Green Transportation

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Thinking of buying an electric car? With the signing by President Biden yesterday of the Inflation Reduction Act, it is a great time to make the move from expensive and destructive gasoline to a much cleaner electric vehicle. But the rules on the $7,500 federal tax break for buying a […]

Climate Crisis

Why Climate Activists Need to Celebrate the Inflation Reduction Act, a major Turning Point despite its Warts

Waging Nonviolence

By Daniel Hunter | – ( Waging Nonviolence) – Congress just passed a major $375 billion climate bill, and it will be signed by the president. Yet, when I texted long-standing colleagues in Sunrise Movement, climate justice groups, Sierra Club, local pipeline fights and elsewhere, I found the mood to be… ambivalent, cautious, and non-celebratory. […]

Australia

Women are turning the tide on Climate Policy Worldwide, including Australia

The Conversation

By Jacqueline Peel, The University of Melbourne; Annabelle Workman, The University of Melbourne; Kathryn Bowen, The University of Melbourne; and Rebekkah Markey-Towler, The University of Melbourne | – When the new federal parliament opened last week, a record number of female politicians took their seats: 38% in the House of Representatives and 57% in the […]

Climate Crisis

Surprise Dem Senate Bill makes US Global Climate Leader, Sees 40% Carbon Reduction by 2030

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In a huge surprise on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Joe Manchin, announced an agreement on a package of legislation that includes an unprecedented $369 billion to encourage green energy and cut carbon dioxide emissions, on a […]

Climate Crisis

Yes, EV’s Are Great for a Leisurely Road Trip, without the High Fuel Costs or Carbon Guilt

Richard Foltz

Montreal (Special to Informed Comment) – Road trips are arguably a part of North American culture, especially for those of us who grew up in the 1960s and 70s before air travel became common. Visits to relatives, camping trips, ski vacations, or simply aimless Kerouac-type voyages of self-discovery, are familiar memories for many in the […]

Climate Crisis

694 Milllion tons of Rare Earth Metals, Essential to Wind Turbines and EVs, found in Türkiye

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The green energy revolution so far is dependent on certain raw materials, including silicon for solar panels and lithium for lithium-ion batteries. Another group of such primary materials is rare earth minerals, essential to wind turbines. The largest producer of them is China, but Russia, Vietnam and Brazil also have […]

Climate Crisis

European Union Ministers Agree on Climate Bills, the De Facto End of Gasoline Cars by 2035

Kerstine Appunn

By Kerstine Appunn | – ( Clean Energy Wire) – EU member states have approved the end of fossil fuelled passenger cars in 2035 and found compromises on emissions trading and a “Social Climate Fund”. The fund will be used to cushion the impacts of a new price on CO2 in the transport and heating […]

Climate Crisis

In 13 Years, Gasoline will be as Illegal in Europe as Heroin for New Car Buyers

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Les Echos reports that after a marathon 16-hour negotiating session, the 27 European Union countries agreed to issue five new laws aimed reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 55% compared to 1990 levels by 2030 and at reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. Frans Timmermans, the chief EU Climate official, noted that […]

Batteries

As US Electric Vehicle Sales Double in One Year, Biden calls for Lowering their Price to Defeat Oil Tyrant Putin

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – President Joe Biden called last week for a vast expansion of green energy in the United States to offset what he calls the “Putin price hike” caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent Western sanctions. He pointed out that since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the assault on […]