August, 2023

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Global Fossil Fuel Subsidies Reached $7 Trillion in 2022, an All-Time High

Yale E360

Global subsidies for fossil fuels reached $7 trillion in 2022, an all-time high, according to the International Monetary Fund.

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Another Supply Chain Issue

Legal Planet

To make the energy transition work, we’ll need a lot more energy lawyers. That means a lot of energy law profs to teach them — many more than we have today. Law schools are waking up to the need to hire in the area. So if you’re thinking of law teaching, it could be worthwhile to dive into this field. Let’s start with the first question: why do we need more energy lawyers?

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The AMOC: tipping this century, or not?

Real Climate

A few weeks ago, a study by Copenhagen University researchers Peter and Susanne Ditlevsen concluded that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is likely to pass a tipping point already this century, most probably around mid-century. Given the catastrophic consequences of an AMOC breakdown, the study made quite a few headlines but also met some skepticism.

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In New Scramble for Africa, an Arab Sheikh Is Taking the Lead

Yale E360

A company established by a Dubai sheikh is finalizing agreements with African nations to manage vast tracts of their forests and sell the carbon credits. Critics are concerned the deals will not benefit Africans and will just help foreign governments perpetuate high emissions.

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How to Drive Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains, and Sustainability Wins with MES

Speaker: Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions

Is your manufacturing operation reaching its efficiency potential? A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) could be the game-changer, helping you reduce waste, cut costs, and lower your carbon footprint. Join Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions, in this value-packed webinar as he breaks down how MES can drive operational excellence and sustainability.

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Green Jobs for Gender Equality

NRDC

Guest blog by Akanksha Golchha Countries around the world affirmed their commitment to gender equality and empowering women as agents of change in the clean energy transition at the G20 Energy Transitions Ministers’ Meeting in Goa, India. While India’s focus on.

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Boston-Area Communities Work Together to Beat the Heat

Union of Concerned Scientists

We are halfway through this year’s Danger Season —the period between May and October when climate change makes extreme weather events more likely—and the unprecedented ferocity and scale of extreme weather have been making headlines and impacting our lives. In the Northeast, we have seen the haze and breathed air heavy with the smoke from Canadian wildfires.

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More Trending

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How to Address Sea Level Risks in California Real Estate Transactions

Legal Planet

It’s an increasingly common sight on California’s coast: beach houses being swallowed by the rising sea. The threat of flooding and erosion is increasing throughout the United States as a warming atmosphere makes precipitation events more extreme and contributes to sea level rise. In fact, the U.S. coastline is projected to see an average of 10 to 12 inches of sea level rise between 2020 and 2050, which is equal to the amount measured over the last 100 years.

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Olive Oil Prices Surge as Persistent Drought Ravages Mediterranean Groves

Scientific American

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.

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If South Africa Ends Lion Breeding, What to Do with Captive Cats?

Yale E360

In 2021, the South African government committed to shutting down the country’s captive-lion breeding industry, which provided animals for canned hunts. Among the sticking points slowing progress is what should happen to the thousands of lions that remain on private ranches.

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Our ancestors may have come close to extinction 900,000 years ago

New Scientist

A genetic analysis suggests our ancestral population fell as low as around 1300 individuals nearly a million years ago, but other experts aren't convinced

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The Key to Sustainable Energy Optimization: A Data-Driven Approach for Manufacturing

Speaker: Kevin Kai Wong, President of Emergent Energy Solutions

In today's industrial landscape, the pursuit of sustainable energy optimization and decarbonization has become paramount. ♻️ Manufacturing corporations across the U.S. are facing the urgent need to align with decarbonization goals while enhancing efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, the lack of comprehensive energy data poses a significant challenge for manufacturing managers striving to meet their targets. 📊 Join us for a practical webinar hosted by Kevin Kai Wong of Emergent Ene

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Where Do Electric Trucks Charge?

