Archive for December 2023
Can seaweed really help fight global warming? Here’s what we know so far.
We’re seeing the impacts of climate change in real time. There is an urgent need to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere to avoid more catastrophic climate change impacts. This will require both reductions in GHG emissions and the removal of GHGs from the atmosphere. In recent years, this need has driven interest in […]
Read MoreAfter a brutal 2023, offshore wind looks to overcome growing pains
ATLANTIC OCEAN — Three huge blades spin hypnotically overhead, illuminated by the morning sun shining through cotton-ball clouds. Our vessel cruises over gentle waves past the yellow foundation of a 600-foot-tall wind turbine, one of five rising from the waters off the coast of Rhode Island. A cable buried six feet…
Read MoreAfter 2023’s wild ride, climate venture capital poised for strong 2024
It’s been a topsy-turvy year for cleantech venture investing, complete with unexpected corporate implosions. 2023 began on a somber note, with foreboding signs from the broader economy. Demoralizing interest rates, inflation and lingering supply-chain weirdness had investors and entrepreneurs on edge. Tech giants…
Read MoreAs Extreme Weather Intensifies, Half the World Still Lacks Access to Early Warnings
While the world has made significant progress in building systems that can alert people to extreme weather, many places still lack access to early warnings, a new report finds.
Read MoreWhy the COP28 climate summit mattered, and what to watch for in 2024
The UN climate conference brought some progress. A former UN official who has been involved in international climate policy for years explains what has to happen now for that progress to pay off.
Read MoreSuddenly, US electricity demand is spiking. Can the grid keep up?
For the past two decades, demand for electricity across the United States has hardly increased. But those dynamics appear to have dramatically reversed — and U.S. electric utilities, regulators and power grid planners aren’t prepared to deal with this new paradigm of surging electricity demand. That’s the key…
Read MoreSeattle and other cities mull creative workarounds to ditch gas
This story was first published by Grist . A new law in Seattle marks the latest in a wave of local efforts to electrify homes and other buildings. Under the city’s Building Emissions Performance Standard , signed into law last week, all existing commercial and multifamily residential buildings over 20,000 square…
Read MoreA Record Number of Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters Hit the U.S. in 2023
In 2023, the U.S. experienced a record 25 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters — three more than the previous record, set in 2020.
Read MoreVolcanic eruption lights up Iceland after weeks of earthquake warnings − a geologist explains what’s happening
Iceland is known as ‘the land of fire and ice’ for a reason.
Read More5 lessons from Portugal’s 6-day renewables streak
Years of renewables development set Portugal up for stunning success this fall when the country met all of its electricity needs with renewable sources for six days straight . For five of those days, no fossil fuels had to be burned at conventional power plants to keep the grid humming along. I recently joined the…
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