Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 13, 2024

Paul Arbaje is an energy analyst in the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists and an expert on electricity policies and reforms that reduce fossil fuel use and reliance. The energy enthusiast who owns their own homes can take further steps toward making their homes completely free of direct fossil fuel use.

Fossil Fuels 248

Fossil Fuels Clean Energy Electricity Climate Change 248

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

The grid needs electricity most during extreme temperatures so that we can all stay reasonably cool during sweltering heat waves and reasonably warm during frigid cold winter storms. Further, gas plants that require cooling , like gas steam and combined cycle plants, are cooled less efficiently in high temperatures.

Fossil Fuels 212

Fossil Fuels Cooling Electricity 2015 212

Circle of Blue

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged on September 21 that his country would no longer finance coal-fired power plants abroad, making a high-profile commitment to move away from some forms of fossil fuel infrastructure less than six weeks before a pivotal global climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

Biofuels 363

Biofuels Carbon Emissions Cooling Fossil Fuels 363

Union of Concerned Scientists

JUNE 20, 2024

The primary cause of accelerating sea level rise is human activity As people burn fossil fuels and emit heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide, our atmosphere and our oceans warm up. Cool, right?) And since 2006, it has been even faster: as high as 4.2 mm per year, according to recent estimates by NASA.

Sea Level 341

Sea Level Fossil Fuels Ocean Carbon Dioxide 341

Legal Planet

DECEMBER 9, 2021

It attempted to move away from fossil fuels and toward zero-carbon sources like solar power to supply electricity. Fossil fuel plants — coal-fired power plants in particular — cause serious air pollution problems. My last post argued that EPA should immediately repeal the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan.

Fossil Fuels 246

Fossil Fuels Clean Air Act Carbon Emissions Renewable Energy 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 26, 2022

While the IAEA has limited authority over nuclear safety even in peacetime, there are practical steps it could take to help the plant cope with any damage that would disrupt the systems that keep its highly radioactive reactor cores and spent nuclear fuel cool. What about the spent fuel?

Cooling 350

Cooling Electricity Radiation Fossil Fuels 350

Union of Concerned Scientists

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

Some estimates suggest they could disappear by 2030 due to the climate change triggered by human fossil fuel use, which began less than 200 years ago. By contrast, the glaciers in Glacier National Park are retreating at a disturbingly rapid pace.

Climate Change 229

Climate Change 2030 Fossil Fuels Carbon Emissions 229

Real Climate

AUGUST 25, 2023

If the AMOC weakens, this region will cool. And in fact it is cooling – it’s the only region on Earth which has cooled since preindustrial times. That’s easy to check: if that were the case, then cooling in the area would be linked to increased heat loss at the surface. They aren’t trying to end fossil fuels.

Ocean 246

Ocean Fossil Fuels Cooling 2016 246

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 31, 2022

Gavin Newsom made a habit of waiving all state environmental rules to allow fossil fuel power plants and backup generators to run without restrictions when the grid was under stress. All that being said, it’s still 2022 and September is upon us.

Solar Power 293

Solar Power Fossil Fuels Electricity 2020 293

Legal Planet

FEBRUARY 16, 2023

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about geoengineering – the various scientific theories and governance ideas that could eventually lead to technological interventions to help cool the planet. Have fossil fuel industries made any move to co-opt, or benefit from, geoengineering? If we overshoot the 1.5

Fossil Fuels 287

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Paris Agreement Technology 287

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 22, 2023

One factor is the dirtiness of fossil fuels. Many power plants that make steam to generate electricity, including nuclear and coal plants, most gas plants, and a small number of renewable energy plants, also take a hit when their cooling water temperatures climb. That’s the supply part.

Electricity 241

Electricity Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Cooling 241

Union of Concerned Scientists

APRIL 11, 2023

Fuel transport – Spring floods can hinder the transportation of fuels like coal. While it is a heavily polluting fossil fuel that is set to continue declining as a fuel source for US electricity generation over the next decade, coal still accounted for roughly 20 percent of the country’s generation in 2022.

Fossil Fuels 227

Fossil Fuels 2011 Climate Change Nuclear Power 227

Union of Concerned Scientists

MAY 30, 2023

Between heating and cooling seasons Headlines about renewable energy records also highlight how much of electricity demand renewables are meeting at a given time. More sun, wind and water means more power from the three largest sources of renewable electricity in the country. That means that there are fewer of them competing to supply demand.

