ReportWire

Tag: Climate

  • Recycling ‘end-of-life’ solar panels, wind turbines, is about to be climate tech’s big waste business

    Recycling ‘end-of-life’ solar panels, wind turbines, is about to be climate tech’s big waste business

    [ad_1]

    Solarcycle CTO Pablo Dias and COO Rob Vinje show a solar panel laminate after it’s been cleanly separated from the glass to investors and partners. The laminate is where most of the value is contained in a panel, like silver, silicon, and copper.

    Solarcycle

    The growing importance of wind and solar energy to the U.S. power grid, and the rise of electric vehicles, are all key to the nation’s growing need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, lower carbon emissions and mitigate climate change.

    But at the same time, these burgeoning renewable energy industries will soon generate tons of waste as millions of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, wind turbines and lithium-ion EV batteries reach the end of their respective lifecycles.

    As the saying goes, though, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Anticipating the pileup of exhausted clean-energy components — and wanting to proactively avoid past sins committed by not responsibly cleaning up after decommissioned coal mines, oil wells and power plants — a number of innovative startups are striving to create a sustainable, and lucrative, circular economy to recover, recycle and reuse the core components of climate tech innovation.

    Wind and solar energy combined to generate 13.6% of utility-scale electricity last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), and those numbers will undoubtedly rise as renewable energy continues to scale up. Some leading utilities across the nation are far ahead of that pace already.

    Meanwhile, sales of all-electric vehicles rose to 5.8% of the total 13.8 million vehicles Americans purchased in 2022, up from 3.2% in 2021. And with the Environmental Protection Agency’s newly proposed tailpipe emissions limits and power plant rules, EV sales could capture a 67% market share by 2032 and more utilities be forced to accelerate their power generation transition.

    Solarcycle is a prime example of the companies looking to solve this climate tech waste problem of the future. Launched last year in Oakland, California, it has since constructed a recycling facility in Odessa, Texas, where it extracts 95% of the materials from end-of-life solar panels and reintroduces them into the supply chain. It sells recovered silver and copper on commodity markets and glass, silicon and aluminum to panel manufacturers and solar farm operators.

    “Solar is becoming the dominant form of power generation,” Solarcycle CEO Suvi Sharma said, citing an EIA report stating that 54% of new utility-scale electric-generating capacity in the U.S. this year will come from solar. “But with that comes a new set of challenges and opportunities. We have done a phenomenal job making solar efficient and cost-effective, but really have not done anything yet on making it circular and dealing with the end-of-life [panels].”

    Keeping solar panels out of landfills

    The average lifespan of a solar panel is about 25 to 30 years, and there are more than 500 million already installed across the country, Sharma said, ranging from a dozen on a residential home’s rooftop to thousands in a commercial solar farm. With solar capacity now rising an average of 21% annually, tens of millions more panels will be going up — and coming down. Between 2030 and 2060, roughly 9.8 million metric tons of solar panel waste are expected to accumulate, according to a 2019 study published in Renewable Energy.

    Currently, about 90% of end-of-life or defective solar panels end up in landfills, largely because it costs far less to dump them than to recycle them. “We see that gap closing over the next five to 10 years significantly,” Sharma said, “through a combination of recycling becoming more cost-effective and landfilling costs only increasing.”

    Indeed, the market for recycled solar panel materials is expected to grow exponentially over the next several years. A report by research firm Rystad Energy stated they’ll be worth more than $2.7 billion in 2030, up from only $170 million last year, and accelerate to around $80 billion by 2050. The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Laboratory (NREL) found that with modest government support, recycled materials can meet 30%-50% of solar manufacturing needs in the U.S. by 2040.

    Both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provide tax credits and funding for domestic manufacturing of solar panels and components, as well as research into new solar technologies. Those provisions are intended to cut into China’s dominant position in the global solar panel supply chain, which exceeds 80% today, according to a recent report from the International Energy Agency.

