Tag Archives: climate change

Austin, Texas: At the ripe age of 98, Dr. John Goodenough, professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) and inventor of the lithium-ion battery, is looking towards future energy storage solutions through a newly launched partnership with Energy Exploration Technologies (EnergyX). Earlier this year, Goodenough, along with several members of his lab …

The number of environmental challenges facing the planet is daunting at times: climate change, ocean acidification, plastic pollution, and food wastage — just to name a few. While many nonprofits and eco-conscious groups continue to make a concerted effort to reverse or minimize the challenges our planet faces, many young adults are wondering how they can help too.    Wanting …

                 SolaCulture array canopies supported by wire hoops   SolaCulture arrays collect and fluidynamically concentrate the direct and diffuse solar thermal energy absorbed by covered earth regions. Air intakes from engine driven co-fueled generators, heaters, or chimneys are used to create slightly sub-atmospheric pressures within regions covered by transparent microporous fabric canopies (crop covers). The sub-atmospheric pressure causes atmospheric air …

Over 50 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies every year. If you’re one of them, you know that symptoms like sneezing, a runny nose, and red, itchy eyes can be downright debilitating. But have you noticed your allergies getting worse over the years?   If so, you’re not imagining things. Your stronger symptoms could be linked to climate change.    …

by  Jennifer Layke and Norma Hutchinson – May 05, 2020 As the human tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, global restrictions to stop the spread of the virus — including stay-at-home orders, business closures and travel prohibitions — may contribute to the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. The virus has already made an indelible impact on the energy sector: Global energy use is predicted to fall …

The year 2020 has ushered in a new, uncomfortable way of life for global citizens. Suddenly, most of us are confined to our homes, with little opportunity for social interaction, and fearful of a dangerous virus. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the world, however, there’s an unlikely positive to shelter-in-place orders: Drastically reduced carbon emissions and …

The development of biofuels has plenty of research and success behind it, which is good news for the transportation industry as well as the health of the planet. Transportation is a major contributor to climate change, accounting for 29% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. as of 2017, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That …

It seems like you can’t turn on the television, go online, or open a newspaper today without being confronted with some horror story about climate change. Nowadays, “going green” seems to be on everyone’s lips — the hip new thing for saving our planet.  But for all the talk — and all the hype — there’s an importance, and an …

We’ve all heard the stories. The global temperature is rising. The polar ice caps are melting. Storms are worsening. And we’ve seen the casualties. Fourteen lives lost in Tennessee. Nearly 90 dead in California. More than 1 billion animals taken in Australia. All the victims of voracious wildfires fed by an increasingly parched earth. It seems that no one and …

Climate change activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg has made headlines for eschewing flying in jets to help reduce her carbon footprint. In 2019, she sailed across the Atlantic from New York rather than fly home to Sweden. Like many forms of transportation, airplanes emit the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide as they wing overhead. Airplanes emitted nearly 1 …

Few of us can deny the negative environmental impact of single-use plastics and disposable products in general. After all, an estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste ends up in our oceans every year, to say nothing for the myriad plastics sitting in landfills. Consumers are increasingly prompted to do our part to reduce the effects of climate change, and …

In an effort to do their part to help mitigate climate change with clean energy and lower their electric bills, more and more Americans are opting to add solar panels to their roofs. The number of installations, both residential and commercial, of solar panels doubled from 1 million to 2 million between 2015 and 2019, according to the Solar Energy …

In both the real world and in popular culture, renewable energy gets a lot of press. From solar energy to hydropower and beyond, so-called “alternative” energy sources are increasingly seen as a viable solution towards combating the negative effects of climate change.  A prime cultural example of renewable energy in the spotlight was seen on 1998’s “That ‘70s Show.” During …

When most of us think about geothermal energy, we probably conjure images of Old Faithful and bubbling geysers, creating the heat necessary to create energy. But geothermal energy is now a reliable and growing source of renewable energy as the U.S. weans itself off fossil fuels.  According to the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA), “In 2016, there were 3,567 Megawatts (MW) …

Over 100 Clean Trucks Powered By Renewable Fuel Now Operate At The Ports Of Long Beach And Los Angeles NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – October 29, 2019 –Meeting the challenge to clean up some of the most polluted air in the country, Southern California has hit a new milestone with over 100 trucks outfitted with the cleanest ultra low-NOx engines available now …

University scientists highlight carbon benefits of renewable wood energy; Call for policymakers to look at key science fundamentals More than 100 university scientists emphasize: “The carbon benefits of sustainable forest biomass are well established” The US Industrial Pellet Association (USIPA) today lauded a recent letter signed by more than 100 scientists from more than 50 colleges and universities citing the …

In the wake of September’s UN Climate Action Summit 2019, held in New York City, addressing the detrimental effects of climate change is a hot topic of discussion around the world. Climate change is a veritable public health crisis, according to the United Nations. The organization claims that, “the impacts of climate change are being felt everywhere and are having …

Taxing polluting sources of energy is an effective way to curb emissions that harm the planet and human health, and the income generated can be used to ease the low-carbon transition for vulnerable households. Yet 70% of energy-related CO2 emissions from advanced and emerging economies are entirely untaxed, offering little incentive to move to cleaner energy, according to a new OECD …

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2019 — Con Edison, as part of a coalition of public and private electric utility companies, has filed a petition in the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals to challenge the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new Affordable Clean Energy Rule and the repeal of the Clean Power Plan. Con Edison has taken this action because …

Today, the US Department of Energy (DOE) released two rules that continue the administration’s assault on common sense light bulb energy efficiency standards. The standards, scheduled to take effect in January 2020, would require most everyday light bulbs to achieve LED levels of energy efficiency, would save consumers billions of dollars, and would avoid millions of tons of carbon dioxide …