Renewable Energy 245

Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Climate Change Electricity 245

Union of Concerned Scientists

FEBRUARY 9, 2024

Likewise, severe summer temperatures undermine gas plant reliability by reducing their “efficiency and maximum generating capacity,” according to the report, and droughts can force plants that depend on water for cooling to cut output or completely shut down.

Clean Energy 341

Clean Energy Nitrogen Oxides Fossil Fuels Electricity 341

Energy and Climate Law

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

In the fossil fuel dominated heating and cooling sector, the Commission intends to assess the nature and the level of the existing, indicative heating and cooling target, including the target for district heating and cooling (p.19). Improving energy efficiency legislation is a further cornerstone.

Paris Agreement 246

Paris Agreement 2030 Biofuels Cooling 246

PA Environment Daily

MARCH 7, 2025

With Nuclear Energy - By Carol Browner, Fmr EPA Administrator -- Financial Times: Is Giving Old Reactors New Life The Future Of Nuclear Energy?

Waste 93

Waste Natural Gas Fossil Fuels 2026 93

PA Environment Daily

MARCH 6, 2025

Kate Harper (R), former member of PA House, and former Congressman Conor Lamb (D) are Co-Chairs of Energy Future PA Related Articles: -- PUC House Budget Hearing: We Arent Going To Build Our Way Out Of Electric Generation Shortfalls On PJM Grid; We Need To Diversify Our Generation Sources [PaEN] -- Frozen Hoping For A Thaw: Eastern PA Coalition For (..)

Fossil Fuels 78

Fossil Fuels Solar Power Carbon Emissions Renewable Energy 78

Law and Environment

AUGUST 11, 2022

The legislation covers a wide range of policy changes focused on electrifying vehicles and transit, reducing fossil fuel connections in new construction, and revamping policy related to solar, offshore wind, and other carbon-free energy sources. Reduction of Fossil Fuels.

Clean Energy 147

Clean Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy 2027 147

Legal Planet

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

It’s in their very first mitigation recommendation, for a “graduated, differentiated phaseout” in production and consumption of fossil fuels. Isn’t it obvious that the world needs to get rid of fossil fuels, and haven’t a bunch of people called for it? Targeting fossil fuels not emissions.

Fossil Fuels 147

Fossil Fuels Ozone Cooling Greenhouse 147

Enviromental Defense

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

My bank keeps going behind my back with the fossil fuel sector The financial sector has somewhat of an sordid affair with the fossil fuel industry. For every dollar that you put in your bank account, or toward insurance, or into saving for the future, the financial industry gives some of that to the fossil fuel industry.

Fossil Fuels 143

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Regulations Cooling 143

Union of Concerned Scientists

JULY 25, 2024

Fossil fuel industry deception and policymaker inaction have inhibited progress on climate change for decades, and until it becomes something people are regularly discussing and demanding action on, it’s difficult to see that changing. When it comes to climate change, we have no choice but to face our fears and to ride ‘em.

Climate Change 321

Climate Change Fossil Fuels Cooling 2023 321

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

Ensuring the most historically disadvantaged groups aren’t bearing an unequal burden for the cost of cooling themselves during climate change-caused heat waves is a clear example of energy equity that our electric and gas utilities could address. How are energy equity and energy justice connected?

Electricity 287

Electricity Fossil Fuels Air Pollution Renewable Energy 287

Union of Concerned Scientists

SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

I’ll say it again because the fossil fuel disinformation machine wants you to believe otherwise: there is enough power generation and transmission on our current electric grid to charge all the electric vehicles being purchased over the next few years.

Electricity 352

Electricity Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels Cooling 352

PA Environment Daily

MARCH 6, 2025

Related Articles: -- PUC House Budget Hearing: We Arent Going To Build Our Way Out Of Electric Generation Shortfalls On PJM Grid; We Need To Diversify Our Generation Sources [PaEN] -- Frozen Hoping For A Thaw: Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation Project To Repurpose Fmr Coal Waste Plant Site Into Solar Energy, Mine Water Pool Energy (..)

Renewable Energy 65

Renewable Energy Electricity Fossil Fuels 2026 65

A Greener Life

JUNE 3, 2022

If people everywhere stopped burning fossil fuels tomorrow, stored heat would still continue to warm the atmosphere. The radiators are, in fact, cooling down, but their stored heat is still warming the air in the room. Countries aren’t close to ending fossil fuel use. By Richard B. Ricky) Rood.