    One recipient of this federal funding is First Solar, the largest solar panel manufacturer in the U.S. Founded in 1999 in Tempe, Arizona, the company has production facilities in Ohio and another under construction in Alabama. It has been awarded $7.3 million in research funds to develop a new residential rooftop panel that is more efficient than current silicon or thin-film modules.

    First Solar has maintained an in-house recycling program since 2005, according to an email from chief product officer Pat Buehler. “We recognized that integrating circularity into our operations was necessary to scale the business in a sustainable way,” he wrote. But rather than extracting metals and glass from retired panels and manufacturing scrap, “our recycling process provides closed-loop semiconductor recovery for use in new modules,” he added.

    Massive wind turbines, blades are almost all recyclable

    Retired wind turbines present another recycling challenge, as well as business opportunities. The U.S. wind energy industry started erecting turbines in the early 1980s and has been steadily growing since. The American Clean Power Association estimates that today there are nearly 72,000 utility-scale turbines installed nationwide — all but seven of them land-based — generating 10.2% of the country’s electricity.

    Although the industry stalled over the past two years, due to supply chain snags, inflation and rising costs, turbine manufacturers and wind farm developers are optimistic that the tide has turned, especially given the subsidies and tax credits for green energy projects in the IRA and the Biden administration’s pledge to jumpstart the nascent offshore wind sector.

    The lifespan of a wind turbine is around 20 years, and most decommissioned ones have joined retired solar panels in landfills. However, practically everything comprising a turbine is recyclable, from the steel tower to the composite blades, typically 170 feet long, though the latest models exceed 350 feet.

    Between 3,000 and 9,000 blades will be retired each year for the next five years in the U.S., and then the number will increase to between 10,000 and 20,000 until 2040, according to a 2021 study by NREL. By 2050, 235,000 blades will be decommissioned, translating to a cumulative mass of 2.2 million metric tons — or more than 60,627 fully loaded tractor trailers.

    How the circular renewable energy economy works

    Players in the circular economy are determined not to let all that waste go to waste.

    Knoxville-based Carbon Rivers, founded in 2019, has developed technology to shred not only turbine blades but also discarded composite materials from the automotive, construction and marine industries and convert them through a pyrolysis process into reclaimed glass fiber. “It can be used for next-generation manufacturing of turbine blades, marine vessels, composite concrete and auto parts,” said chief strategy officer David Morgan, adding that the process also harvests renewable oil and synthetic gas for reuse.

    While processing the shredded materials is fairly straightforward, transporting massive turbine blades and other composites over long distances by rail and truck is more complicated. “Logistics is far and away the most expensive part of this entire process,” Morgan said.

    In addition to existing facilities in Tennessee and Texas, Carbon Rivers plans to build sites in Florida, Pennsylvania and Idaho over the next three years, strategically located near wind farms and other feedstock sources. “We want to build another five facilities in the U.K. and Europe, then get to the South American and Asian markets next,” he said.

    In the spirit of corporate sustainability — specifically not wanting their blades piling up in landfills — wind turbine manufacturers themselves are contracting with recycling partners. In December 2020, General Electric’s Renewable Energy unit signed a multi-year agreement with Boston-based Veolia North America to recycle decommissioned blades from land-based GE turbines in the U.S.

    Veolia North America opened up a recycling plant in Missouri in 2020, where it has processed about 2,600 blades to date, according to Julie Angulo, senior vice president, technical and performance. “We are seeing the first wave of blades that are 10 to 12 years old, but we know that number is going to go up year-on-year,” she said.

    Using a process known as kiln co-processing, Veolia reconstitutes shredded blades and other composite materials into a fuel it then sells to cement manufacturers as a replacement for coal, sand and clay. The process reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 27% and consumption of water by 13% in cement production.

    “Cement manufacturers want to walk away from coal for carbon emissions reasons,” Angulo said. “This is a good substitute, so they’re good partners for us.”

