Never underestimate the ability of humans to overestimate their own intelligence. - moi

2024.10.11 Seems normal, right? Flooding in the Sahara desert.

Dramatic images show the first floods in the Sahara in half a century (The Guardian)

2024.10.10 BING! BING! BING! Somebody else finally gets it. This is how we fix climate change quickly and survive.

Stop Emitting Nasty GHG Methane & It Will Disappear From Air In Our Lifetime (CleanTechnica)
If you want to double down on a real climate change solution, you can start with a 'natural' perennial methane emissions source with additional benefits.

2024.10.10 Soil treated with manure or compost fertilizer stores more carbon than soil treated with chemical fertilizers or no fertilizer.

Researchers make stunning discovery after examining farmland treated only with organic fertilizers for decades: '[Will] help us to move forward' (TCD) In summary, agricultural practices that were used for centuries to feed the soil and proved - for centuries - to be sustainable, are in fact, sustainable. Going back to such practices will reduce the amount of GHGs produced, reduce the toxins being put into the environment, and capture more carbon back into the soil.

2024.10.09 The recurring point is, our cities can't afford climate change.

‘Unprecedented’ destruction: Ontario sees $1B in insured damage from summer floods (Global News)

2024.10.09 In 2009, the Harper government committed at international conferences to end subsidies for oil and gas. They have gone up over the past 15 years.

Canada spending three times more backing oil and gas than renewables, says think tank (National Observer)

2024.10.08 Did you ever wonder why the rest of the world doesn't take Canada seriously on climate change action?

If Bay Street were a country, it'd be the fifth biggest climate polluter in the world (National Observer)

2024.10.07 Reducing pollution can work, but it requires everyone to get on board - for real, not just talk.

Arctic ozone reaches record high in positive step for climate (Phys.org)

2024.10.07 The expensive part of EVs is the big battery. That cost continues to fall like the Wright's Law model.

Electric vehicle battery prices are expected to fall almost 50% by 2026 (Goldman Sachs)

2024.10.05 The Swedish economy has not collapsed and their grid has not failed. Weird, hunh? Yes, they get real winters there.

EVs Take A Record 97.5% Share In Norway - Tesla Takes Third Of Market (CleanTechnica)

2024.10.05 U.S.-centric article, but Canada is at least as bad; e.g. $32 billion gift pipeline for moving diluted bitument to Burnaby BC from the tarsands.

Why Are You Paying To Subsidize The Fossil Fuel Industry? (CleanTechnica)
Additional reading: IMF Fossil Fuel Subsidies Data: 2023 Update
Pretty picture version Fossil-fuel subsidies per capita, 2021 (world map by Our World in Data)

2024.10.04 Well, that's a pile of UK taxpayer money wasted on fossil fuel greenwashing, because CCUS doesn't reduce GHG emissions.

If the captured gas is used for enhanced oil (and gas) recovery (EOR), it actually increases emissions, while industry and government pretend it doesn't.
22bn Euro spent intelligently could have done a lot of good.
Labour to commit almost £22bn to fund carbon capture and storage projects (The Guardian)

2024.10.04 Due to warming, plants are growing on Antarctica, and expanding range rapidly.

Antarctica is 'greening' at dramatic rate as climate heats (The Guardian)

2024.10.04 Now, can we stop pretending that shipping bombships of liquified fossil fuel gas across oceans is a climate change solution?

Seriously, what the frack? It's the methane folks, the methane! More than 100 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a GHG in a 10 year period after release into the atmosphere. Venting the gas is how they keep it cool / liquified for the long voyages.
We could be shipping solar heating units, solar photoltaic panels, wind generators of all sizes and batteries instead, for local energy production and storage.
But instead, more fossil fuel subsidies for LNG terminals, power for liquefying the gas, pipelines, ground water contamination ...
Exported gas produces far worse emissions than coal, major study finds (The Guardian)
Read the paper for yourself.

