Environment

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan region, the center of its petroleum industry, has been wracked with protests for a week, in part over water shortages. Rallies have erupted in the towns of Mahshahr, Izeh, Ahvaz, Kut-e Abdollah, Susangerd, Aligoudarz and Shoushtar, according to Amnesty International The Iranian government has sometimes replied to […]

Climate Crisis

Climate activists demand faster energy transition after flood disaster hits Germany

Clean Energy Wire

By Charlotte Nijhuis | – ( Clean Energy Wire) – Activists are protesting for better climate protection measures after catastrophic floods hit several parts of Germany last week. On 23 July, environmental group Robin Wood kicks off a three-week raft tour from Berlin to Hamburg in order to push for a faster energy transition. “We […]

Featured

Only Electric Cars can save the Planet, with as much as 4/5s fewer Emissions than Gasoline Cars

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A life-cycle study of automobile emissions in four major new-car markets globally by Georg Bieker of non-profit The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has demonstrated conclusively that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are dramatically cleaner than gasoline cars under virtually all circumstances, no matter how dirty the electric grid in […]

Climate Crisis

How food prices are affected by oil, trade agreements and climate change

The Conversation

By Wyn Morgan | – ( The Conversation) – Concerns about inflation rates have risen as the UK economy begins its much-needed recovery from the effects of the pandemic. The Consumer Prices Index, the measure most commonly used to measure inflation, rose by 2.5% in June 2021, the highest level for three years. That headline […]

Australasia

Wind turbines off the coast could help Australia become an energy superpower, research finds

The Conversation

By Sven Teske, Chris Briggs, Mark Hemer, Philip Marsh, and Rusty Langdon | – ( The Conversation) – Offshore wind farms are an increasingly common sight overseas. But Australia has neglected the technology, despite the ample wind gusts buffeting much of our coastline. New research released today confirms Australia’s offshore wind resources offer vast potential […]

Acidification of Oceans

Coral reef scientists raise alarm as climate change decimates ocean ecosystems vital to fish and humans

The Conversation

By Sam Purkis | ( The Conversation) – The Chagos Archipelago is one of the most remote, seemingly idyllic places on Earth. Coconut-covered sandy beaches with incredible bird life rim tropical islands in the Indian Ocean, hundreds of miles from any continent. Just below the waves, coral reefs stretch for miles along an underwater mountain […]

China

German carmakers likely to overtake Chinese rivals in e-car production, with US Lagging Behind

Clean Energy Wire

By Sören Amelang | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – German carmakers look set to overtake Chinese companies in the production of e-cars next year, according to an analysis by conducted McKinsey. “In terms of production, Chinese and German manufacturers are expected to be on a par this year, with around 1.6 million e-cars […]

Climate Crisis

As coastal flooding worsens, some cities are retreating from the water

The Conversation

By A.R. Siders and Katharine Mach | – When the tide gets exceptionally high in Charleston, South Carolina, coastal streets start to run with seawater. Some yards become ponds, and residents pull on rain boots. The city also gets a lot of rain. After homes in one low-lying neighborhood flooded three times in four years, […]

Climate Crisis

With Massive Flooding in Germany, Scientists worry Climate is increasingly out of Control

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Our burning of gasoline, coal and natural gas on a massive global scale, putting tens of billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere annually, is turning the earth into . . . well, a greenhouse. Greenhouses are closed up, keeping in heat and moisture. In a greenhouse, the […]