    GE’s wind turbine competitors are devising ways to make the next generation of blades inherently more recyclable. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has begun producing fully recyclable blades for both its land-based and offshore wind turbines and has said it plans to make all of its turbines fully recyclable by 2040. Vestas Wind Systems has committed to producing zero-waste wind turbines by 2040, though it has not yet introduced such a version. In February, Vestas introduced a new solution that renders epoxy-based turbine blades to be broken down and recycled.

    Electric vehicle lithium-ion battery scrap

    Lithium-ion batteries have been in use since the early 1990s, at first powering laptops, cell phones and other consumer electronics, and for the past couple of decades EVs and energy storage systems. Recycling of their valuable innards — lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper — is focused on EVs, especially as automakers ramp up production, including building battery gigafactories. But today’s EV batteries have a lifespan of 10-20 years, or 100,000-200,000 miles, so for the time being, recyclers are primarily processing battery manufacturers’ scrap.

    Toronto-based Li-Cycle, launched in 2016, has developed a two-step technology that breaks down batteries and scrap to inert materials and then shreds them, using a hydrometallurgy process, to produce minerals that are sold back into the general manufacturing supply chain. To avoid high transportation costs for shipping feedstock from various sites, Li-Cycle has geographically interspersed four facilities — in Alabama, Arizona, New York and Ontario — where it’s deconstructed. It is building a massive facility in Rochester, New York, where the materials will be processed.

    “We’re on track to start commissioning the Rochester [facility] at the end of this year,” said Li-Cycle’s co-founder and CEO Ajay Kochhlar. Construction has been funded by a $375 loan from the Department of Energy (DOE), he said, adding that since the company went public, it’s also raised about $1 billion in private deals.

    A different approach to battery recycling is underway at Redwood Materials, founded outside of Reno, Nevada, in 2017 by JB Straubel, the former chief technology officer and co-founder of Tesla. Redwood also uses hydrometallurgy to break down batteries and scrap, but produces anode copper foil and cathode-active materials for making new EV batteries. Because the feedstock is not yet plentiful enough, the nickel and lithium in its cathode products will only be about 30% from recycled sources, with the remainder coming from newly mined metals.

    Former Tesla CTO JB Straubel tackles battery recycling with Redwood Materials

    “We’re aiming to produce 100 GWh/year of cathode-active materials and anode foil for one million EVs by 2025,” Redwood said in an email statement. “By 2030, our goal is to scale to 500 GWh/year of materials, which would enable enough batteries to power five million EVs.”

    Besides its Nevada facility, Redwood has broken ground on a second one in Charleston, South Carolina. The privately held company said it has raised more than $1 billion, and in February it received a conditional commitment from the DOE for a $2-billion loan from the DOE as part of the IRA. Last year Redwood struck a multi-billion dollar deal with Tesla’s battery supplier Panasonic, and it’s also inked partnerships with Volkswagen Group of America, Toyota, Ford and Volvo.

    Ascend Elements, headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, utilizes hydrometallurgy technology to extract cathode-active material mostly from battery manufacturing scrap, but also spent lithium-ion batteries. Its processing facility is strategically located in Covington, Georgia, a state that has attracted EV battery makers, including SK Group in nearby Commerce, as well as EV maker Rivian, near Rutledge, and Hyundai, which is building an EV factory outside of Savannah.

    Last October, Ascend began construction on a second recycling facility, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, using federal dollars earmarked for green energy projects. “We have received two grant awards from the [DOE] under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that totaled around $480 million,” said CEO Mike O’Kronley. Such federal investments, he said, “incentivizes infrastructure that needs to be built in the U.S., because around 96% of all cathode materials are made in East Asia, in particular China.”

    As the nation continues to build out a multi-billion-dollar renewable energy supply chain around solar, wind and EVs, simultaneously establishing a circular economy to recover, recycle and reuse end-of-life components from those industries is essential in the overarching goal of battling climate change.

