributor to the climate crisis. The rules are a key part of Joe Biden’s pledge to eliminate carbon pollution from the electricity sector by 2035 and ... Read more ...
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New rules will slash air, water and climate pollution from U.S. power plants:
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| New rules will slash air, water and climate pollution from U.S. power plants - Washington Post - Climate and Environment |
Apr 25 · The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday finalized an ambitious set of rules aimed at slashing air pollution, water pollution and planet-warming emissions spewing from the nation’s power plants.
If fully implemented, the rules will have enormous consequences for U.S. climate goals, the air Americans breathe and the ways they get their electricity. The power sector ranks as the nation’s second-largest contributor to climate change, and it is a major source of toxic air pollutants tied to health problems.
Before the restrictions take effect, however, they will have to survive near-certain legal challenges from Republican attorneys general, who have been emboldened ... Read more ...
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New survey finds positive perceptions of solar projects:
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| New survey finds positive perceptions of solar projects - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · Among these respondents, 42% support additional development in their community, compared to 18% who would oppose further projects. At the same time, more than 80% of the respondents were unaware of the project prior to construction and a third did not know until completing the survey.
Doug Bessette, associate professor for energy systems in the Department of Community Sustainability at Michigan State University's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, was one of the leads on the project.
"The responses from residents were generally positive, which is good to see considering the amount of solar that is likely to be developed in the coming years," Bessette said. "At ... Read more ...
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Nobel Prize-winning economist calls for climate tax on billionaires:
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| Nobel Prize-winning economist calls for climate tax on billionaires - Heated World |
Apr 24 · For the first time, the world’s most powerful countries are considering a proposal that would tax the super rich and send the money directly to the people on the front lines of the climate crisis.
The proposed climate tax is the brainchild of Nobel Prize-winning economist Esther Duflo, who presented it to the Group of 20 summit in Washington D.C. last Wednesday. Duflo suggested taxing global corporations and the world’s top billionaires to raise money for climate adaptation in countries that are most impacted by the climate crisis. The funds would be directly sent to the poorest individuals in those countries to help them prepare for climate disasters.
“Richer citizens ... Read more ...
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Peak COP? UN looks to shrink Baku and Belém climate summits:
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| Peak COP? UN looks to shrink Baku and Belém climate summits - Climate Change News - Politics |
Apr 24 · While 84,000 delegates attended COP28 in Dubai, just 40,000-50,000 are expected at COP29 in Baku and COP30 in Belém
Some of Indonesia's delegation arrive at Cop28 in Dubai (Photos: Kiara Worth)
UN climate chief Simon Stiell has said he hopes to see fewer people attend the annual COP climate negotiations after participants at COP28 in Dubai last December hit a record high of nearly 84,000.
Stiell said this month that he personally “would certainly like to see future COPs reduce in size”, telling an audience at London’s Chatham House think-tank that “bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better”.
In Dubai, where the 2023 summit was held from November 30 to ... | By Alice Martins Morais, Matteo Civillini and Joe Lo Read more ...
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Philippine settlement submerged by dam reappears due to drought:
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| Philippine settlement submerged by dam reappears due to drought - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 26 · A centuries-old settlement submerged by the construction of a dam in the northern Philippines in the 1970s has reappeared as water levels drop due to a drought affecting swathes of the country.
The ruins in the middle of Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija province are a tourist draw, even as the region swelters in extreme heat.
Parts of a church, municipal hall marker and tombstones began to resurface in March after several months of "almost no rain", said Marlon Paladin, a supervising engineer for the National Irrigation Administration.
It is the sixth time the nearly 300-year-old settlement has resurfaced since the reservoir was created to provide irrigation water ... Read more ...
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Positive Perceptions of Solar Projects:
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| Positive Perceptions of Solar Projects - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · As solar energy development accelerates, how do Americans actually feel about those large scale solar, or LSS, farms they see along the highway or near their neighborhood? A new survey has found that for residents living within three miles of a large-scale solar development, positive attitudes outnumbered negative attitudes by almost a 3-to-1 margin.
Among these respondents, 42% support additional development in their community, compared to 18% who would oppose further projects. At the same time, more than 80% of the respondents were unaware of the project prior to construction and a third did not know until completing the survey.
Doug Bessette, associate professor for ... Read more ...
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Researchers Find Oldest Undisputed Evidence of Earth's Magnetic Field:
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| Researchers Find Oldest Undisputed Evidence of Earth's Magnetic Field - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · A new study, led by the University of Oxford and MIT, has recovered a 3.7-billion-year-old record of Earth's magnetic field, and found that it appears remarkably similar to the field surrounding Earth today. The findings have been published today in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
Without its magnetic field, life on Earth would not be possible since this shields us from harmful cosmic radiation and charged particles emitted by the Sun (the 'solar wind'). But up to now, there has been no reliable date for when the modern magnetic field was first established.
In the new study, the researchers examined an ancient sequence of iron-containing rocks from Isua, Greenland. ... Read more ...
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Researchers find oldest undisputed evidence of Earth's magnetic field:
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| Researchers find oldest undisputed evidence of Earth's magnetic field - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · A new study, led by the University of Oxford and MIT, has recovered a 3.7-billion-year-old record of Earth's magnetic field, and found that it appears remarkably similar to the field surrounding Earth today. The findings have been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
Without its magnetic field, life on Earth would not be possible since this shields us from harmful cosmic radiation and charged particles emitted by the sun (the 'solar wind'). But up to now, there has been no reliable date for when the modern magnetic field was first established.
