Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The UN’s World Meteorological Organization has issued its annual report. As you will have guessed, things don’t look good. There were 117 heat waves in 2022 and 58 droughts globally. But there were also 61 wet spells and 63 floods. We are rushing toward weather extremes. Global heating has driven […]
Biden is Running in ’24: Top 3 Reasons he’ll Likely win by a Landslide
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – President Joe Biden is planning to declare next week that he will seek a second term as president according to Jeff Zeleny, Phil Mattingly, Kevin Liptak and Arlette Saenz at CNN. The overwhelming likelihood is that he will win that second term. There are many reasons to come to this […]
Chinese-made EVs are Conquering the world’s largest Auto Market, as BEV sales Soared 87% in ’22
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – EV sales have taken off in China, the world’s largest auto market, according to Reuters. Moreover, Chinese makers of electric vehicles are outshining most of their rivals. BYD’s sales are up a startling 69% this year even though the overall market is a bit sluggish. Tesla sales are up 27%. […]
India lets 2 Gigawatt Solar Tender, as Solar soared 27% in 2022
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – India has invited bids on a 2 gigawatt solar power tender. The country has 64 gigawatts of installed solar capacity now. With other sources, especially wind, it has 169 gigawatts of renewable energy today. India’s goal is to have 500 gigawatts from low-carbon sources by 2030. So it is about […]
Assault on Religious Freedom: Violent Crackdown by Israeli Police on Christian Worshipers in Jerusalem
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Arabic press is reporting violent assaults Saturday evening by Israeli police against Palestinian Christian worshipers in Jerusalem attempting to make their way to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for the “Saturday of Light” commemoration. The police attacks took place at the entrance to the Church of the Holy […]
US in Eclipse: 240,000 Palestinians worship at al-Aqsa in Jerusalem as Iran, Lebanon, Show Solidarity on Jerusalem Day
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Quds (Jerusalem) Day is commemorated on the last Friday of Ramadan, and was held yesterday. “Al-Quds” is the Arabic name for Jerusalem, meaning “the Holy.” Revolutionary Iran established this custom, and some of the biggest Quds Day crowds gathered in Tehran. Demonstrations were held, however, all over the Muslim world. […]
Christian Archbishop slams Israel’s Restrictions on Worship at the ‘Festival of Lights’ as “Racist”
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On the Saturday before Orthodox Easter, which falls a week later than in the Western churches, typically 10,000 worshipers gather at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, waiting for the holy fire [to phos) to emerge. It is said to derive from the tomb in which Jesus was initially buried […]
Peak Fossil Fuels? Wind, Solar advance 20% Globally, with World on Verge of CO2 Emissions Drop
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The energy analysis firm Ember reports its latest findings about global energy trends, and it is relatively optimistic. Wind and solar had provided 10% of the world’s electricity in 2021, but that went up to 12% in 2022, a 20% increase. If we look at each source in its own […]
Scotland, aiming at 40 GW of Offshore Wind, has just installed the Deepest Fixed-bottom Wind Turbine in the World
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The small country of Scotland, with a population of about 4.5 million, has forged ahead with renewable energy at a much faster pace and to greater effect than most other industrialized countries. Virtually all of its electricity consumption can now be met from wind, solar, or hydro, though because it […]