    “It’s important to make sure we keep in mind the context of these emerging technologies and understand their full lifecycle,” said Garvin Heath, a senior energy sustainability analyst at NREL. “The circular economy provides a lot of opportunities to these industries to be as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible at a relatively early phase of their growth.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • FAA sued over SpaceX Starship launch program following April explosion

    FAA sued over SpaceX Starship launch program following April explosion

    [ad_1]

    Environmental and cultural-heritage nonprofits sued the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday, alleging the agency violated the National Environment Policy Act when it allowed SpaceX to launch the largest rocket ever built from its Boca Chica, Texas, facility without a comprehensive environmental review, according to court filings obtained by CNBC.

    SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy test flight on April 20 blew up the company’s launchpad, hurling chunks of concrete and metal sheets thousands of feet away into sensitive habitat, spreading particulate matter including pulverized concrete for miles, and sparking a 3.5-acre fire on state park lands near the launch site.

    The lawsuit against the FAA was filed in a district court in Washington, D.C., by five plaintiffs: The Center for Biological Diversity, the American Bird Conservancy, SurfRider Foundation, Save Rio Grande Valley and a cultural-heritage organization, the Carrizo-Comecrudo Nation of Texas.

    The groups argue the agency should have conducted an in-depth environmental impact statement (EIS) before ever allowing SpaceX to move ahead with its Starship Super Heavy plans in Boca Chica.

    “The FAA failed to take the requisite hard look at the proposed project and has concluded that significant adverse effects will not occur due to purported mitigation measures,” they wrote in the lawsuit.

    The plaintiffs argue the agency waived the need for more thorough analysis based on proposed “environmental mitigations.” But the mitigations the FAA actually required of SpaceX were woefully insufficient to offset environmental damages from launch events, construction and increased traffic in the area, as well as “anomalies” like the destruction of the launch pad and mid-air explosion in April, they said.

    In their complaint, the attorneys note that the FAA’s own chief of staff for the Office of Commercial Space Transportation in June 2020 said the agency was planning an EIS. Later, “based on SpaceX’s preference,” the lawyers wrote, the federal agency settled on using “a considerably less thorough analysis,” which enabled SpaceX to launch sooner.

    Despite the particulate matter, heavier debris and fire, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said this weekend on Twitter Spaces, “To the best of our knowledge there has not been any meaningful damage to the environment that we’re aware of.”

    The exact impact of the launch on the people, habitat and wildlife is still being evaluated by federal and state agencies, and other environmental researchers, alongside and independently from SpaceX.

    National Wildlife Refuge lands and beaches of Boca Chica, which are near the SpaceX Starbase facility, provide essential habitat for endangered species including the piping plover, the red knot, jaguarundi, northern aplomado falcon, and sea turtles including the Kemp’s Ridley. Kemp’s Ridley is the most endangered sea turtle in the world, and the National Wildlife Refuge contains designated critical habitat for the piping plover.

    Boca Chica land and the wildlife there, namely ocelots, are also sacred to the Carrizo-Comecrudo tribe of Texas.

    As of last Wednesday, researchers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had not found any carcasses of animals protected by the Endangered Species Act on the land that they own or manage in the area. However, the researchers were not able to access the site for two days after the launch, leaving open the possibility that carcasses could have been eaten by predators, washed away or even removed from the site.

    Access to the state parks, beaches and the National Wildlife Refuge area near Starbase, by tribes, researchers and the public, are of particular concern to the groups challenging the FAA.

    The plaintiff’s attorneys noted that in 2021, Boca Chica Beach was closed or inaccessible for approximately 500 hours or more, based on the notices of closure provided by Cameron County, with a “beach or access point closure occurring on over 100 separate days.” That high rate of closure, which the FAA allowed, “infringes upon the ability of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas to access lands and waters that are part of their ancestral heritage,” the groups argued.