The fossil fuel sector won't do it (carbon capture is largely a scam), government won't do it (they're still subsidizing fossil fuels, Wall Street scam artists won't do it, credits based on trees that burn down in wildfires aren't helping, the automakers are fudging with tiny-battery plug-in hybrids, and so on.
Ex-carbon offsetting boss charged in New York with multimillion-dollar fraud (The Guardian)

2024.10.04 It's easier to make record profits if taxpayers and landowners get the bill to clean up your messes.

Alberta oil sands companies won't be forced to pay more to cleanup fund, documents show (Lakeland Today)

2024.10.02 It was easy to say they would make targets when they were far in the future. But with no plan or ambition, reality is now biting.

The planet is warming at a record pace. So why are many companies retreating from their climate targets? (Lakeland Today)

2024.10.01 This letter to the editor sums up the situation better than I have.

Comment: Let's talk real common sense on global warming (Times Colonist)

2024.10.01 You have likely been misinformed that EV sales are dropping. Actually, it's gas car sales that are shrinking.

The 'EV Slowdown' Comes For Gas Cars (Inside EVs)

2024.10.01 The climate change denier alarmists were wrong about the costs. Again. Anyway ...

Federal clean energy regulations would cost Sask. much less than previously thought: report (CBC)

2024.09.29 EV education: debunking eight disinformation myths about electric vehicles

8 myths about electric cars (Quartz)

2024.09.29 If you still think nuclear power is a solution to climate change, take note of this news item.

Hurricane Helene Floods Closed Duke Nuclear Plant in Florida (Yahoo)
Fortunately, this plant was not operational at the time Hurricane Helene hit. However, many nuclear fission reactors are placed on rivers, lakes and shorelines because they need massive amounts of water for cooling, which warms the environment. However, it the plant had been operational, it would have shut down due to the flooding. Ironically, nuclear eactors in France have been shut down in recent years because warming temperatures have evaporated the water bodies they used for cooling.

2024.09.27 A Canadian municipal transit agency gives up revenue in order to combat fossil fuel disinformation.

It is sad that this is newsworthy and took new federal legislation to even make it possible.
In other news, many fossil fuel companies in Canada have taken their websites dark as a result of the change. Presumably, there was nothing left in their previous propaganda that met the bar of not being dishonest on climate change.
Being required to not lie to the public is not censorship; it is a basic tenet of informed democracy.
Toronto transit agency bans misleading advertising from fossil fuel companies (National Observer)

2024.09.26 Spilled oil is a GHG as the volatiles 'boil' off and the oil degrades into carbon dioxide and methane.

Oil pollution in North Sea is 'grossly underestimated', suggests new reports (The Conversation)

2024.09.26 EVs are available, they're selling well, they can save you money over their life, and are better for the environment.

The EV skeptics are running out of gas (National Observer)

2024.09.26 It's probably too late to save the species from climate change; the Globe and Mail has acknowledged it is a real problem.

For generations, the Globe and Mail - which immodestly has called itself "Canada's Newpaper" - has been an unabashed and unapologetic bootster of fossil fuels extractivism, and the environment and health of Canadians be damned. This is a dramatic reversal for them.
Still, even now, they choose to blame 'the world', rather than acknowledge the role of Canadian fossil fuels production and use as a root cause.
While they whine "we're still waiting for someone to rouse the world to real action" in the op-ed, elsewhere they object to the Canadian government's meagre efforts to take action as 'over-reach' and economic heresy. I wonder if they have property in the path of Hurricane Helene to reach this belated and weak epiphany.
Why thieves aren't targeting EVs (Axios)

2024.09.26 Many EVs are very highly automated with vehicle location tracking and owner notification of movement.

Why thieves aren't targeting EVs (Axios)

2024.09.25 Like batteries and EVs, photovoltaic technology continues to evolve, improve and deliver more energy per dollar.

New solar cells break efficiency record - they could eventually supercharge how we get energy from the Sun (The Conversation)

2024.09.25 Again, Canadians can't afford climate change consequences. They can afford to shift to less damaging products and behaviour.

Climate change made some heat waves at least 10 times more likely: Environment Canada (Canadian Press)

2024.09.25 Europe and the rest of the world can't afford increasing climate change

Global heating 'doubled' chance of extreme rain in Europe in September (The Guardian)

2024.09.25 Canadian government biased reporting system has masked the true emissions impact of commercial logging.

Logging's climate threat: Emissions now rival transportation (National Observer)

2024.09.25 Hydrogen road trucks can't compete on sticker price, operating costs, refuelling infrastructure or range between refuelling stops.