Carbon Dioxide 98

Carbon Dioxide Fossil Fuels Sea Level Ocean 98

Real Climate

JULY 10, 2022

The sources of these increases are dominated by the burning of fossil fuels, landfills, mining, oil and gas operations, agriculture (especially livestock for methane), and industry. W/m 2 , and the net forcing (including cooling impacts of aerosols and natural changes) is 2.7±0.8

Radiation 352

Radiation 2022 Greenhouse Atmosphere 352

Enviromental Defense

OCTOBER 9, 2024

While excluding new fossil fuel expansion from the sustainability label is obvious, including existing ‘natural’ methane gas projects in the taxonomy in any way would be problematic, given that studies show that gas – when accounting for its extraction, cooling, and transport – is more polluting for the climate than coal.

Fossil Fuels 106

Fossil Fuels Paris Agreement Climate Change Government 106

Environmental Progress

JANUARY 20, 2022

Notably, in the same proposal, the Commission has also included screening criteria for gaseous fossil fuels. The Regulation sets a time limit on the inclusion of nuclear energy but not on fossil fuels and grants the Commission special powers to rule on nuclear taxonomy compliance.

Fossil Fuels 52

Fossil Fuels Regulations Waste Technology 52

Physics World

MARCH 23, 2022

Variations in Earth’s gravitational field can reveal useful information about what lies underground including the locations of large features such as aquifers and fossil fuels. Each cloud is cooled to millikelvin temperatures and then released simultaneously so the clouds freefall in the vacuum chamber.

Fossil Fuels 136

Fossil Fuels Cooling Technology Technology 136

Legal Planet

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

This pollution, mostly from burning fossil fuels that contain sulfur, has severe current environmental and health effects, estimated to kill more than 5 million people per year due to respiratory illness. But cleaning this up will remove its cooling effect, which the IPCC recently estimated as 0.7°C.

Atmosphere 264

Atmosphere Politics Climate Change Cooling 264

Union of Concerned Scientists

AUGUST 22, 2022

We need to act to protect vulnerable people from the very real threats of Danger Season for example, by providing access to cooling and creating incentives for residential electrification powered by clean energy. How to address Danger Season.

Climate Change 288

Climate Change 2011 Fossil Fuels 2022 288

Environmental News Bits

OCTOBER 13, 2023

But traditional heating and cooling systems are energy intensive, and because they typically run on fossil fuels, they aren’t sustainable. Now, by mimicking a desert-dwelling chameleon, a team reporting … Continue reading Color-changing coating keeps buildings cool in summer and warm in winter

Cooling 40

Cooling Fossil Fuels 40

A Greener Life

JANUARY 2, 2025

Alongside many other economies, electricity use in China is growing at a strong pace due to several factors, such as the electrification of society, increased demand for cooling and increased consumption of IT services such as data centres. This, as there, of course, as with all fossil fuels, is a finite amount.

2027 52

2027 Nuclear Power Renewable Energy Fossil Fuels 52

Enviromental Defense

SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

Upfront equipment costs can also be lower because heat pumps provide both heating and cooling in one unit and they qualify for a number of government rebate programs. What’s more, switching to heat pumps would reduce a home’s carbon emissions for space heating, cooling, and water heating significantly. What is “Natural” gas, really?

Carbon Emissions 125

Carbon Emissions Natural Gas Electricity Cooling 125

Edouard Stenger

FEBRUARY 13, 2017

As the Arctic is 30 degrees Celsius (50 F) warmer than what it should be right now, finding local solutions to cool down the poles suddenly doesn’t seem this far-fetched anymore. . Years ago I read a short article on how bringing more ice to the poles could help slow down climate change.

Cooling 52

Cooling Atmosphere Fossil Fuels Wind Power 52

Enviromental Defense

NOVEMBER 23, 2023

Burning fossil fuels is a main contributor to climate change. Fossil gas (misleadingly marketed as natural gas) is one of the main contributors to global warming. To achieve this, the IESO is offering contracts to build new gas plants and expand existing facilities.

Carbon Dioxide 133

Carbon Dioxide Climate Change Fossil Fuels Cooling 133

Legal Planet

JULY 18, 2023

On the contrary, investing in carbon capture delays the needed transition away from fossil fuels and other combustible energy sources. There are many possible emergency actions. Will cement, steel, and power plants really be shuttered more quickly because they are emitting carbon than they would be if they are capturing the carbon?

Fossil Fuels 130

Fossil Fuels Climate Change Natural Gas Deforestation 130