    The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • The business case for green sports stadiums and arenas is growing

    The business case for green sports stadiums and arenas is growing

    [ad_1]

    A general exterior view of Climate Pledge Arena before the game between the Seattle Kraken and the Carolina Hurricanes on October 17, 2022.

    Steph Chambers | Getty Images

    Professional sports are inherently a copycat industry. From Major League Baseball’s Moneyball revolution to the NBA’s renewed focus on 3-point shooting driven by the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry, in-season and championship success quickly becomes a blueprint for other teams to follow.

    Another recent trend spreading across sports has many hoping it will also follow suit: arenas and stadiums not only adopting sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, but putting those efforts front and center for fans, players, musicians, and anyone else who enters the building.

    Much like the broader world of commercial real estate, arenas, and stadiums have been slowly adopting sustainable practices over the last few decades, from recycling programs to energy efficiency efforts. But several major sports facilities across the U.S. have taken this to another level in recent years, and their operators and owners hope that the success they’ve seen across multiple fronts creates real momentum around the idea of environmentally friendly stadiums.

    Mercedes Benz Stadium, home of both the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’s Atlanta United, became the first pro sports venue in the U.S. to achieve LEED Platinum Certification in 2017. Footprint Center, home of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, works directly with the materials science company that holds its naming rights to eliminate single-use plastic from the arena and on other sustainable practices.

    The bar across sports was set even higher in 2021 when Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle opened and not only became the first net zero certified arena in the world but served as a call-to-action for Amazon’s push for companies globally to be net zero carbon by 2040.

    “Venue operators are relatively quickly understanding their opportunities and their responsibilities as it related to operating more sustainability,” said Chris Granger, CEO of OVG360, a management company that works with more than 300 venues across the world ranging from arenas and stadiums to amphitheaters and performing arts centers.

    “Sports teams and venues have a platform on the topic of social change, and we have the ability to shine a light on issues that matter in a way that many businesses don’t,” he said. “I think our venue operators are saying ‘Okay, we get it. Now what do we do about it?’”

    The trend in sports is not dissimilar to what is being seen across other industries: a desire from businesses to be better stewards in their community and connect with the growing number of people putting an increased emphasis on environmentally friendly actions, coupled with the fact that many of these measures also have a solid business case attached to them.

    When work to renovate KeyArena in Seattle began, there were many discussions on how to introduce sustainability measures not only for construction goals but also operational goals, said Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena senior vice president of sustainability and transportation Rob Johnson.

    That quickly evolved into making an arena that could be a “beacon of a sustainability district,” Johnson said, which helped attract the attention of Amazon, who in 2019 co-founded the Climate Pledge initiative to have companies, organizations, and partners work together to address the climate crisis and solve the challenges around decarbonizing.

    That led to what has become the Climate Pledge Arena. Its efforts include being zero-waste by using compostable containers and reducing single-use plastic use, conserving water by retaining rainwater for reuse, and not using fossil fuels in the arena for daily use – including electric-powered Zambonis for Kraken games.

    Setting a zero-waste goal at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium

    Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been on its own sustainability path since it opened in 2017, with operator Arthur Blank pushing his AMB Sports and Entertainment Group (AMBSE) executives to set a higher standard for an environmentally friendly stadium.

    The stadium opened as the first LEED Platinum stadium in the U.S., but “that was just the start,” said Steve Cannon, vice chairman of AMBSE.

    “Anyone can make that incremental investment into your building, but if operationally you don’t perform in a manner that’s consistent with that, you’re leaving something on the table,” Cannon said.

    That has led to a focus on getting to zero-waste status, which the stadium first achieved in 2020 for an Atlanta United match, Cannon said. After an investment of about $1 million to retrofit the building and put in other measures to achieve that zero-waste consistently, the stadium has now reached that goal.

    In its 2022 fiscal year, there were more than four million pounds of waste at the stadium, and more than 91% of that was diverted away from landfills, according to Andrew Bohenko, Mercedes-Benz Stadium sustainability coordinator.