Tesla shares stunning feature of Semis after one reaches nearly 250,000 miles on the road: 'It is safe, it is reliable' (TCD)

2024.09.24 "Today, though, the lowest cost form of energy for consumers is renewable energy."

"Absolutely world leading:" Why Australia is leading the charge away from baseload power (Renew Economy)

2024.09.24 The Canadian insurance industry needs to make up its mind; is climate change a problem or not?

Coverage denied: Canadians hitting roadblocks with insurers after installing solar panels on their homes (CTV News)

2024.09.24 It's time to sell and buy EVs made for the core transportation task - affordable commuting.

If you have to spend time stuck in traffic, why not do it without burning up your money and the planet?
Best Electric Cars For Commuting (Inside EVs)

2024.09.24 Those fossil fuels include subsidized surplus natural gas production in the U.S.

If you want cheaper energy, you should shift to renewables as soon as possible. Reducing GHG emissions will also reduce insurance costs and possibly keep the planet survivable for you, your kids and grandkids.
81% of New Renewable Energy Capacity Added in 2023 Was Cheaper Than Fossil Fuels (Oilprice.com)

2024.09.24 With European demand for natural gas falling, winter getting warmer, and Ukraine incresasing production, another economic threat for Russia.

European Union Ditching Fossil Gas Fast, Replacing with Solar & Wind (CleanTechnica)

2024.09.24 After these islands are submerged, continental coastlines are next.

Low-lying Pacific islands pin hopes on UN meeting as sea rise threatens survival (The Guardian)

2024.09.24 Sea ice is important for albedo (reflection) and phase-change thermal mass. Land ice melt leads to sea level rise. So this is BAD news.

Arctic Sea Ice Near Historic Low; Antarctic Ice Continues Decline (NASA)

2024.09.24 Smart jurisdictions would use free sunshine plus battery sized for incremental peak demand to save a LOT of money, and the environment.

This offer does not apply in Canada, because provincial governments here are not that smart. As grid-scale battery storage has other benefits to justify their cost and deployment, this would just be nearly-free bonus for electricity consumers.
This Chart Shows How California Is Massively Extending Solar Use Into The Evening (CleanTechncia)

2024.09.24 If you are a storefront business, what is it worth to you to have a 1-hour captive potential customer in your store?

So, why are so many Level 2 and Fast Chargers put beside empty fields in parking lots a long walk from retail outlets and restrooms (toilets)?
It Turns Out Charging Stations Are Cash Cows For Nearby Businesses (Inside EVs)

2024.09.23 The 'Alberta Advantage' has long been ignoring the costs of pollution and dumping the costs on private landowners and taxpayers.

In Alberta, the pay-the-polluter principle reigns supreme (National Observern)

2024.09.23 The issue is we can't afford climate change. The 'carbon tax' is a side-show distraction sponsored by the fossil fuel industry and their puppets.

The Insurance Apocalypse Is Upon Us (Jacobin)

2024.09.23 I have seen this work on the Rideau Canal and rinks on lakes. But where will the zero GHG, zero waste heat energy come from to power the pumps?

Plan to refreeze Arctic sea ice shows promise in first tests (New Scientist)

2024.09.23 Movable fast EV charging stations

So glad to see this is finally being tried out. This is a small version. I have been arguing for tractor-trailer size units that could store enough electricity to charge 12-20 EVs at remote locations, such as on major routes to cottage country on Friday evenings and for the return trips on Sunday evenings (or Mondays on long weekends). Similarly, weekday mornings for long commutes into the city and for the homeward bound trip afternoons and evenings. For special events like concerts and major sports games. With appropriate connections, these portable batteries could also provide neighbourhood emergency power in the event of transmission system outages. I'm sure there are other applications. To recharge the mobile battery, pull up to a sub-station with an appropriate connection, and charge up as required. For regular demands, charging can be done at low demand times like overnight and mid-day lesser demand trough. Batteries are getting cheaper and EVs more plentiful, and for the short term we are seeing line ups for charging where the infrastructure has not caught up to demand in the short term.
CAFU - A mobile fast-charging solution (Electric Circuit)

2024.09.23 The automaker's (GM) EV sales are on track to surpass Ford and Hyundai-Kia in the near future.

General Motors EV Sales 'Outstrip' The Industry (Inside EVs)

2024.09.23 The Star Trek Voyager Seven of Nine character was definitely more appealing.

Earth may have breached seven of nine planetary boundaries, health check shows (The Guardian)

2024.09.23 EV battery technology continues to improve; widespread adoption will be based on better performance and lower cost continuing.

US researchers find trick to extend battery life (electrive)

2024.09.22 Lighter, more output PVs and lighter, higher capacity batteries are advancing the electric flying state of the art, especially for small craft.

Electric Aviation With Unlimited Range Is Getting Cheaper & Smaller (The Debrief)

2024.09.22 Don't worry about, the fossil fuels industries are sure everything will be fine, so long as they keep making massive profits.

If sea surface temps are any indicator, the climate will surprise us - and not in a good way: climatologist (CBC)

2024.09.21 Glass is recyclable based on existing technology in a way concrete is not. Any colour glass could be used for this.

MIT Engineers Create 3D Printable Glass Bricks That Can Withstand the Same Pressures as Concrete Blocks (The Debrief)

2024.09.19 Increased temperatures and drought are leading to more wildfires. And wildfire smoke aerosols can suppress precipitation, drying out soils and further increasing fire risk.

Arctic Warming Is Driving Siberian Wildfires (EOS)

2024.09.20 Why is North America so opposed to climate change solutions that work and are affordable?

Other countries are building and embracing affordable solutions to climate change, but no thanks to U.S. and Canadian governments
The rise of solar power and China's staggering EV growth may have pushed global emissions into decline (ABC News Australia)

2024.09.20 Why is the U.S. suddenly serious about EV battery production?

Seeking to counter China, US awards $3 billion for EV battery production in 14 states (AP)

2024.09.20 In an environment where freezes are rare, this is an appropriaote technology, low-cost to implement, free fuel and zero GHG.

Where I live, we have nearly continuous freezing weather 5-6 months a year. Still, I built a seasonal, simple, in-line solar water heater, and it cut our household paid heating energy (fossil fueled) consumption to zero for those 5 months a year.
Such systems were common in California in the 1920s and 1930s, until displaced by subsidized natural gas.
'You basically have free hot water': how Cyprus became a world leader in solar heating (The Guardian)

2024.09.20 "Many companies have told me that the requirements often don’t allow for the economic realization of electrolysis projects in Germany."

'Green' hydrogen via electrolysis will NEVER be cost competitive with direct use of the 'green' electricity. The multiple conversion losses make that impossible.
Germany Calls On EU To Extend Transition Period for Green Hydrogen Rules (Oilprice.com)

2024.09.19 New wind project in NS. No hydrogen hype. Just a customer that wants to lower its electricity bills in a province that burns coal to make electricity.

Port Hawkesbury Paper breaks ground on $400M Guysborough County wind farm (CBC)

2024.09.17 Peepee's BIG Lie: 'the carbon tax'. It's not a tax, it's a feebate. It's not about carbon, it's about GHG emissions. That's for starters. Peepee keeps forgetting the current programs is a result of international agreements, which has to be implemented by national governments.

When it comes to the carbon tax, the truth never stood a chance (National Observer)
The original pledge to introduce a federal carbon tax in Canada came in 2007, from Stephen Harper. Peepee served in Harper's Cabinet. No objections from the current federal CPC leader then.

2024.09.16 In Danielle Smith's world, the fossil fuels industry pays for nothing; even when legally obligated.

Taxpayers always pick up the tab. Preferably federal taxpayers, not Alberat taxpayers. Then she will blame the feds for not giving enough money. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Alberta government may help pay for energy cleanup (National Observer)

2024.09.15 While EVs aren't perfect, it's worth noting that not every criticism of them is true.

4 more myths about EVs that are surprisingly not true (TCD)

2024.09.12 Big fossil fuels still controls mainstream media and uses it to stifle opposition and spread disinformation, but opposition is gaining.

