Olympics and climate. Saint Lucian sprinter Julian unexpectedly bested U.S. favorite Sha’Charri Richardson in the women’s 100 meter final on Saturday. But the future of Saint Lucia is highly threatened by climate change—and the country can’t do much about it on its own. For Saint Lucia’s ecological and economic future to be truly secured for future generations of athletes and enthusiastic spectators, it needs help and attention from other, higher-polluting nations that are causing their problems—many of the nations Alfred beat in the Olympics this weekend. This is something Saint Lucia’s president, Philip J. Pierre, speaks about frequently. “We still are constrained by some elements that are beyond our control,” he said just last week, reflecting on the anniversary of slavery emancipation in Britain, which formerly colonized Saint Lucia. “And one of these elements is climate change.” The need for attention and action from other countries is captured well in a short 2016 documentary on Saint Lucia funded by the United Nations.
Hurricanes, wildfires and other deadly weather events forced an estimated 2.5 million people in the U.S. from their homes last year. Though homeowners face their own challenges, a wide body of research shows that renters are more likely to be displaced after a disaster and for a longer period of time. In cases where tenants can stay put, they often don’t get the support they need from landlords and insurers when facing climate-fueled flooding damage and sweltering heat waves.
Speaking of waves…. Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) discovered that tidal energy could play an important role in Alaska’s largest power grid, the Railbelt. The study concluded that tidal energy could help decarbonize Alaska’s Railbelt by 2035 and generate clean fuels like hydrogen, which could boost the state’s economy. Learn more about how Alaska can accurately plan to incorporate their tidal energy resources into their decarbonization goals, grid systems, and economy.
Installing rooftop solar panels will lower your electricity bill—but by how much? The federal Solar Energy Technologies Office resources can walk you through your potential savings depending on how much electricity you produce, how much you consume, and how you finance your system. Check out this calculation guide and explore SETO’s other guides and resources for solar energy!
OFFSETS
- A new study by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has found that offsets are “ineffective” at climate mitigation, further deepening the troubles of the carbon-credit market. In recent years, controversy has swirled over carbon credits, which are purchased by companies looking to offset their carbon footprint, and many have collapsed under greenwashing allegations. Sustainable finance journalist Eugene Ellmen writes that one of the most common problems with these schemes is that they often fail to reduce carbon emissions beyond what would have already been sequestered, regardless of the offset. Ellmen asks whether this report, once combined with the disrepute, could lead to the eventual demise of carbon offsets. Read more »
- This week, according to Reuters, the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market announced that around one-third of the credits it evaluated did not meet its new standards.
The drying up of Canada’s Mackenzie River is cutting off a lifeline for remote Indigenous communities in the Northwest Territories. Increasingly, water levels on the river are too low for barge traffic, forcing food, fuel, and other essentials to be flown in, at great cost. Now, villages in the region are calling for the construction of a long-discussed 200-mile highway along the river. Officials are conducting a feasibility study on the project, which would pose big challenges in the warming Arctic. Says a Dene leader “What is next year — and the years after that — going to bring as the climate continues to warm and dry out the river?”
Good News: Federal Appeals Court Reverses Approval of Massive LNG Export Plants in South Texas
The Washington D.C. court ruled that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission failed to adequately assess the plants’ environmental justice, climate and air pollution impacts.
For the second time, a federal court struck down a regulatory agency’s authorization of two controversial, multi-billion-dollar gas export projects in far South Texas, one of which is already under construction.
HYDROPOWER: A study finds climate change-exacerbated drought has diminished hydropower production in Western states, leading to billions of dollars in economic losses and increased natural gas generation.
Ahead of the US: China’s State Council announced a new “dual control” plan for its emissions that will put a cap on carbon for the first time, Carbon Brief’s China Briefing said. Analysis for Carbon Brief also revealed that China’s emissions have seen their first quarterly fall since the nation’s Covid lockdowns.
Inspiration: When South Korea started tackling the problem of food waste 20 years ago, it threw away 98 percent of its food waste. Today, 98 percent of food waste is turned into feed, compost or energy, according to the South Korean Ministry of Environment. It achieved this by banning food scraps from landfills and mandating that all residents separate their food waste from their trash and recycling — and to pay for the service through fees and fines. In the United States, 60 percent of food waste goes to landfills, according to a 2019 Environmental Protection Agency estimate, with only 5 percent composted and 15 percent turned into energy.
A Legal Fight Over Legacy Oil Industry Pollution Heats Up in West Texas: A “first of its kind” lawsuit contends that oil companies including Chevron failed to properly plug and decommission wells on private property, challenging common assumptions about plugged wells.
Take Action
The most important action you can take is to vote for leaders who are fighting to mitigate global warming. But persuading others to vote for these leaders may be even more impactful. There are a number of organizations that provide opportunities to do this. For example, try Vote Forward which will help you write get out the vote letters to people in swing states and California districts: https://votefwd.org/