    That required a significant amount of education for employees and fans, and also working with vendors and other departments within the company to ensure that “there was buy-in across all our of two-million-square-foot footprint,” Bohenko said.

    Ultimately, the stadium saw more than 95% compliance from fans putting trash in the right receptacles, and it projects a $400,000 yearly return on its initial investment while spending about 13 cents per guest for its overall zero-waste efforts right now. AMBSE has even created a “playbook” for other stadium operators to follow if they also want to get to zero waste.

    “Everyone understands that the environment is our number one global challenge. It’s reached a level of critical mass where people have moved past greenwashing, and they’re making substantive changes to their business practices,” Cannon said. “The platform that sports represents has a disproportionate impact on our society at large, so if you think about the aggregated impact of all ballparks and stadiums across America diverting waste from landfills that’s huge, but where it becomes even more important is the power of the platform to influence other businesses – then you start to really make meaningful change.”

    Johnson said Seattle’s zero-waste push has led to savings as well, as composting costs less than sending garbage to a landfill.

    Reaching fans, sponsors and performers through sustainability

    Fenway Farms, a roof top garden in Boston’s Fenway Park, on July 6, 2020.

    Boston Globe | Getty Images

    Another impactful revenue opportunity related to the arena’s sustainability push, according to Johnson, is reaching new fans.

    “Folks under 40, who we are all cultivating as critically important fans to our success in the future, identify the environment as one of their top three global concerns,” he said. “So, we believe it’s not just the right thing for us to do for the planet, but we also think that we’re speaking to a demographic that is key to the future of the success of our industry.”

    Kristen Fulmer, senior director of sustainability at OVG360 parent company Oak View Group, said while it’s clear that “sustainability can be a good business,” there still can be confusion about what that really means.

    “Sustainability is kind of noisy; ESG is a catchphrase that everyone knows but doesn’t quite know the meaning of, so there are some things that we can demystify about it,” Fulmer said. “We want to help them figure out what are things that are relevant to me, my specific building, my specific market, my community, my employees, so that they can hone in on something that’s really unique.”

    Granger pointed to efforts like Sacramento’s Golden One Center where the arena is powered by 100% renewable and solar energy, and Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, where a deep-lake water cooling system utilizing nearby Lake Ontario helps keep the building cool and eliminates the need for air conditioning compressors.

    Making sustainability a key part of any construction or building project is also becoming table stakes for bonds, loans, and other financial measurements, both Granger and Fulmer noted, a critical factor for many of the aging arenas and stadiums across the U.S. likely due for upgrades or full replacements in the coming decade.

    It also matters more for artists and athletes. Granger said there are musicians asking for vegan or plant-based food options or asking buildings to let fans bring reusable water bottles to reduce the impact of single-use plastics.

    Johnson said that when singer Billie Eilish came to Seattle to perform in 2022, her tour rider required the arena to not use single-use plastics for at least the night that she was to preform.

    “That was a big inspiration for us; if Billie Eilish can come through your building and you’ll move to no single-use plastics for one night, why couldn’t you do it for the other 364 nights,” he said. Ahead of the tour date, Eilish’s mother and sustainability advocate Maggie Baird asked to tour the arena, telling Johnson and Seattle’s team that they “operationalized” the rider,” Johnson said. Seattle has given tours to numerous artists, teams, athletes and other organizations wanting to see more of the building’s practices in action.

    All of these factors are pointing towards a future where sports and sustainability are more intertwined, Fulmer said.

    “In the sustainability world we often say that imperfection gets in the way and creates inaction, and I think people are always really scared to not quite be perfect. In the sports world of course we all want to be perfect or always win,” she said. “Here, small wins are really important, and they’re leading to bigger wins.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • California bans the sale of new diesel trucks by 2036

    California bans the sale of new diesel trucks by 2036

    [ad_1]

    Cars, trucks, SUVs, and other vehicles drive in traffic on the 405 freeway through the Sepulveda Pass in Los Angeles, California, on August 25, 2022.

    Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images

    California regulators on Friday voted to ban the sale of new diesel big rigs by 2036 and require all trucks to be zero-emissions by 2042, a decision that puts the state at the forefront of mitigating national tailpipe pollution.

    The California Air Resources Board unanimously approved the Advanced Clean Fleets rule, the state’s second zero-emissions trucks rule and first in the world to require new commercial trucks, including garbage trucks, delivery trucks and other medium and heavy-duty vehicles, to be electric.

    Supporters of the rule say it will improve public health in marginalized communities that have endured polluted air while mitigating the effects of climate change. The mandate is estimated to deliver $26.5 billion in public health benefits in California in avoided health impacts and deaths due to diesel pollution. 

    Heavy-duty trucks represent nearly one third of the state’s nitrogen oxide and more than one quarter of its fine particle pollution from diesel fuel, according to the California Air Resources Board While medium and heavy-duty trucks are just 10% of the vehicles on the country’s roads, they emit 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit. 

    “Frontline communities across California who breathe in deadly diesel pollution every day can finally get some relief with the Advanced Clean Fleets rule,” said Andrea Vidaurre, senior policy analyst for the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice. “There is no acceptable level of exposure to deadly diesel pollution — so it has got to go, for the sake of our health and our lungs.”

    Some of the country’s major truck manufacturers and their lobbying groups have strongly opposed the regulations, arguing that requirements are costly as electric models are more expensive than diesel trucks. Large trucks are more expensive to convert to electric models than smaller vehicles due to their size and weight.

    The trucking industry has also said that the deadlines are unrealistic given the lack of EV charging infrastructure and available space at ports.

    The mandate would require companies that operate 50 or more trucks to convert their fleets into electric or hydrogen models and achieve zero-emissions by 2042.

    The earliest deadline is for drayage trucks, which carry cargo to and from major ports, which must be converted to electric models by 2035, while new sales starting in 2024 must be zero-emissions. Vehicles like garbage trucks and school buses must be zero-emissions by 2027.

    California had sought waivers from the Clean Air Act to set stricter standards than the federal government for heavy-duty vehicles. The state’s stricter tailpipe emissions rules will have broader effects beyond California — which has significant authority over the U.S. auto industry — and could pave the way for other states to follow suit.

    For instance, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Colorado have already adopted the California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule.

    The state has committed to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2045. Last year, it banned the sale of new gasoline-powered cars starting in 2035. Today’s mandate also comes a day after the state adopted a historic rule to limit emissions from diesel-powered trains.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Activists gather for Earth Day, urge action to avoid ‘dystopian’ future

    Activists gather for Earth Day, urge action to avoid ‘dystopian’ future

    [ad_1]

    A man dressed as a tree walks on stilts past the Houses of Parliament at ‘The Big One’ environment event which coincides with “Earth Day”, in London, April 22, 2023.

    Kevin Coombs | Reuters

    Climate change campaigners gathered outside Britain’s parliament building ahead of Earth Day to urge action on global warming, while volunteers worldwide geared up to plant trees and clear trash to mark the 54th annual celebration of the environment.

    Earth Day this year, officially on Saturday, follows weeks of extreme weather with temperatures soaring to record highs in Thailand and a punishing heatwave in India, where at least 13 people died of heatstroke at a ceremony last weekend.

    Average global temperatures could hit all-time highs in 2023 or 2024, climate scientists have warned.

    Pope Francis, who has championed green causes since his election in 2013, urged people to look after the environment.

    “The Book of Genesis tells us that the Lord entrusted human beings with the responsibility of being stewards of creation (Gen 2:15). Care for the Earth, then, is a moral obligation for all men and women as children of God #EarthDay,” he tweeted on Saturday.

    “Climate impacts are here,” Areeba Hamid, co-executive director of Greenpeace UK, said on Friday as climate change activists walked down the street outside parliament in London, some dressed in green costumes and green paint.