Union of Concerned Scientists

We are about to enter the era of the electric truck. Sure, there are already a few thousand electric trucks and buses on US roads already. Now, with the California Air Resources Board’s passage of the Advanced Clean Fleets Rule in May and with the potential for a (hopefully) stronger-than-proposed greenhouse gas standard for heavy-duty trucks passed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the coming months, we will begin to see a significant switch from highly-polluting diesel trucks

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Warmer Waters Put Sea Turtles on a Collision Course With Humans

Inside Climate News

More turtles on Cape Cod’s shores means a higher risk of boat strikes. By Georgia Hall, Provincetown Independent WELLFLEET, Mass.—Rising North Atlantic Ocean temperatures are causing increased numbers of threatened and endangered sea turtles to migrate through Massachusetts waters — heading north in search of food, then back south to their breeding grounds.

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Income-Based Electric Bills: Fact and Fiction

Legal Planet

Under new legislation, California is moving to a novel system that includes income-based fixed charges for electricity. Some critics contend that this is a giveaway to incumbent utilities. It’s not. Others have implied that the charges reflect new costs to ratepayers on top of existing rates. This is also not accurate. There are, however, important questions regarding how the new rate structure will be designed and implemented.

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Rare Superheavy Oxygen Isotope Is Detected at Last

Scientific American

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.

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Implementing D.E.J.I. Strategies in Energy, Environment, and Transportation

Speaker: Antoine M. Thompson, Executive Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition

Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion (DEJI) policies, programs, and initiatives are critically important as we move forward with public and private sector climate and sustainability goals and plans. Underserved and socially, economically, and racially disadvantaged communities bear the burden of pollution, higher energy costs, limited resources, and limited investments in the clean energy and transportation sectors.

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Even a Small Patch of Native Greenery Can Give a Big Boost to Local Insects

Yale E360

In cities, a little native greenery can go a long way. Australian scientists found that, after adding native shrubs to a planting in Melbourne, the number of insect species at the site increased sevenfold.

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'Scent of eternity' worn by ancient Egyptian mummy has been revealed

New Scientist

A balm used in the mummification of an ancient Egyptian who died 3500 years ago contains ingredients hinting at long-distance trade

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California Must Extend Zero Emission Vehicle Funding from “AB 8 Fees”

Union of Concerned Scientists

If you have been in a Sacramento coffee shop over the past few years, you have probably heard something about AB 8 reauthorization, AQIP, CPT, or EFMP. Unless you are a clean transportation wonk or are in a deeply sad place with your social life, you probably don’t know what the heck that alphabet soup means, so let me translate. For California to achieve its climate goals and federal air quality obligations, the state legislature must approve the extension of a modest portion of vehicle registr

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More States Are Requiring Flood Disclosure

NRDC

New home buyers and renters should have a right to know a property’s flood history before they commit to calling it home.

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Shaping a Resilient Future: Climate Impact on Vulnerable Populations

Speaker: Laurie Schoeman Director, Climate & Sustainability, Capital

As households and communities across the nation face challenges such as hurricanes, wildfires, drought, extreme heat and cold, and thawing permafrost and flooding, we are increasingly searching for ways to mitigate and prevent climate impacts. During this event, national climate and housing expert Laurie Schoeman will discuss topics including: The two paths for climate action: decarbonization and adaptation.

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Good News! Policymakers ARE Embracing E-Bikes

Legal Planet

After reading the recent (and very dumb) New York Times expose by Matt Richtel on e-bikes , you’d be forgiven for mistaking electric-assist bicycles for the next big threat to human health. But 3 other news stories about the benefits, and growing pains, of e-bikes show there’s real interest in them as a climate solution. Rather than just critique the NYT’s editorial choices , I want to highlight some of what we’re learning from more thoughtful reporting on e-bikes.

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The Last Super Blue Moon until 2037 Rises Tonight. Here's How to See It

Scientific American

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.