Big oil faces a rising number of climate-focused lawsuits, report finds (The Gurardian)

2024.09.12 Louis DeJoy has actively impeded this transition while heading USPS; just one more reason he has to be fired.

US Postal Service electric trucks are finally here and drivers love them (Electrek)

2024.09.11 Home batteries mean power when the grid fails, less money spent on wires infrastructure and transformers, and a step toward home-made, low-cost renewable electricity, and lower electricity costs for communities via virtual power plants.

Much better than "Vehicle to Grid" fantasy because when the power is needed (typically late afternoon to early evening, home batteries won't be stuck in traffic, but will be available and connected when called upon.
With a million home batteries, we could build far fewer power lines. We just need the right incentives (The Conversation)

2024.09.11 EVs are the future of ground transportation because batteries keep getting better and less expensive. Not trues for fossil fuels or hydrogen.

EV Battery News Just Keeps Getting Better & Better (CleanTechnica)

2024.09.11 Growth in renewables is real worldwide, but we have not beaten the fossil fuels beast that is killing us - yet.

World Solar PV Installations to Grow to ~600 Gigawatts This Year (CleanTechnica)

2024.09.11 "The global financial system is still fundamentally at odds with climate goals, as it continues to entrench high-carbon development pathways."

How "greenlaundering" conceals the full scale of fossil fuel financing (Tax Justice Network)

2024.09.10 “These are people we should be protecting, but are seen by governments and corporations as a threat to be neutralised. In the end it’s about power and economics.”

Rich countries silencing climate protest while preaching about rights elsewhere, says study (The Guardian)

2024.09.10 (US) There are headlines (nobody buying EVs anymore), and there's data. Trust the data.

EV sales have not fallen, cooled, slowed or slumped. Stop lying in headlines. (Electrek)

2024.09.10 (Canada) There are headlines (nobody buying EVs anymore), and there's data. Trust the data.

Canadian quarterly EV sales set records, defying global trends (Yahoo Finance)

2024.09.10 If you are looking to save money on vehicle operating costs, perhaps you should consider a used EV.

Tesla Model 3 Prices Dropping Like A 'Lead Balloon,' Says Study (InsideEVs)
This is a U.S. story, but as new EV prices drop (with battery prices), used EV prices are also falling. Couple that with reduced fuel costs (our EVs fuel cost is about C$0.004 per km) with Ontario ULO rates), reduced maintenance costs (regen braking saves mechanical brake wear, no ignition system, no exhaust system ...), and typically lower insurance rates, that's a recipe for savings if you're in the market for new-to-you wheels anyway.
Pro tip: find a mechanic that knows the vehicle you are considering - even if at the dealership - to do a pre-purchase inspection before getting serious about any used vehicle, including EVs and hybrids.

2024.09.10 If we took climate change seriously and wanted to survive, we would make methane reduction the priority.

One of the most potent greenhouse gases is rising faster than ever (Washington Post)

2024.09.09 CCUS reality: it's greenwashing. It has not worked to date per hype, and it's primary function is to produce more oil (EOR).

Opinion: What you won't hear about carbon capture at this week's Edmonton convention (Edmonton Journal)

2024.09.06 Good news: Canadian politician has to change his climate change stripes to be electable. Bad news: mainstream media isn't calling him on it.

BC Conservative leader John Rustad's about-face on climate change is hard to believe (National Observer)

2024.08.22 Does not appear to address methane emissions

World's most effective climate policies identified in new study (CBC)
Item in Science journal: Climate policies that achieved major emission reductions: Global evidence from two decades

2024.08.20 Fake solutions crowd out real solutions, and suck all the money out of getting real work done

Demand for low-quality credits undermines the voluntary carbon market: Study (SciTechDaily)

2024.08.20 Like hydrogen as fuel, the technlogy works. But is it cost-effective compared to existing alternatives?

Can Pulling Carbon from Thin Air Slow Climate Change? (Scientific American)

2024.08.20 The delusion is strong in our elected decision-makers

The overshoot myth: We can't keep burning fossil fuels and expect scientists of the future to get us back to 1.5 degrees C (SciTechDaily)

2024.08.17 High summer temperatures caused record melting of the Norwegian archipelago’s glaciers

Svalbard Crisis: Glaciers Melt at Unprecedented Rates As Temperatures Soar (SciTechDaily)

2024.08.17 Yet another study says seaweed in cattle feed can reduce cow burp methane

Feeding seaweed supplement to cattle halved methane emissions in Australian feedlot, study finds (The Guradian)

2024.08.17 Less sea ice, less cooling effect. Dirtier sea ice, less cooling effect. It takes energy (heat) to melt ice.

Scientists sound the alarm after making concerning discovery about cooling power of sea ice: 'We could be missing a considerable part' (TCD)

2024.08.17 Again, it's the methane. We need to get serious about the methane.

'Nobody ever saw anything like this before': how methane emissions are pushing the Amazon towards environmental catastrophe (The Guardian)

2024.08.16 Australia's largest mortgage lender is no longer offering money to fossil fuel companies that are not aligned with the Paris Agreement.

The bank announced the new direction in its latest climate report, published on the same day it posted close to $10 billion in full-year net profit.
No need to worry about this catching on in Canada; it would be the end of the Big 5 Canadian banks and their taxpayer-guaranteed, risk-free loans portfolio.
Commonwealth Bank stops lending to fossil fuel companies without genuine emissions plan (ABC News - Australia)

2024.08.15 It's the methane. And the feedback loops may be accelerating.

'We should have better answers by now': climate scientists baffled by unexpected pace of heating (The Guardian)

2024.08.13 We could start with honest, clear documentation and education. Seriously, even in the Trump era, we could try it.

Some people in Innisfail, Alta., angry over planned new CO2 removal facility (CTV News Calgary)

2024.08.13 Don't celebrate Canada being #2; we're losing ground as Ontario chooses fossil methane, Alberta is actively killing renewables projects, and NS won't give up coal.

Visualizing How the G20 Generates Electricity (Visual Capitalis)

2024.08.13 Two 'once-in-a-century' rainfall/flooding events in a 2 weeks. Yet decision-makers aren't prepared to do anything differently.

Just toss it all in the landfill, buy new stuff, increase insurance premiums, don't invest in flood prevention measures. Maybe it won't happen again next week.
Allison Hanes: Whether it's flooding or another disaster, climate change has come for us all (The Gazette)

2024.08.12 Another downward spiral feedback loop. The objective should be climate stability. Sigh.

Arctic Ocean may absorb less CO2 than projected due to coastal erosione (Phys.org)

2024.08.12 Apparently, just because climate change is killing people is no reason to do anything about it. Carry on.

Heat aggravated by carbon pollution killed 50,000 in Europe last year - study (The Guardian)

2024.08.01 Renewable energy (via taxes and green jobs) would contribute more to government coffers than subsidized oil and gas.

Pumping more oil while the house burns down: how long will the fantasy last? (The Hill Times)

2024.07.31 A non-brain-dead UK government reverses course and hopes to attract clean energy production

(UK) Labour tries to attract clean energy contracts with record 1.5bn pounds for auction (The Guardian)

2024.07.31 Seems when their bluff was called, MEG folded on their climate target claims.

MEG Energy yanks climate targets, blaming greenwashing law. Will other oilsands companies follow? (Yahoo Finance)
Pathways Alliance also folded when told to back up their climate change fantasy claims.

2024.07.31 Reminds me of EVs: when someone drives an EV, everyone gets lower elecricity rates, lower gasoline prices and cleaner air and water. Weird, right?

New study makes unexpected find about households with rooftop solar panels - here's what experts are saying (TCD)
"It lowers the cost for everybody."

2024.07.30 Please take 4 minutes and read this article

Wildfires, Grief and Paralysis (The Tyee)

2024.07.30 Electricity from renewables bring cleaner air, lower health impacts, lower GHG emissions, and lower costs.

Wind and solar energy overtake fossil fuels to provide 30% of EU electricity (The Guardian)

2024.07.30 "With the stroke of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's pen, carbon capture and sequestration projects in Illinois are under a potential two-year moratorium."

What Is Carbon Capture? A New State Law Puts Much-Anticipated and Controversial Plans on Hold — For Now (WTTW News)

2024.07.30 "Carmakers are seeking to slow the pace of the Biden administration's drive for cleaner vehicles. Oil companies are seeking to bring it to a halt."

Electric vehicles strain the automaker-big oil alliance (National OBserver)

2024.07.29 As permafrost thaws in Siberia, pockets of methane form below the surface, and erupt as pressure increases, leaving craters. Near operating gas production fields.

