February, 2023

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As Millions of Solar Panels Age Out, Recyclers Prepare to Cash In

Yale E360

Solar panels have a lifespan of 25 to 30 years, but they contain valuable metals, including silver and copper. With a surge of expired panels expected soon, companies are emerging that seek to recycle the reusable materials and keep the panels out of landfills.

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How Much Land Would it Require to Get Most of Our Electricity from Wind and Solar?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Critics of wind and solar routinely raise concerns about how much land would be required to decarbonize the US power sector. Fortunately, the answer is relatively little. A recent National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) study shows that it would take less than 1 percent of the land in the Lower 48—that’s an area comparable to or even smaller than the fossil fuel industry’s current footprint.

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New U.S. Climate Law Will Make Water Contamination Worse

Circle of Blue

New U.S. Climate Law Could Make Midwest Water Contamination Worse Billions in clean energy incentives rely on raw materials from polluting corn and livestock. By Keith Schneider Circle of Blue February 8, 2023 President Biden, U.S. environmental organizations, and climate activists were appropriately enthused last summer when Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act.

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In Scramble for Clean Energy, Europe Is Turning to North Africa

Yale E360

In its quest for green energy, Europe is looking to North Africa, where vast solar and wind farms are proliferating and plans call for submarine cables that will carry electricity as far as Britain. But this rush for clean power is raising serious environmental concerns.

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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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2022 updates to model-observation comparisons

Real Climate

Our annual post related to the comparisons between long standing records and climate models. As frequent readers will know, we maintain a page of comparisons between climate model projections and the relevant observational records , and since they are mostly for the global mean numbers, these get updated once the temperature products get updated for the prior full year.

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Solar Panel Cars: The Future of Sustainable Transportation?

Environment + Energy Leader

As the world becomes more aware of the environmental impact of fossil fuels, there has been an increasing interest in sustainable transportation options. One of the most promising developments in this field is the use of solar panel cars. The post Solar Panel Cars: The Future of Sustainable Transportation? appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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How Is Climate Change Affecting Winter Storms in the US? 

Union of Concerned Scientists

With extreme winter weather breaking out across the United States this week, a question in many people’s minds is—how is climate change affecting winter storms? I had the good fortune to chat about this with world-renowned expert, Dr. Jennifer Francis , Senior Scientist with the Woodwell Climate Research Center. Rachel: Thank you so much for speaking with us.

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Ongoing Battle to Keep Toxic Chemicals at Bay

Circle of Blue

Ongoing Battle to Keep Toxic Chemicals at Bay Outdated federal water laws and chemicals that were approved for industry without assessing for risk leave Ann Arbor and other communities struggling to ward off water contaminants before they foul drinking supplies. SUMMARY: A growing array of contaminants threaten Michigan’s rivers, lakes and drinking water systems, and many of them are still unregulated Experts blame a federal system that’s too quick to approve new chemicals, and too slow to stop

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Microplastics Are Filling the Skies. Will They Affect the Climate?

Yale E360

Recent studies reveal that tiny pieces of plastic are constantly lofted into the atmosphere. These particles can travel thousands of miles and affect the formation of clouds, which means they have the potential to impact temperature, rainfall, and even climate change.

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FROM FARM TO PLATE?

Cleannovate

Besides feeding us, farming is also profitable. Stories of successful agripreneurs are many in our day.

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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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What are the Fastest Growing Sustainability Professions?

Environment + Energy Leader

In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the fastest-growing occupation from 2019 to 2029 is expected to be wind turbine service technicians, with a growth rate of 61%. The post What are the Fastest Growing Sustainability Professions? appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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This Climate Debate is a lot of Hot Air

Legal Planet

A weather balloon. DALL-E. 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. A weather balloon stunt in Mexico by a small startup called Make Sunsets generated a lot of hot headlines, even though that solar geoengineering “experiment” was so tiny that it couldn’t possibly have yielded any physical effects.

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When it Comes to the Cumulative Impacts of Pollution, the Science is In

Union of Concerned Scientists

There is a growing body of science to support the need to address the harms from exposures to multiple pollutants from multiple sources that accumulate over time, especially in environmental justice communities. Some of these scientific studies also can inform how cumulative impacts to pollution could be addressed. Here’s what you need to know: People are exposed to multiple chemicals Exposure science is the study of how, and to what extent, humans come into contact with environmental factors, i

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FRESH, February 21, 2023: Proposed Wisconsin State Budget Includes Funding for Oneida Nation Wetlands Restoration

Circle of Blue

February 21, 2023 Fresh is a biweekly newsletter from Circle of Blue that unpacks the biggest international, state, and local policy news stories facing the Great Lakes region today. Sign up for Fresh: A Great Lakes Policy Briefing , straight to your inbox, every other Tuesday. — Christian Thorsberg, Interim Fresh Editor This Week’s Watersheds Oakland County approves millions of dollars of funding for three major water infrastructure projects.

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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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How Illegal Mining Caused a Humanitarian Crisis in the Amazon

Yale E360

The onslaught of illegal miners into Indigenous territory in the Brazilian Amazon has destroyed forest, polluted rivers, and brought disease and malnutrition to the Yanomami people. Now, the new Brazilian government is confronting a health crisis and moving to evict the miners.

