Environment

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, kicked off the Revolutionary War in earnest, which the Continental Army only finally won seven years later, in 1882. The Revolutionary War was a rare conflict for the United States, in that it was fought on our own soil, such that every […]

Climate Change

Human Exposure to Wildfires has more than doubled in two Decades

The Conversation

By Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University | – Over the past two decades, a staggering 21.8 million Americans found themselves living within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of a large wildfire. Most of those residents would have had to evacuate, and many would have been exposed to smoke and emotional trauma from the fire. Nearly 600,000 […]

Batteries

Electric Car Revolution: Tesla Sales up 83% Year on Year in Q2, as BYD does even better at 98% Surge

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Tesla sales surged 83% in the second quarter compared to Q2 2022, and were up 10% over the first quarter. So reports Alan Ohnsmann at Forbes. And Benziga reports that the Chinese car maker BYD out produced Tesla in the first two quarters of this year, rolling out 1,255,637 new […]

Climate Crisis

Global Heating and its Wildfires are Reshaping Canada’s Northern Forests and its Tundra

The Conversation

By Konrad Gajewski, University of Ottawa/ L’Université d’Ottawa | – (The Conversation) – Global warming is affecting the boreal forest — what happens will depend on the climate, vegetation and the frequency and intensity of wildfires. Changes in the north include increases or decreases in leaf growth, called Arctic greening and browning, more extensive growth […]

Climate Crisis

We Need to Decarbonize our Electricity, and Quickly — the Good News is that Green Energy is Practical and Brings Economic Benefits

The Conversation

By John Quiggin, The University of Queensland | – We use energy in everything we do, but few of us understand it properly. Much of the time this doesn’t matter. We can flick a light switch or turn the ignition key in a car, knowing the technology will work whether we understand it or not. […]

Climate Crisis

Renewables covered more than Half of German Electricity Consumption in the first half of 2023

Julian Wettengel

( Clean Energy Wire) – Wind, solar and other renewable energy sources covered 52 percent of German electricity consumption in the first six months of 2023, up from 49 percent in the first half of last year, preliminary data by the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Wuerttemberg (ZSW) and energy industry association BDEW […]

Arctic

Climate Crisis: Meltwater is Creating Millions of Hairline Cracks in Greenland’s Ice Sheet, Destabilizing it with a form of Hydro-Fracking

The Conversation

(The Conversation) – Alun Hubbard, University of Tromsø | – I’m striding along the steep bank of a raging white-water torrent, and even though the canyon is only about the width of a highway, the river’s flow is greater than that of London’s Thames. The deafening roar and rumble of the cascading water is incredible […]

Batteries

China adds 62 Gigawatts of Solar Capacity in Just 5 Months, Compared to 10 Gigs in the US

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Carrie Xiao at PV Tech reports that in the first five months of 2023, China has installed 62.1 gigawatts of solar capacity at a cost of $13.6 billion. Year on year, it was a 140% expansion. Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of this advance, a typical […]

Climate Crisis

Right-to-Charge Laws bring promise of EVs to Apts., Condos and Rentals

The Conversation

Eleftheria Kontou, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | – (The Conversation) – More than 3.6 million electric cars are driving around the U.S., but if you live in an apartment, finding an available charger isn’t always easy. Grocery stores and shopping centers might have a few, but charging takes time and the spaces may be […]