Archive for August 2021
Wind Energy Accounted for 42 Percent of New U.S. Power in 2020
Wind energy accounted for the bulk of new power-generating capacity in the United States last year, according to a trio of new reports from the Department of Energy. In total, wind supplied 42 percent of new U.S. capacity in 2020, while solar supplied 38 percent and natural gas the remaining 20 percent.
Read MoreNASA Highlights Minority Serving Institution Capabilities to Increase Diversity in STEM Workforce
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement Minority University Research and Education Project is leading the effort to integrate technology in the STEM portfolio.
Read MoreClimate Change Producing More “Fire Weather” as Far East as Oklahoma
Climate change is setting the stage for wildfires beyond California and Oregon, fueling hotter, drier conditions in places such as Oklahoma and Nebraska not historically prone to large wildfires, according to a new analysis from Climate Central.
Read MoreAmericans Moving to Disaster-Prone Areas, Despite Climate Change
Despite the mounting risk of climate change, U.S. counties that are most prone to weather disasters are seeing an influx of new residents, while those that are least vulnerable to extreme weather are seeing an exodus, according to a new analysis by the real estate firm Redfin.
Read MoreKatherine Johnson’s STEM Contributions Marked on her 103rd Birthday
NASA reflects on the many barriers Katherine Johnson broke in the fields of STEM on her way to history.
Read MoreThe Dream of Carbon Air Capture Edges Toward Reality
Next month, an industrial facility in Iceland will join a growing number of projects to remove CO2 from the air and put it underground. But major hurdles, including high costs, remain before this technology can be widely deployed and play a key role in tackling climate change.
Read MoreSolar Briefly Overtakes Coal for the First Time in Australia
For a few minutes on Sunday, solar energy supplied more than half of Australia’s power generation, marking the first time that solar has outstripped coal in a country long dependent on fossil fuels to produce electricity, The Guardian reported.
Read MorePush to Electrify Federal Fleet Could Yield Billions in Savings by 2030
Shortly after taking office in January, President Joe Biden directed federal agencies to procure “clean, zero-emission vehicles,” but work toward that goal has been slow — just 10 percent of new mail trucks ordered by the United States Postal Service are expected to be all-electric. If the federal government were to accelerate its EV push, it could save taxpayers billions of dollars, according to a new report from Atlas Public Policy released by the Electrification Coalition.
Read MoreMontreal Protocol Averted an Additional 2.5 Degrees C of Warming, Study Says
In Northeast India, Cement Plants Disrupt Forest and a Way of Life
“The Story of Lumshnong” — the winner of the 2021 Yale Environment 360 Video Contest — examines how government officials allowed cement companies to pour into a forest in northeast India, polluting the air and water and destroying an ecosystem on which local villagers depend.
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