| Post

United Nations climate conference, COP26 postponed

from United Nations Climate Change Highlights COP26, the next United Nations climate change conference that was set to take place in Glasgow in November 2020 has been postponed until 2021. This conference, which brings leaders from all around the world together to coordinate climate initiatives, was postponed due to the current coronavirus pandemic  Various climate … Read more

| Post

New study supports distributed clean energy and community energy resilience

by Brian Bienkowski, Environmental Health News Highlights Small-scale energy projects are likely to help the world reach climate goals more effectively than larger-scale projects, according to a new study from Science Magazine. The study used existing technologies to see what would help countries lower emissions all the way down to net-zero by 2050 and examined … Read more

| Post

Electrify everything, or aim for beneficial electrification?

My how things have changed. Back in the day, when most of the electricity we used was derived from fossil energy sources, any reduction of electricity use was considered a good thing by those concerned about emission. Now that the grid is on a trajectory toward ever cleaner sources, the dynamic has changed. Fuel switching … Read more

| Post

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE – March 27, 2020

Due to the COVID-19 disruption, the legislature has gone into recess until April 13 at the earliest. While the legislature is on recess, The Climate Center continues to analyze the bills that were introduced in February, and is in the process of determining positions on many of them. Below are several, but not all, of … Read more

| Post

Building a clean, affordable, resilient, equitable, and safe energy system to meet this moment

Rooftop PV installation on the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe administration building

As we reel from the COVID-19 pandemic and think about the longer-term consequences, many of us are likely wondering how things will be in the fall. Many of us remember the Public Safety Power Shut-offs of 2019 that meant no electricity for refrigeration, heat, the internet, and in some cases, vital medical equipment. It was … Read more

| Post

U.S. fracking giants prepare for repeat of 2016 collapse, expect little help from Wall Street

by David Wethe, Bloomberg Highlights: Major fracking companies are expecting to crash and don’t anticipate receiving financial help from Wall Street, potentially paving the way for more renewable energy projects. Though drilling rig numbers have dropped in the past, the current decline could come much faster this time according to fracking giant Schlumberger Ltd. Halliburton, … Read more

| Post

Coronavirus: ‘Nature is sending us a message’, says UN environment chief

Suburbia_by_David_Shankbone

by Damian Carrington, The Guardian Highlights Destruction of wildlife and the climate crisis is hurting humanity. Covid-19 a ‘warning from nature, according to the UN’s environment chief, Inger Andersen. To prevent further outbreaks, both climate change and the destruction of the natural world for farming, mining and housing have to end, as both drive wildlife … Read more

| Post

As Congress debates an economic stimulus, where should the money be spent?

by Ken Kimmel, President of the Union of Concerned Scientists Highlights Current situation: Federal government response to COVID-19: In Washington DC a bi-partisan effort to help the country cope with COVID-19 is underway. So far, one immediate emergency bill appropriated approximately $8 billion designed to treat and prevent the virus. A second bill has also … Read more

| Post

We are on track with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s worst-case climate warming scenario

Melting glacier

by the European Space Agency Highlights: A new report from an international team of polar scientists concludes that ice losses from Antarctica and Greenland are rising faster than expected, leading the region to the IPCC’s worst-case climate warming scenario: Greenland and Antarctica lost 6.4 trillion tonnes of ice which has pushed global sea levels up … Read more

| Post

U.S. clean-energy tax breaks sought in the virus stimulus package

by Ari Natter, Bloomberg Highlights: Clean energy advocates are pushing for consumer tax credit extensions for renewable energy, storage, and electric vehicles to be included in the stimulus package: With many business sectors taking losses from the impacts of coronavirus, the renewable energy sector says they are feeling losses as well The demand for solar … Read more