Climate Crisis

Climate Change makes ‘Florida Rain-bombs’ more Common, as DeSantis would Know if he had bothered to Visit Ft Lauderdale

Craig Pittman ( Florida Phoenix)- If you live in Florida, you never suffer from an irony deficiency. Case in point: Flood managers from across the nation gathered in South Florida last week for a conference — only to run into the region’s worst flooding in yeeeeeeeeears. (Hey, do you think we can get the […]

Climate Crisis

Glaciers in Swiss Alps lost 6% of Mass last Year, as Climate Emergency brings brutal Heat Waves

Juan Cole

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 […]

Antarctica

Antarctica’s Heart of Ice has skipped a Beat. The only Medicine is Halting Fossil Fuels

The Conversation

By Edward Doddridge, University of Tasmania | – (The Conversation) – The rhythmic expansion and contraction of Antarctic sea ice is like a heartbeat. But lately, there’s been a skip in the beat. During each of the last two summers, the ice around Antarctica has retreated farther than ever before. And just as a change […]

Batteries

Chinese-made EVs are Conquering the world’s largest Auto Market, as BEV sales Soared 87% in ’22

Juan Cole

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%. […]

Climate Crisis

America’s Climate Refugees are Swelling, driven by Rising Seas, Wildfires and Extreme Heat

Sustainability Times

By Laureen Fagan ( Sustainability Times) – News of an accelerating sea level rise along the Gulf Coast of the United States has renewed attention on climate migration, and the degree to which people in the U.S. have begun to retreat from climate challenges due to flooding, wildfire and other impacts. The new study, […]

Climate Crisis

India lets 2 Gigawatt Solar Tender, as Solar soared 27% in 2022

Juan Cole

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 […]

Climate Crisis

Boosting EV Market Share to 67% of US Car Sales is a huge Leap – but Automakers can meet EPA’s tough new Standards

The Conversation

By Alan Jenn, University of California, Davis | – (The Conversation) – One big question keeps surfacing after the Biden administration announced plans to raise auto standards so sharply they would likely boost electric vehicle production to 67% of all new passenger vehicle sales in under a decade: Can automakers pull that off? The proposal […]

Climate Crisis

Paris is Burning: France Braces for 7.2° F. Heating in its ‘Turning Point’ Strategy

Clean Energy Wire

By Claire Stam | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – Shocked by recent heatwaves, floods, wildfires and ongoing droughts, France is currently rebooting its strategy to cope with the impacts of climate change. In a “turning point” in the country’s adaptation efforts, the plans will also include proposals on how to deal with 4 […]

Climate Crisis

Peak Fossil Fuels? Wind, Solar advance 20% Globally, with World on Verge of CO2 Emissions Drop

Juan Cole

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 […]