In the study, the researchers examined an ancient sequence of iron-containing rocks from Isua, Greenland. Iron ... Read more ...
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Rubber-like stretchable energy storage device fabricated with laser precision:
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| Rubber-like stretchable energy storage device fabricated with laser precision - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · The advent of wearable technology has brought with it a pressing need for energy storage solutions that can keep pace with the flexibility and stretchability of soft electronic devices. Micro supercapacitors (MSCs) have emerged as a promising candidate for deformable energy storage, due to high-power density, rapid charging, and long cycle life.
However, the fabrication of interdigitated electrode patterns capable of maintaining the energy storage performance under repeated stretching and twisting has remained a great challenge, because brittle materials like gold (Au) have been commonly used as an electrode. Meanwhile, though eutectic gallium-indium liquid metal (EGaIn) has ... Read more ...
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Salt battery harvests osmotic energy where the river meets the sea:
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| Salt battery harvests osmotic energy where the river meets the sea - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · Estuaries - where freshwater rivers meet the salty sea - are great locations for birdwatching and kayaking. In these areas, waters containing different salt concentrations mix and may be sources of sustainable, "blue" osmotic energy.
Osmotic energy can be generated anywhere salt gradients are found, but the available technologies to capture this renewable energy have room for improvement. One method uses an array of reverse electrodialysis (RED) membranes that act as a sort of "salt battery," generating electricity from pressure differences caused by the salt gradient.
To even out that gradient, positively charged ions from seawater, such as sodium, flow through the ... Read more ...
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Scientists combine a spatially distributed sediment delivery model and biogeochemical model to estimate fluxes by water:
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| Scientists combine a spatially distributed sediment delivery model and biogeochemical model to estimate fluxes by water - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · However, due to an insufficient transfer of knowledge regarding soil erosion and carbon dynamics from smaller to larger scales, existing models at a large temporal and spatial scale present conflicting views on whether the net impact of erosion on carbon cycling acts as a carbon source or sink.
In a study published in Science China Earth Sciences, researchers led by Prof. Li Zhongwu from the School of Geographic Science, Hunan Normal University, together with collaborators, have introduced an approach that combined a spatially distributed sediment delivery model and biogeochemical model to simulate erosion-induced soil organic carbon dynamic, confirming water erosion acts as a ... Read more ...
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Scientists confine, study Chinook at restored Snoqualmie River habitat:
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| Scientists confine, study Chinook at restored Snoqualmie River habitat - PHYS.ORG - Biology |
Apr 25 · In newly restored river channels on the Snoqualmie, baby Chinook salmon are confined in 19 enclosures about the size of large suitcases as they munch on little crustaceans and invertebrate insects floating or swimming by.
What's in the salmon's stomachs, tracked by scientists, could hold clues about the species' survival.
The river channels near Fall City were excavated with heavy machinery and restored over the past two years - as part of the biggest habitat restoration project completed by King County. The channels span nearly a mile and give the river room to widen and narrow and, crucially, provide slow-moving water with logs and plants in which juvenile salmon can ... Read more ...
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Scientists demonstrate high-resolution lidar sees birth zone of cloud droplets, a first-ever remote observation:
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| Scientists demonstrate high-resolution lidar sees birth zone of cloud droplets, a first-ever remote observation - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · "We are interested in this 'droplet activation zone,' where most cloud droplets are initially formed at the cloud base, because the number of droplets formed there will affect the later stages and properties of the cloud—including how much sunlight a cloud reflects and the likelihood of precipitation," said Brookhaven atmospheric scientist Fan Yang, the first author on the paper.
"If there are more aerosols in the atmosphere, clouds tend to have more droplets, but the droplets will each be smaller, which means they can reflect more sunlight," Yang said. "This might help to cool our warming Earth," he noted.
But to accurately predict the impacts of these ... Read more ...
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Scientists discover method to prevent coalescence in immiscible liquids:
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| Scientists discover method to prevent coalescence in immiscible liquids - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes how experiments they conducted led to the discovery of a way to get some fluids such as water and oil, to remain as an emulsion for long periods of time without the use of surfactants.
It is widely known that when two immiscible liquids, such as water and oil are mixed, they do not remain so for very long—they slowly separate into two layers. This is because they never really mix to begin with; instead, they coexist as droplets that coalesce when they come into contact with one another.
Because of this, chemists have developed various surfactants that force such liquids to remain "mixed" for some ... Read more ...
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Scientists map soil RNA to fungal genomes to understand forest ecosystems:
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| Scientists map soil RNA to fungal genomes to understand forest ecosystems - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · This way, the fungi of forest soils hold keys to tree health and carbon storage—skills that matter increasingly as the climate warms. However, these are complicated interactions to untangle. Fungi work in cooperation to support a forest, and species vary across Earth's ecosystems.
Recently, in work published in New Phytologist, researchers have pioneered new understanding of which fungi take on certain functions at the forest floor. For the first time, they compared three different fungal guilds in a range of different locations. They sampled soils in four forest ecosystems, extracted RNA to understand gene expression, and developed new tools to map that soil RNA to ... Read more ...