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Wealthiest 10 Percent of Americans Responsible for 40 Percent of U.S. Emissions

Yale E360

The top 10 percent of U.S. earners are responsible 40 percent of the country's emissions, according to a new analysis, the first to look at the climate impact of how Americans make money, including from investments.

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How the history of maths is much more diverse than you think

New Scientist

There is more to where maths came from than the ancient Greeks.

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Sustainability at Retail

Sustainability impacts every nation, company, and person around the world. So much so that, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) issued a call for action by all countries to work toward sustainable development. In response to this and as part of a global Sustainability at Retail initiative, Shop! worked collaboratively with its global affiliates to address these critical issues in this white paper.

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The Food and Farm Bill Can Do a Lot for Workers  

Union of Concerned Scientists

This “ Danger Season ” (the months of May through October, when the risk posed by extreme weather is highest) has been characterized by record-breaking stretches of extreme heat overlapping with torrential rain and floods. Laboring outdoors on the front lines of the climate crisis, farmworkers face disproportionate impacts from extreme weather: recent research from the National Institutes of Health found agricultural workers are 35 times more likely to die from heat than other worker

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Will the Fixed or Floating Suits Ever End?

Energy & the Law

Rhetorical Question: When will Texas be done with fixed/floating royalty cases such as Johnson et al v. Clifton et al ? Rhetorical Answer: When scriveners of deeds that are open to eight conceivably plausible meanings have completed their remedial scrivening courses. How did it happen? In 1951 Young and others conveyed to Clifton and others several thousand acres in Reeves County by a deed reserving a 1/128 interest in oil, gas and other minerals.

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A Montana Victory for the Youth Climate Movement

Legal Planet

A state court judge in the ‘Last Best Place’ just gave the youth climate movement a shot in the arm with the first decision of its kind that directly connects specific state actions to global climate change and then to injuries suffered by young people. It’s a decision worth reading , as U.S. courts have not yet engaged in this kind of fact-finding on climate change.

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If AI Becomes Conscious, Here's How We Can Tell

Scientific American

A checklist derived from six neuroscience-based theories of consciousness could help assess whether an artificial intelligence system achieves this state

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Spreading Rock Dust on Farmland Has Potential to Draw Down Huge Sums of Carbon Dioxide

Yale E360

Spreading volcanic rock dust on cropland could help the world reach a key carbon removal goal, a new study finds.

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Vitamin C and E supplements may make lung cancers grow faster

New Scientist

Supplementing with antioxidants such as vitamins C and E could increase the formation of blood vessels within lung cancer tumours, helping them to grow bigger and spread, according to a study in mice

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We Reviewed More Than 150 Paper on Water Management. Here’s What We Learned.

Union of Concerned Scientists

In my previous life as a graduate student, I worked with hydroeconomic modeling. I recently had the opportunity to jump back into that type of research with colleagues from the University of California Davis and Merced. If hydroeconomic modeling sounds like jargon, that’s because it is. In a nutshell, hydroeconomic modeling is a tool for water management.

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Energy Department Launches Hydrogen Interagency Taskforce, But Few Details Emerge on Status of Federal Hydrogen Programs

Law and Environment

[ This post is part of our Hydrogen Blog Series. Read the rest of the series here. ] The Department of Energy (“DOE”) held a webinar on Friday, August 18, 2023 on the U.S. government’s national hydrogen strategy. The main announcement was the formation of the Hydrogen Interagency Taskforce, or “HIT,” but the webinar was otherwise light on details regarding the status of key federal hydrogen programs, such as the Inflation Reduction Act’s (“IRA”) hydrogen production tax credit , the Hydrogen Hu

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What Next for the Climate Tort Cases?

Legal Planet

With the Supreme Court’s refusal to take up the issue, the lawsuits against the oil industry are heading back to state court. That’s where the plaintiffs wanted those cases from the beginning, but it’s by no means the last of the issues they will confront. The oil companies will fight a scorched earth campaign, spending millions to contest every possible issue.

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What's in Floodwaters?

Scientific American

Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives.