Green Transportation

By Sören Amelang | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – The German government has launched a new push to make the country an international leader in sustainable aviation. “With a joint effort by industry, science, politics and society, Germany can become an international pioneer on the road to climate-neutral aviation,” said a government paper […]

Climate Crisis

Biden just declared Heat Pumps and Solar Panels essential to National Defense – here’s why and the Challenges Ahead

The Conversation

By Daniel Cohan, Rice University | – Solar panels, heat pumps and hydrogen are all building blocks of a clean energy economy. But are they truly “essential to the national defense”? President Joe Biden proclaimed that they are in early June when he authorized using the Defense Production Act to ramp up their production in […]

Climate Crisis

European Parliament bans New Gasoline Cars in 13 Years for 449 Million People, to fight Climate Emergency and Russia

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Margaux Otter at L’Obs reports that on Wednesday, the European Parliament voted to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) automobiles by 2035, only thirteen years from now. It is an epochal vote that aims at completely re-configuring the automobile industry in the 27-member European Union, with its […]

Climate Crisis

Chevy Bolt now Least Expensive EV in US Market, as Studies show they cut Carbon by ~70% over ICE Cars

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – General Motors has just slashed the cost of its struggling Bolt by over 18%! If you just go by the sticker price, the base 1LT (Luxury Touring) at $26,595 is now the least expensive electric car in the US market. The 2Lt comes in at $29, 795. So reports Pras […]

Climate Crisis

In Global Sea Change, 52% of Prospective Car Buyers Aim for New Energy Vehicles as Gasoline Spikes

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The accounting firm Ernst & Young reports on its recent global Mobility Consumer Index poll with 13,000 respondents across 18 countries concerning car-buyers preferences. The poll found that for the first time, a majority– 52% — of respondents who planned to buy a new car in the next two years […]

Climate Crisis

Could a European Union boycott of Putin’s Oil, with Qatari and UAE help, Crash the Russian Economy?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The breaking news is that the German Minister of Economy and Climate Robert Habeck, who is also the Vice-Chancellor has just announced that Germany is all in on a European Union plan to boycott Russian petroleum. Germany has already reduced its imports from Russia from 35% to 12% in only […]

Climate Crisis

Auto Workers, Climate Groups Team Up to Demand Union-Made, Electric Postal Vehicles

Inequality.org

By Brian Wakamo | – (Inequality.org ) – After nearly 30 years in the labor movement, Cindy Estrada is well familiar with the corporate playbook. “As soon as wages and benefits are decent, they want to move that work somewhere else.” That’s what happened, the United Autoworkers Vice President explained at a recent rally, after […]

Climate Crisis

45% of New Cars in Germany Non-Gasoline Vehicles, 25% EVs

Clean Energy Wire

By Sören Amelang | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – Almost half of all new cars registered in Germany earlier this year were equipped with alternative fuel engines. The share of newly registered battery electric, hybrid, fuel cell, gas and hydrogen cars rose to 44.5 percent in the first quarter, an increase of more […]

Climate Crisis

Germany boosts renewables with “biggest energy policy reform in decades”

Julian Wettengel

By Kerstine Appunn and Julian Wettengel | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – Germany wants to fight the climate crisis and its heavy dependence on fossil fuel imports by speeding up the rollout of renewables with a massive overhaul of key energy legislation. In the “biggest energy policy reform in decades,” the coalition of […]