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Scientists say voluntary corporate emissions targets not enough to create real climate action:
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| Scientists say voluntary corporate emissions targets not enough to create real climate action - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Relying on emissions can favor more established companies and hinder innovation, say the authors, who suggest updating regulations to improve corporate climate action.
The paper, published today in Science, is by an international team led by Utrecht University, which includes Imperial College London researchers.
Lead author of the study Dr. Yann Robiou Du Pont, from the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University, said, "Assessing the climate ambition of companies based only on their emissions reductions may not be meaningful for emerging companies working on green innovation."
Companies can set individual climate goals, typically ... Read more ...
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Scientists use 'leaf glow' to understand changing climate:
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| Scientists use 'leaf glow' to understand changing climate - PHYS.ORG - Biology |
Apr 25 · Leaf glow, formally known as solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), is a natural byproduct of photosynthesis. This emitted light is invisible to human eyes, but advances in sensing technology over the last decade have enabled scientists to observe this phenomenon from satellites, airplanes and field towers.
Recently published in Current Climate Change Reports, the research shows:
"Developing accurate monitoring tools is urgently needed—we are already seeing more thawing permafrost, increased wildfire frequency and intensity, higher risks to droughts, and insect outbreaks," said author Rui Cheng, an assistant professor in the Department of Bioproducts and ... Read more ...
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Securing competitiveness of energy-intensive industries through relocation: The pulling power of renewables:
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| Securing competitiveness of energy-intensive industries through relocation: The pulling power of renewables - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · This 'renewables pull' would create strong incentives for businesses to invest in low-emission production facilities in these renewable-rich countries. Renewable-scarce countries could put all focus on down-stream production and refinement as the smart way to secure industrial competitiveness.
"Our new study shows that renewable-scarce countries like parts of the EU, Japan and South Korea could save between 18 to 38 percent in production costs," explains Philipp Verpoort, scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and lead author of the study published in Nature Energy.
"They could do so by relocating their production of industrial basic ... Read more ...
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Share of electricity generated by fossil fuels in Great Britain drops to record low:
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| Share of electricity generated by fossil fuels in Great Britain drops to record low - Guardian - Energy |
Apr 2 · Gas and coal accounted for just 2.4% of power generation for an hour last week, data shows, amid 'zero-carbon grid’ plans
The share of Great Britain’s electricity generated by burning fossil fuels plummeted to unprecedented lows this month, ahead of plans to begin running a “zero-carbon grid” for short periods from next year.
Electricity generated by burning gas and coal fell to a record low of just 2.4% for an hour at lunchtime on Monday 15 April, according to an analysis of data from National Grid’s electricity system operator (ESO).
The same data has revealed that earlier this month the share of fossil fuels in the generation mix taken over an entire day fell to ... Read more ...
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Shoreline Model Predicts Long-Term Future of Storm Protection and Sea-Level Rise:
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| Shoreline Model Predicts Long-Term Future of Storm Protection and Sea-Level Rise - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · "Coastal management strategies intended to protect people, property and infrastructure from storm impacts can, over decades, increase vulnerability, even leading to the loss of barrier islands, especially as sea-level rise rates increase," said A. Brad Murray, professor of geomorphology and coastal processes at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment.
He and other researchers in North Carolina created a computer model that simulates dynamics of barrier island systems over the next two centuries, showing how natural processes that create and maintain these systems affect communities and infrastructure, and how human efforts to protect communities and ... Read more ...
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Shoreline model predicts long-term future of storm protection and sea-level rise:
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| Shoreline model predicts long-term future of storm protection and sea-level rise - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · "Coastal management strategies intended to protect people, property and infrastructure from storm impacts can, over decades, increase vulnerability, even leading to the loss of barrier islands, especially as sea-level rise rates increase," said A. Brad Murray, professor of geomorphology and coastal processes at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment.
He and other researchers in North Carolina created a computer model that simulates dynamics of barrier island systems over the next two centuries, showing how natural processes that create and maintain these systems affect communities and infrastructure, and how human efforts to protect communities and ... Read more ...
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Single-walled carbon nanotubes doped with 'nitrogen' enhance the performance of secondary battery anode:
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| Single-walled carbon nanotubes doped with 'nitrogen' enhance the performance of secondary battery anode - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · Silicon, despite offering significantly higher energy density compared to graphite (a common anode material), suffers from a major drawback: it expands 3-4 times during charging and discharging, leading to performance degradation. To address this issue, researchers are blending silicon with graphite to balance their strengths and weaknesses.
To maximize silicon content and overcome its limitations, the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has utilized nitrogen-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene. Single-walled carbon nanotubes, being thinner and more conductive than multi-walled ones, present challenges in dispersion due to their small diameter. ... Read more ...
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Solar geoengineering to cool the planet: Is it worth the risks?:
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| Solar geoengineering to cool the planet: Is it worth the risks? - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Most of the current attention is focused on solar geoengineering, a strategy that involves reflecting sunlight away from Earth to cool the Earth. How much do we know about it and its risks? And where should we take it from here?
Why the growing support for solar geoengineering research?
