[Source: BBC News] Satellite images have shown a dramatic decline in pollution levels over China, which is “at least partly” due to an economic slowdown prompted by the coronavirus, US space agency NASA says. NASA maps show falling levels of nitrogen dioxide this year. It comes amid record declines in China’s factory activity as manufacturers Read More…
Category: World News
Tackling air pollution may accidentally trigger serious health issues
[Source: NewScientist] Cities tackling one major air pollutant risk inadvertently making things worse by fuelling the growth of another, potentially more harmful type of pollution. Many urban areas around the world are in breach of World Health Organization guidelines on PM2.5, particulate matter with a maximum diameter of 2.5 micrometres. Vehicles are a common source of Read More…
The limits of clean energy
[Source: FOREIGN POLICY] If the world isn’t careful, renewable energy could become as destructive as fossil fuels. The conversation about climate change has been blazing ahead in recent months. Propelled by the school climate strikes and social movements like Extinction Rebellion, a number of governments have declared a climate emergency, and progressive political parties are Read More…
Why renewables can’t save the climate
[Source: Forbes / Michael Shellenberger] Democratic presidential candidates may disagree on a lot, but they all agree that the solution to climate change is the expansion of renewable energy, particularly solar and wind. Some candidates see a role for nuclear. Sen. Cory Booker and businessman Andrew Yang have called for new plants, while former Vice Read More…
Renewable energy push barely dents fossil fuel dependence
[Source: Financial Times] Coal, oil and gas still expected to contribute 85% of primary power supply by 2040. Unprecedented efforts to install renewable power capacity have only translated into meeting 2 per cent of global energy demand, meaning the world’s overwhelming reliance on fossil fuels shows no sign of abating. A new report forecasts that Read More…
China’s electric vehicle showrooms are sending an ominous signal about the sales outlook this year
[Source: South China Morning Post] Chinese electric and hybrid vehicles makers are bracing for a downturn, after consumers flocked to showrooms before the government scaled back its subsidy programme designed to promote green vehicles in June. Analysts said anecdotal evidence points to a downturn in the new-energy vehicle (NEV) segment in July, the first full Read More…
Fading electric vehicle support in US and China could delay peak oil demand
[Source: GTM] The U.S. Energy Information Administration and International Energy Agency are likely to upwardly revise their oil demand projections, a new report says. Policy support for electric vehicles is waning in key markets around the world, potentially softening EV sales and pushing back forecasts for a peak in global oil demand, according to a Read More…
$2.5 trillion ‘Holy Grail’ found? Breakthrough discovery could lead to 100 percent recyclable plastics, scientists say
[Source: Fox News] Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans may have a $2.5 trillion impact, negatively affecting “almost all marine ecosystem services,” including areas such as fisheries, recreation and heritage. But a breakthrough from scientists at Berkeley Lab could be the solution the planet needs for this eye-opening problem – recyclable plastics. The study, published Read More…
The reason renewables can’t power modern civilization is because they were never meant to
[Source: Forbes] Over the last decade, journalists have held up Germany’s renewables energy transition, the Energiewende, as an environmental model for the world. “Many poor countries, once intent on building coal-fired power plants to bring electricity to their people, are discussing whether they might leapfrog the fossil age and build clean grids from the outset,” thanks Read More…