Methane 'kitchens' in Siberia's permafrost form mounds that can erupt, creating giant craters (LiveScience)

2024.07.29 "It's worth noting that not one single CCS project has ever reached its target CO2 capture rate."

Oil companies sold the public on a fake climate solution — and swindled taxpayers out of billions (Vox)

2024.07.26 Blue hydrogent con job - Australia edition

Blue hydrogen from CCS is a con with a big carbon footprint (Renew Economy)

2024.07.10 To me, killing off your paying clients and destroying their property that they insure seems like a questionable growth strategy.

Insurers called out for 'contradiction': Supporting oil and gas industry but raising premiums (CTV News)

2024.07.09 If you can't produce enough power because it's hot, shouldn't you be looking at cooling the planet down?

While AESO says they have sufficient generation capacity, in fact they are importing power to meet demand, notably from BC.
Alberta summer electricity use record set as sweltering conditions continue (Calgary Herald)

2024.07.09 This is climate change in your face: making your property worthless and unaffordable or impossible to insure.

Florida Insurance Warning Issued as Fears Grow of Collapse (Newweek)

2024.07.09 How to get to lower GHG emissions: make good options available, let people decide instead of fossil fuel sector.

Ireland's greenhouse emissions lowest in 30 years (BBC)

2024.07.09 Another first in category data point. It won't be the last.

First local extinction due to sea level rise identified in the US (Phys.org)

2024.07.09 Hunh, hotter weather is real, and is probably linked to global warming. Who knew?

Canada draws link between June heat wave and climate change with new attribution analysis (CBC)

2024.07.08 Imagine if you could provide electricity when needed without burning stuff.

Nova Scotia's 1st Grid-Scale Battery Energy Storage Facilities (CleanTechnica)

2024.07.08 When it's too hot for a thermal power plant to run, it's just too hot. Why are we determined to keep making the planet hotter?

High temperatures, unplanned outage caused Alberta's grid alert Monday night (Calgary Herald)

2024.07.08 A real net-negative shipping fuel solution - definitely not hydrogen hype

Newly trialed biofuel from bio-based wastes promises to revolutionize shipping: 'We're excited to be part of this journey' (TCD)
For a better sense of the drop-in biofuel solution than in the TCD article, hop over to the Mash Makes Biofuel (for marine use) page.

2024.07.08 We are now at 1.5C warmer than pre-industrial temperatures - for a year. Given the trajectory, the Paris Accord target is toast.

Temperatures 1.5C above pre-industrial era average for 12 months, data shows (The Guardian)

2024.06.29 Keeping stuff out of landfills reduces GHG emissions. Avoiding making replacements by reuse reduces GHG emissions. Hero.

Where others see hospital trash, this Montrealer imagines a recycling revolution (Montreal Gazette)
Personal story. 1999, I was working in a building that was being gutted (the company was being dissolved). As part of the gutting, they were tearing out institutional ceiling clocks (Simplex). They were going into the same trash bins on the floors as other debris. It took me a couple of days, but I found a decision-maker and learned they paid to have the trash hauled away by weight. So, I contacted a local hospital that I knew used similar gear and asked it they would take donations. Yep. Talked to trash-making boss, and he got his guys to put the clocks aside. Wednesday was the big trash haul day, so end of work day Tuesdays, I took my (electric) car from my off-site parking space, parked in the loading bay for a few minutes, and carried boxes of clock bits to my car. Made arrangements at the hospital to drop stuff off on my way home Tuesdays. That went on for a few months. About 300 pounds a load, and likely 12-15 loads. 10-12 clocks a week. Reduced maintenance costs for a hospital, reduced mass going to landfill. Unfortunately, I missed the first few weeks of such material being trashed.

2024.06.29 Zero-emissions cargo ship on 194 nautical miles (one-way) route - now in service

World's largest electric container ship Greenwater 01 sets sail between Chinese cities (Times of India)

2024.06.28 Zero-emissions tugboat, quiet, more powerful, reduce fuel cost

Crowley Christens 1st Fully Electric Tugboat in USA (Clean Technica)

2024.06.26 If your narrative is built on lies, and lying just became expensive, then what do you do?

Unpacking Big Oil's fierce pushback against new truth-in-advertising rules (National Observer)

2024.06.26 When you were an oil company until 2021 and need low-emissions heavy haulers that have to work and be affordable ...