For many years, all geoengineering research was discouraged by many scientists and experts for fear it would provide an excuse not to cut emissions. Some right-wing politicians such as Newt Gingrich promoted it as a way to reduce global warming without having to cut emissions. Geoengineering research is also controversial because there were and still are many uncertainties about its ... Read more ...
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Solar geoengineering: Can it solve the climate crisis?:
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| Solar geoengineering: Can it solve the climate crisis? - Climate Engineering (Lockley - Playlist) |
Apr 23 · On top of cutting down on emissions, solar geoengineering is being touted as an alternative approach to slow global warming — but it is also an unproven technology. \n\nDebate is especially growing about stratospheric aerosol injection, a type of solar geoengineering which could someday help slow the effects of climate change. \n\nEric Sorensen explains the science, benefits and concerns of this potential solution to the climate crisis.\n\nFor more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca\nSubscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc\nLike Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ\nFollow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt\nFollow Global News ... | By Global News Read more ...
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Spring snow, sparkling in the sun, can reveal more than just good skiing conditions:
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| Spring snow, sparkling in the sun, can reveal more than just good skiing conditions - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · A lot, according to Mathieu Nguyen. He has just defended his doctoral thesis on the optical properties of snow at NTNU in Gjøvik.
"Snow reflects all wavelengths of light and can have very different colors depending on the conditions and the angle at which light hits it. The age and density of the snow and air pollution also affect what it looks like. Snow's appearance is a very complicated matter," Nguyen says.
He has analyzed over a thousand images of snow. The findings are published in the journal Geosciences.
"This type of method can be used in a number of sensor technologies that include everything from giving us a better decision-making basis for when ... Read more ...
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Storing and utilizing energy with innovative sulfur-based cathodes:
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| Storing and utilizing energy with innovative sulfur-based cathodes - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · Sulfur is a sustainable alternative to the materials commonly used in lithium-ion batteries because it is less toxic and—unlike cobalt—is abundant. However, the storage capacity of batteries in which sulfur is used as a cathode material has so far declined rapidly.
"Our development paves the way for sulfur electrodes as a viable alternative to conventional metal-based cathodes. It could fundamentally change the way we store and use energy and represents an important step towards a more sustainable future," explains Prof Bojdys.
Solving the sulfur-shuttle problem using polymer chemistry
With sulfur-based cathodes, the mobility of the sulfur has so far ... Read more ...
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Study says it's likely a warmer world made deadly Dubai downpours heavier:
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| Study says it's likely a warmer world made deadly Dubai downpours heavier - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Between 10% and 40% more rain fell in just one day last week—killing at least two dozen people in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and parts of Saudi Arabia—than it would have in a world without the 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) warming that has come from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas since the mid-19th century, scientists at World Weather Attribution said Thursday in a flash study that is too new to be peer-reviewed.
In at least one spot, a record 11 inches (28.6 centimeters) of rain fell in just 24 hours, more than twice the yearly average, paralyzing the usually bustling city of skyscrapers in a desert.
One of the key tools in WWA's ... Read more ...
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Study shows potential of super grids when hurricanes overshadow solar panels:
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| Study shows potential of super grids when hurricanes overshadow solar panels - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · Caribbean islands are starting to shift away from importing expensive fossil fuels, using instead their own abundant sun and wind to make electricity. However, their frequent hurricanes can put a damper on solar energy generation. Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a comprehensive modeling method to predict the drop in electricity generation better when these storm clouds overshadow solar panels.
The team explored ways to compensate for these energy losses with super grids, a collection of grids connected so electricity can flow across island chains or between continents.
The historically underserved island residents can't ... Read more ...
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Study shows the longer spilled oil lingers in freshwater, the more persistent compounds it produces:
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| Study shows the longer spilled oil lingers in freshwater, the more persistent compounds it produces - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · And, according to research published in Energy & Fuels, the longer that oil remains in freshwater, the more chemical changes it undergoes, creating products that can persist in the environment.
Approximately 600,000 gallons of oil were accidentally spilled into the environment in 2023, according to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, a group that monitors oil spills. This figure represents ocean spills as well as freshwater spills in rivers and lakes. Over time, this oil weathers and undergoes a variety of chemical transformations, which could make compounds that are more soluble in water and stick around longer.
Weathering in salt water is reasonably ... Read more ...
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Synthesis of two new carbides provides perspective on how complex carbon structures could exist on other planets:
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| Synthesis of two new carbides provides perspective on how complex carbon structures could exist on other planets - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Carbides are compounds of carbon and another chemical element. The newly synthesized carbides resemble metal-organic-like compounds and can offer new insight into the behavior of complex carbon structures under extremely high pressures and high temperatures.
The possible existence or formation of such compounds at conditions of planets' interiors may have important implications for geosciences and astrobiology, as they could be the origin of hydrocarbons and could play a role in the origin of life.
Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Leonid Dubrovinsky from the Bavarian Geoinstitute and Prof. Dr. Natalia Dubrovinskaia from the Laboratory of Crystallography at the ... Read more ...
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Targeted culling of starfish found to help Great Barrier Reef maintain or increase cover:
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| Targeted culling of starfish found to help Great Barrier Reef maintain or increase cover - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · In their paper published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, the group describes how they conducted culling operations on several parts of the Great Barrier Reef and then studied the results to learn about how such activity can benefit coral reefs in general.
Another factor in their reduction is the growing population of starfish, such as the crown-of-thorns. Just one of them, a meter in diameter, can eat 10 square meters of coral every year. In this new effort, the research team focused on helping coral survive in the Great Barrier Reef by reducing the number of starfish in the area.
To reduce the number of starfish, the research team engaged in a culling effort, which ... Read more ...
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Team develops new testing system for carbon capture in fight against global warming:
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| Team develops new testing system for carbon capture in fight against global warming - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 26 · Now, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) aims to facilitate the development of this rapidly emerging technology that the International Energy Agency (IEA) says will be a "key technology" for combating global warming.
NIST scientists have developed a high-precision testing apparatus for benchmarking the performance of the materials, called sorbents, used in DAC plants to trap and remove carbon from the air.
The apparatus will enable the agency to develop research-grade test material (RGTM) sorbents for the DAC industry. These reference materials will be tested in the apparatus and validated to remove a certain amount of CO2 from a given amount of ... Read more ...
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Tensions rise over who will contribute to new climate finance goal:
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| Tensions rise over who will contribute to new climate finance goal - Climate Change News - Politics |
Apr 25 · Germany wants all high-emitters, especially among G20 countries, to pitch in. But China and Saudi Arabia say the responsibility lies with developed nations
COP29 incoming president Mukhtar Babayev and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attend the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin, Germany. REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen
As negotiations over a new global climate finance goal move into a higher gear, divisions are sharpening over who should be required to cough up the money needed to help vulnerable countries shift to clean energy and build resilience to climate change.
For German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, all “those who can” – and “in particular ... | By Matteo Civillini Read more ...
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Tesla driver in Seattle-area crash that killed motorcyclist told police he was using Autopilot:
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| Tesla driver in Seattle-area crash that killed motorcyclist told police he was using Autopilot - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 25 · A Tesla that may have been operating on the company's Autopilot driving system hit and killed a motorcyclist near Seattle, raising questions about whether a recent recall went far enough to ensure Tesla drivers using Autopilot pay attention to the road.
After the crash Friday in a suburban area about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northeast of the city, the driver of a 2022 Tesla Model S told a Washington State Patrol trooper that he was using Autopilot and looked at his cellphone while the Tesla was moving.
"The next thing he knew there was a bang and the vehicle lurched forward as it accelerated and collided with the motorcycle in front of him," the trooper wrote in a ... Read more ...
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The fight over the future of plastics:
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| The fight over the future of plastics - New York Times - Climate Section |
Apr 25 · Subscriber-only Newsletter
Climate Forward
As countries negotiate a landmark agreement to reduce plastic pollution, the industry is fighting a battle over regulations and over its image.
Earlier this week in Ottawa, the Vinyl Institute, a major plastic industry group, hosted a reception for delegates who are negotiating what would be the first global treaty to tackle the world’s mounting plastic waste problem.
There were cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. And signs with the message that plastics save lives.
Scientists have increasingly raised the alarm over the risks that the chemicals used in plastic pose to human health and the environment. Ahead of the ... | By Hiroko Tabuchi Read more ...
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The high and mighty Himalayas: A biodiversity hotbed facing significant challenges:
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| The high and mighty Himalayas: A biodiversity hotbed facing significant challenges - PHYS.ORG - Biology |
Apr 24 · The region represents a huge mountain system extending 2,400 kilometers across Nepal, India, Bhutan, Pakistan, China, Myanmar and Afghanistan. It has a number of climate types and ecological zones, from tropical to alpine ecosystems including ice and rocks in the uppermost zone. All these ecological zones are compressed within a short elevation span.
The Himalayas—along with the related Tibetan Plateau—provide considerable ecosystem services and as the "third pole" are also the source of most of Asia's major rivers, a fact that has earned it the additional moniker of "the world's water tower."
It is of urgent importance that these fragile ecosystems are ... Read more ...
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The Indian villagers who lost their homes to the sea:
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| The Indian villagers who lost their homes to the sea - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 26 · The gentle roar of the ocean lulled Indian mother-of-two Banita Behra to sleep each night, until one day the encroaching tide reached her doorstep.
Behra is among hundreds of people from the disappearing and largely abandoned coastal village of Satabhaya, whose displaced former residents have been officially recognized by the government as climate migrants.
She grew up watching helplessly with her neighbors as rising seas, driven by climate change and upriver dams, slowly claimed the land around them.
"We were doing well there. We used to catch fish," the 34-year-old told AFP. "But the sea came nearer and took away our homes."
Satabhaya is the hardest-hit of ... Read more ...
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The rise of microbial cheaters in iron-limited environments: Study reveals their evolutionary history:
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| The rise of microbial cheaters in iron-limited environments: Study reveals their evolutionary history - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Among microbial communities, chemicals that are secreted into the environment provide opportunities for both cooperation and exploitation, giving rise in some cases to microbial "cheaters." These cheaters exploit the cooperative behaviors of their counterparts, benefitting from the secreted compounds without paying the metabolic costs of production.
In a new article published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Vanderbilt University reveal the evolutionary history of secreted iron uptake molecules in yeasts, shedding new light on the cooperative and competitive dynamics that shape iron-limited microbial ... Read more ...
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The UK's Climate Change Act, once the envy of the world, faces a stress test:
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| The UK's Climate Change Act, once the envy of the world, faces a stress test - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Does that mean that targets for reducing the emissions of greenhouse gas driving climate change are worthless? Not necessarily. There are two types of climate target: the empty promise and the calculated ambition. Only one of these works.
Empty promises abound in climate policy. Such targets deflect criticism—look, they say, we take climate change seriously, we have a strong target. But a closer look reveals, at best, loopholes and at worst, no plan at all.
For example, despite numerous oil and gas companies pledging to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, an extensive analysis revealed that emissions from the sector aren't falling and most companies with targets ... Read more ...
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This Is One Of The Biggest Threats To Democracy - And It’s 'Underappreciated’:
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| This Is One Of The Biggest Threats To Democracy - And It’s 'Underappreciated’ - Huffington Post |
Apr 24 · In May 2019, I flew to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to attend a conference on the future of carbon capture, the technology the oil industry was betting on to slash the climate impact of burning fossil fuels. Just six months after the release of a dire report giving humanity roughly a decade to halve emissions that were then still growing year over year, I braced myself for what I expected to be a roomful of unreformed climate deniers.
Instead, I spent most of two days listening to conversations detailing the surprisingly complex reality: technologies to keep carbon from leaving smokestacks and entering the atmosphere could actually work.
In particular, I heard Akshat Rathi, an ... Read more ...
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This Salt Battery Harvests Osmotic Energy Where the River Meets the Sea:
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| This Salt Battery Harvests Osmotic Energy Where the River Meets the Sea - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · Estuaries -- where freshwater rivers meet the salty sea -- are great locations for birdwatching and kayaking. In these areas, waters containing different salt concentrations mix and may be sources of sustainable, "blue" osmotic energy. Researchers in ACS Energy Letters report creating a semipermeable membrane that harvests osmotic energy from salt gradients and converts it to electricity. The new design had an output power density more than two times higher than commercial membranes in lab demonstrations.
Osmotic energy can be generated anywhere salt gradients are found, but the available technologies to capture this renewable energy have room for improvement. One method uses ... Read more ...
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This technology didn’t cause Dubai’s floods, scientists say. Here’s why.:
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| This technology didn’t cause Dubai’s floods, scientists say. Here’s why. - Washington Post - Climate and Environment |
Apr 17 · After nearly two years’ worth of rain flooded the Dubai region Tuesday, attention quickly shifted to cloud seeding and whether it could have been a factor in the deluge. The geoengineering technology has successfully produced rainfall over the arid United Arab Emirates in the past.
But scientists said the downpour was a product of weather patterns that meteorological models predicted as much as a week earlier. Climate research has shown that such intense precipitation across the Arabian Peninsula could become more frequent and extreme because of warming global temperatures.
The UAE National Center of Meteorology told CNBC it did not conduct any cloud-seeding operations ... Read more ...
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Thousands in heatwave-hit Bangladesh pray for rain:
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| Thousands in heatwave-hit Bangladesh pray for rain - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · Thousands of Bangladeshis gathered to pray for rain on Wednesday in the middle of an extreme heat wave that prompted authorities to shut down schools around the country.
Extensive scientific research has found climate change is causing heat waves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.
Bangladesh's weather bureau says that average maximum temperatures in the capital Dhaka over the past week have been 4-5 degrees Celsius (7.2-9 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the 30-year average for the same period.
Muslim worshippers gathered in city mosques and rural fields to pray for relief from the scorching heat, which forecasters expect to continue for at least ... Read more ...
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U.S. solar companies, imperiled by price collapse, demand protection:
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| U.S. solar companies, imperiled by price collapse, demand protection - Washington Post - Climate and Environment |
Apr 24 · Several of the biggest American solar manufacturing companies are demanding aggressive action against cheap imports, arguing in a petition filed Wednesday with the Commerce Department that firms in four Asian countries are illegally flooding the U.S. market with Chinese-subsidized panels.
Though the panels are not produced in China, the petitioners allege many are made in factories linked to Chinese-based companies that benefit from massive price supports.
The complaint comes amid a glut of solar panels on the global market that has driven prices down by 50 percent over the past year, with the International Energy Agency projecting prices will fall even further. ... Read more ...
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Ultra-thin, flexible solar cells demonstrate their promise in a commercial quadcopter drone:
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| Ultra-thin, flexible solar cells demonstrate their promise in a commercial quadcopter drone - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · Conventional energy solutions—including fossil fuels, batteries and other alternative energy generation methods—have their challenges. For example, they are either often too large, require cables or stationary charging, negatively impact on the environment, or their power density is too low.
Ultra-thin and flexible solar cells made from a new material called "perovskite" are proving to be an efficient and lightweight solution to facilitate self-sufficient energy generation over extended periods of time.
As part of a groundbreaking development, researchers at the JKU have now succeeded in developing ultra-lightweight quasi-2D perovskite solar cells with an ... Read more ...
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UN launches fund to shield displaced people from climate shocks:
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| UN launches fund to shield displaced people from climate shocks - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 24 · The United Nations said Wednesday it was launching a new Climate Resilience Fund aimed at boosting protections for "refugees and displaced communities" threatened by climate change.
The UN refugee agency said it aimed to raise $100 million for the new fund by the end of next year to support refugees, their host communities and countries of origin hardest hit by climate emergencies.
The agency highlighted in a statement that climate risks were "strongly correlated with conflict and poverty", experienced by many refugees.
In 2022, more than 70 percent of refugees and asylum seekers fled from highly climate-vulnerable countries, it pointed out.
"The impacts of ... Read more ...
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Understanding the impact of environmental factors on molded fiber products:
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| Understanding the impact of environmental factors on molded fiber products - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 25 · In a study published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, a group of researchers from China has outlined some mathematical models of the mechanical parameters of MFP they constructed. The change of mechanical parameters of MFP with moisture content (MC) was described, and the change of MC with temperature and humidity was described by the moisture sorption isotherm.
"The preparation of MFP often requires the first preparation of the mold, but the time and labor cost of repeatedly preparing the mold verification are too high. These costs can be greatly reduced by the method of numerical simulation, and the mechanical parameters of the material are essential in the ... Read more ...
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Underwater robot pioneers new energy-efficient buoyancy control:
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| Underwater robot pioneers new energy-efficient buoyancy control - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 25 · A remotely operated underwater robot built by a team of Rice University engineering students pioneers a new way to control buoyancy via water-splitting fuel cells. The device, designed and constructed at the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen over the course of a year-long senior design capstone class, offers a more power-efficient method of maintaining neutral buoyancy—a critical component in underwater operations.
The robot serves as proof-of-concept for the potential of fuel cell-based buoyancy control devices (BCDs) to reduce operating costs for remotely operated or autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with potential applications ranging from environmental monitoring ... Read more ...
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Using liquid metal to develop energy storage systems with 100 times better heat transfer:
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| Using liquid metal to develop energy storage systems with 100 times better heat transfer - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · From April 22 to 26, 2024, the researchers will present a model of their energy storage system at the KIT stand at the Energy Solutions (Hall 13, Stand C76) of the Hannover Messe.
Worldwide, high-temperature heat storage systems are being developed to supply resource-intensive production companies with heat independently of fluctuating renewable energy production. These storage systems convert electrical power into heat, which is then stored.
The heat is used if needed, for instance when electricity is expensive and production processes cannot be stopped. The higher the temperature stored, the better. This reduces the amount of additional energy that would be needed to ... Read more ...
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Using sodium to develop rechargeable batteries may bolster the EU's green ambitions:
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| Using sodium to develop rechargeable batteries may bolster the EU's green ambitions - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 25 · The idea behind sodium-ion batteries is to reduce Europe's reliance on the lithium-ion ones that power everything from toothbrushes and mobile phones to mopeds and cars.
Today's batteries include materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt that are both scarce and toxic, whereas sodium is one of the most plentiful elements on Earth.
"Sodium-ion batteries are based on more abundant and safer materials than lithium-ion batteries," said Abou-Rjeily. "There's not enough lithium ions and cobalt and nickel to meet everyone's needs."
He is a research and development engineer at Tiamat, which designs and manufactures sodium-ion batteries.
Abou-Rjeily led a research ... Read more ...
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Volkswagen revamps its approach in China in bid to overtake upstart EV makers:
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| Volkswagen revamps its approach in China in bid to overtake upstart EV makers - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · As auto giant Volkswagen AG races to catch up with upstart Chinese competitors, it has drivers like 26-year-old Ren Yiling in mind.
She is young and wants to play video games in her car. The digital features of her Zeekr 001, a European-designed electric car from China's Geely Holding Group, appeal to her. She uses her smartphone to help her parents adjust their seats and tells an animated voice assistant to open the window or play music.
"I once sung karaoke in the car when travelling a long way with my family," she said. "To me, the car is more like an entertainment place. I am a singer."
Foreign automakers have been caught flat-footed in China by an electric ... Read more ...
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Voluntary Corporate Emissions Targets Not Enough to Create Real Climate Action:
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| Voluntary Corporate Emissions Targets Not Enough to Create Real Climate Action - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
Apr 24 · Companies' emissions reduction targets should not be the sole measure of corporate climate ambition, according to a new perspective paper.
Relying on emissions can favour more established companies and hinder innovation, say the authors, who suggest updating regulations to improve corporate climate action.
The paper, published today in Science, is by an international team led by Utrecht University, which includes Imperial College London researchers.
Lead author of the study Dr Yann Robiou Du Pont, from the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University, said: "Assessing the climate ambition of companies based only on their emissions ... Read more ...
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Warming Arctic reduces dust levels in parts of the planet, study finds:
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| Warming Arctic reduces dust levels in parts of the planet, study finds - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Previous studies have found that dust levels are actually decreasing across India, particularly northern India, the Persian Gulf Coast and much of the Middle East, but the reason has remained unclear. Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) are working to understand how global climate change is impacting dust levels in the region.
In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of researchers led by Michael B. McElroy, the Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies at SEAS, found that the decrease in dust can be attributed to the Arctic warming much faster than the rest of the ... Read more ...
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We might be closer to changing course on climate change than we realized:
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| We might be closer to changing course on climate change than we realized - VOX -Environment |
Apr 25 · Greenhouse gas emissions might have already peaked. Now they need to fall - fast.
Earth is coming out of the hottest year on record, amplifying the destruction from hurricanes, wildfires, heat waves, and drought. The oceans remain alarmingly warm, triggering the fourth global coral bleaching event in history. Concentrations of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere have reached levels not seen on this planet for millions of years, while humanity’s demand for the fossil fuels that produce this pollution is the highest it has ever been.
Yet at the same time, the world may be closer than ever to turning a corner in the effort to corral climate change.
Last year, more ... Read more ...
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What are fuel cell EVs?:
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| What are fuel cell EVs? - Yale Climate Connections - Transportation |
Apr 24 · Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Yale Climate Connections
Most electric vehicles on the road today are powered by batteries. But battery EVs are not the only EVs.
Fuel cell EVs run on hydrogen gas, which mixes with oxygen in a chemical reaction to create electricity.
The hydrogen is stored in a tank on board the vehicle.
Terry: “So it’s very much like gassing up a car right now, in that you pull into a station, you attach a nozzle, this time for a high-pressure gas as opposed to a liquid, and you refuel in a matter of minutes.”
Seth Terry is co-founder of New Day Hydrogen, a startup ... Read more ...
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What to Know About the Breakup of Scotland’s Coalition Government:
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| What to Know About the Breakup of Scotland’s Coalition Government - New York Times - Climate Section |
Apr 25 · The power-sharing agreement between the Scottish National Party and the Scottish Green Party ended abruptly on Thursday, marking a fresh period of turmoil for the S.N.P.
Reporting from London
Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, on Thursday abruptly ended a coalition agreement between his Scottish National Party and the Scottish Green Party, creating a new set of challenges for an embattled leader whose party has been engulfed in a funding scandal since last year.
A decision by the Scottish government to soften climate change targets, and a disagreement within the coalition over trans rights policies, had increased tension between the two parties, which have ... | By Stephen Castle Read more ...
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Why Germany ditched nuclear before coal - and why it won't go back:
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| Why Germany ditched nuclear before coal - and why it won't go back - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
Apr 24 · In the face of climate change, calls to expedite the transition away from fossil fuels, and an energy crisis precipitated by Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Berlin's move to quit nuclear before carbon-intensive energy sources like coal has attracted significant criticism. (Greta Thunberg prominently labeled it "a mistake.")
This decision can only be understood in the context of post-war socio-political developments in Germany, where anti-nuclearism predated the public climate discourse.
From a 1971 West German bestseller evocatively titled Peaceably into Catastrophe: A Documentation of Nuclear Power Plants, to huge protests of hundreds of thousands—including the ... Read more ...
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Why the New Climate Reg for Coal is a Perfectly Normal EPA Rule:
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| Why the New Climate Reg for Coal is a Perfectly Normal EPA Rule - Legal Planet |
Apr 25 · Is EPA’s new climate rule a sneaky effort to eliminate coal or a valid pollution standard? Some new arguments made by EPA convince me that it’s pursuing a time-tested approach to pollution control. It’s not that EPA is trying to grind down the industry. It’s that the economics of coal-fired plants are so fragile that a mild breeze would give them pneumonia.
Opponents are sure to legally challenge EPA’s new rule to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. And they are equally certain to argue that EPA is just trying to do indirectly what the Supreme Court said it couldn’t do directly: push coal out of the U.S. energy mix. ... Read more ...
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Why this summer may be especially hot in the United States:
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| Why this summer may be especially hot in the United States - Washington Post - Climate and Environment |
Apr 22 · A new outlook for summer from the National Weather Service is a toasty one: Hotter-than-normal conditions are favored almost everywhere, except for a small portion of the northern Plains. The highest odds for a hot summer stretch from Texas into the Pacific Northwest, as well as much of the Northeast.
This forecast sets the stage for bouts of record-challenging high temperatures throughout the nation and the possibility of the hottest summer ever observed. In the central states and Rocky Mountains, the combination of heat and an expectation for drier-than-normal weather will increase drought potential. It will also raise the fire threat in some areas.
Weather Service ... Read more ...
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Will blossom of reform bear fruit? Spring Meetings leave too much to do:
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| Will blossom of reform bear fruit? Spring Meetings leave too much to do - Climate Change News - Finance |
Apr 25 · Comment: Changes are afoot at the IMF and World Bank – but debt-squeezed developing nations need far faster access to more finance for climate action
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva holds a press briefing on the Global Policy Agenda to open the IMF and World Bank's 2024 annual Spring Meetings in Washington, U.S., April 18, 2024. (Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
Rachel Kyte is professor of practice in climate policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
With spring in full bloom, the world’s finance ministers, development and financial leaders, and philanthropists met for the World Bank and ... | By Rachel Kyte Read more ...
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Yeast study offers possible answer to why some species are generalists and others specialists:
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| Yeast study offers possible answer to why some species are generalists and others specialists - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Apr 25 · Under the guidance of UW–Madison professor of genetics Chris Todd Hittinger and Antonis Rokas, a professor of biology at Vanderbilt, researchers mapped the genetic blueprints, appetites, and environments of more than 1,000 species of yeasts, building a family tree that illuminates how these single-celled fungi evolved over the past 400 million years.
The results, published in the journal Science, suggest that internal—not external—factors are the primary drivers of variation in the types of carbon yeasts can eat, and the researchers found no evidence that metabolic versatility, or the ability to eat different foods, comes with any trade-offs. In other words, ... Read more ...
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