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Humans don’t hibernate, but we still need more winter sleep

Frontiers

by Angharad Brewer Gillham, Frontiers science writer Image/Shutterstock.com Society and technology impose sleep and wake schedules on people, especially in urban environments with lots of light pollution. Although seasonality in animal sleep is well known, for the past 25 years we’ve assumed humans are different. But a study of patients being monitored for sleep-related difficulties shows underestimated variation in sleep architecture over the course of a year.

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McKesson Corporation Tackles Climate Change by Increasing Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Environment + Energy Leader

McKesson Europe aims to be carbon neutral by 2030, while McKesson Corporation set in 2021 a science-based target initiative to keep temperature increases in check and aligned with the Paris climate agreement. The post McKesson Corporation Tackles Climate Change by Increasing Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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CEQA and UC Berkeley Housing: Don’t Panic

Legal Planet

Where’s The Toga? (Photo Credit: Library of Congress) Lots of screaming and yelling about last week’s Court of Appeal CEQA decision concerning student housing at UC Berkeley. The Court struck down the university’s plan for more student housing on the grounds that the final Environmental Impact Report did not adequately assess noise impacts from students.

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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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Fossil Fuel Companies Make Billions in Profit as We Suffer Billions in Losses

Union of Concerned Scientists

The world’s biggest fossil fuel companies recently released their 2022 earnings reports, revealing record-breaking profits last year; just five companies–ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, and TotalEnergies–reported a total of nearly $200 billion in profits. At the same time, the world is incurring record losses due to extreme weather events.

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Long COVID Now Looks like a Neurological Disease, Helping Doctors to Focus Treatments

Scientific American

The causes of long COVID, which disables millions, may come together in the brain and nervous system

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As Fatal Fungus Takes Its Toll, Can We Save Frog Species on the Brink?

Yale E360

The deadly chytrid fungus has wiped out as many as 90 species of amphibians. Now researchers from Australia to California are exploring a host of ways to save threatened frog populations — from relocation to safer habitats to reintroducing frogs treated with a sort of vaccine.

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Putting solar panels in grazing fields is good for sheep

New Scientist

Sheep living in pasture with solar panels benefit from shade in hot weather and more nutritious grass – and they stop weeds from growing on the panels

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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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Optimizing Energy Efficiency: The Benefits of Microgrids, PPAs and CHP

Environment + Energy Leader

In the aftermath of major power outages, such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012, the interest in microgrids increased significantly as a way to provide critical infrastructure and services with reliable and resilient power during emergencies. The post Optimizing Energy Efficiency: The Benefits of Microgrids, PPAs and CHP appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Good News from the Land of 10,000 Lakes

Legal Planet

The headline news is that Minnesota has adopted a 2040 deadline for a carbon-free grid. The headline is accurate, but the law in question contains a lot of other interesting features that deserve attention. Despite the law’s extremely unglamorous name (“Senate File 4”), this is a big step forward for the state, as well as evidence of how much difference it makes to unified party control of state government.

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Ethylene Oxide: New Interactive Map Shows Communities Impacted by Cancer-Causing Chemical

Union of Concerned Scientists

Explore the interactive map. A Spanish version of the map is available here. This week, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released a report assessing 104 facilities in the United States and Puerto Rico that emit ethylene oxide, a toxic, colorless gas. Ethylene oxide is used to sterilize medical equipment and some dried food products, and it is also a byproduct of manufacturing other chemicals.

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Black Inventor Garrett Morgan Saved Countless Lives with Gas Mask and Improved Traffic Lights

Scientific American

In 1916 he strapped on his “safety hood” and dragged rescuers to safety, but racism prevented him from being hailed as a hero

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How Weather Forecasts Can Help Dams Supply More Water

Yale E360

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is testing ways to use improved weather forecasts to manage some of the nation’s largest dams to store more water and prevent floods. This new approach could help officials respond to new precipitation patterns brought on by climate change.

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Neanderthals hunted enormous elephants that fed 100 people for a month

New Scientist

Analysis of cut marks on elephant bones suggests every scrap of meat and fat was removed from the big beasts

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Mack Defense to Design Fuel Efficient Trucks for the US Army

Environment + Energy Leader

Mack Defense is currently working on two major defense programs that fit well with the CTT and utilize vehicles from the global Volvo Group network that have been modified for commercial use. The post Mack Defense to Design Fuel Efficient Trucks for the US Army appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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I’m With Paul

Legal Planet

In a recent column , Paul Krugman argued that cutting carbon emissions doesn’t have to mean an end to economic growth. He’s right about that. Carbon emissions and growth aren’t joined at the hip. He could have added that economic growth and quality of life don’t necessarily go together. The numbers are really clear about the disconnect between the trajectories of GDP and emissions.

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Dear Maryland: It’s Time to Drive Clean Trucks and Buses

Union of Concerned Scientists

I love living in Maryland. We’re living in a historical moment, and I can’t help but do a lil’ happy dance around the possibilities of the new administration and the groundwork laid by the Climate Solutions Now Act which set some of the most ambitious climate targets in the country. Amid all this I’m grateful that part of my job is to spend my time advocating for how it can make these goals a reality—to transform the way we move people and goods towards a sustainable and equitable future.

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Weird Supernova Remnant Blows Scientists' Minds

Scientific American

Fireworks display from rare dying star is unlike anything astronomers have seen

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