BHP rejects hydrogen and hybrids, will go straight to electric for giant haul trucks (The Driven)

2024.06.26 I don't think we can reform an industry built on smoke - carbon credit offsets have big issues

'Reform or go out of business,' carbon offsetting industry told (The Guardian)

2024.06.25 Axe the tax? Canada doesn't even make the top ten on the list.

Visualized: The Price of Carbon Around the World in 2024 (Visual Capitalist)

For perspective, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the Canadian government has collected about $22 billion in 3 years; or about $8 billion expected for 2022-23. CFIB neglects to mention that the costs paid on the feebate by businesses are tax deductible and are generally passed onto customers. That's why the customers, not the businesses, get the rebates. CFIB also neglects to mention that the federal government doesn't keep any of the money for general revenue; it is ALL passed back to Canadian citizens as a quarterly rebate.

Rising sea levels will disrupt millions of Americans' lives by 2050, study finds (The Guardian)

2024.06.25 It isn't a problem so long as nobody lives near oceans or the temperature stops rising.

Scientists identify new Antarctic ice sheet 'tipping point,' warning future sea level rise may be underestimated (CNN)

2024.06.24 Why do Canada and Alberta even pretend to have rules for oil and gas operations?

Alberta oil and gas sector exceeded flaring limit in 2023, data shows (CTV News)

2024.06.23 Recycling concrete - yep, you read that right.

Scientists make breakthrough in recycling old concrete - and it could have major implications (Yahoo)

2024.06.20 Oh, that coastline. Probably not important, right?

'Officials close beach after house collapses with unanticipated fallout: 'Dangerous debris may be present' (TCD)

2024.06.19 Who really thinks sea-level rise is a thing and coast lines are disappearing?

'Doomsday Glacier' in Antarctica: 'We really, really need to understand' (TCD)

2024.06.19 Why don't we just make it law that new AI and data centres have to install their own dedicated renewable energy?

Solar is growing faster than any electricity source as Big Tech seeks clean energy for data centers (CNBC)

2024.06.18 Because nobody wants free, green electricity, right?

Electricity Prices in France Just Turned Negative Because of Renewables (The_Byte)

2024.06.18 (Central North America heat dome) How hot is it?

It's so hot in Ontario that trains can't even run properly (blogTO)

2024.06.18 Low module prices will drive demand in the second half of this year. PV is now the cheapest electricity source.

Global PV installations may hit 660 GW in 2024, says Bernreuter Research (pvmagazine)

2024.06.18 More efficient PV is coming. But, if you have the space, inexpensive PV is available now.

Solar panel achieves world record with 'miracle material' (The Independent)

2024.06.18 I remember when Alberta said it couldn't be done; now they need more batteries.

Alberta's last coal plant has powered down, marking the end of an era (CBC)
In a feat once thought impossible, the province went from 80% coal power to zero - years ahead of schedule [because money]

2024.06.17 The average temperature is still rising - stay tuned for updates.

Is Earth really getting too hot for people to survive? A scientist explains extreme heat and the role of climate change (The Conversation)

2024.06.16 Easier to put mirrors on roofs than putting them in space, don't you think? Perhaps even seasonal.

Can mirrors help fight the threat of extreme heat? (BBC)

2024.06.16 Oil industry carbon capture is not about comatting climate change; it's about extracting more oil.

80 More Years of Oil: The Big Attraction of Carbon Capture (oilprice.com)

2024.06.16 It isn't carbon capture the oil & gas industry are embracing; it's EOR, and GHG multiplication

Boondoggle Watch: Carbon capture great for making things worse, study finds (resilience)
And from the fossil fuels profiteers side, the best part is that this is paid for your youre tax money.

You can find many earlier postings (going back to year 2000) related to climate change at:
Keith's List Archive and
the Sustainable Biofuel List Mail Archive.

I present a lot of information in this blog and on this website. If you need some help sorting through the noise level and getting a forward-looking, proactive approach to climate change for your business, I can do that work for you via my consulting business. Contact