    Hamid said when she now visits her hometown of Delhi, it feels like “putting your head in the oven” and that London’s 2022 heatwave was like “a dystopian film”.

    “We can’t afford that anymore.”

    Activists led by the Extinction Rebellion group have gathered in London to kick off a four-day action, billed “The Big One”, to coincide with Earth Day.

    About 30,000 people have signed up for family-friendly rallies and marches, marking a change in strategy for a group known for its disruptive tactics, including blocking roads, throwing paint and smashing windows.

    Clean-ups and rituals

    Globally, there was a flurry of activity in the run-up to Earth Day, with events being planned in Rome and Boston and major clean-up campaigns at Lake Dal in India’s Srinagar and Florida’s hurricane-hit Cape Coral.

    In Peru, shamans on Friday made an offering to the “Pachamama”, or Mother Earth. Holding yellow flowers and rattles, the shamans walked around a papier-mache globe as they performed a cleansing ritual.

    The ancestral rituals – whose origins lie in the Indigenous cultures of Peru – are done to thank the Earth and build awareness of the planet, said Walter Alarcon, the president of the Healing Shamans of Peru International Organization.

    In San Francisco on Friday, dozens of demonstrators danced, marched and chanted in the streets as they called on California Governor Gavin Newsom to reduce the state’s fossil fuel usage. In Washington on Saturday, just before rain storms began to kick in, the Climate Justice Alliance marched calling for an end of the fossil fuel era, accompanied by a brass jazz band.

    Earlier in the week, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to increase funding to help developing countries fight climate change and curb deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest during a meeting with top world leaders. Domestically, he ordered a number of new measures that would protect communities overburdened by pollution, including creating a new White House office of environmental justice and launching a national strategy to prevent plastic pollution.

    Governments have fallen far short of pledges in the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit heating of the climate by shifting off fossil fuels, amid crises including COVID-19, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, food shortages and strained ties between China and the U.S., the top two greenhouse gas emitters.

    A report by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says the planet is on track to warm beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times – a key threshold for even more damaging impacts – between 2030 and 2035.

    “There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all,” the IPCC has said. “The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • New ETF makes a big bet on cleaning up the environment

    New ETF makes a big bet on cleaning up the environment

    [ad_1]

    A U.S.-based ETF is mimicking an investment trend in Europe that’s designed to boost profits while helping the climate.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Federal court strikes down a California city’s natural gas ban

    Federal court strikes down a California city’s natural gas ban

    [ad_1]

    flames burn on a natural gas-burning stove.

    Scott Olson | Getty Images

    A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Berkeley, California, cannot enforce a ban on natural gas hookups in new buildings, saying a U.S. federal law preempts the city’s regulation.

    The ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco was a response to a case from 2019 by the California Restaurant Association against the city of Berkeley. In the appeal, the three-judge panel said the U.S. Energy Policy Conservation Act of 1975 preempts the city’s ban on the installation of natural gas piping within new construction.

    “By completely prohibiting the installation of natural gas piping within newly constructed buildings, the City of Berkeley has waded into a domain preempted by Congress,” Judge Patrick Bumatay, a Trump appointee, wrote for the panel.

    The decision could have ramifications for efforts by other cities and counties in California to ban natural gas appliances in new buildings to help reduce climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions. A few dozen cities across the country, including San Francisco, New York City, San Jose, Seattle, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, have also moved to ban natural gas hookups in some new buildings, citing environmental and health reasons.

    All three judges on the panel were Republican appointees. The ruling reversed a 2021 decision by a U.S. district judge who had blocked the challenge to the city’s ban.

    Commercial and residential buildings account for about 13% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from the use of gas appliances. And some researchers found that children in homes with gas stoves are at greater risk of asthma and other health issues.

    However, states such as Texas and Arizona have barred cities from imposing natural gas bans and argued that consumers should have the right to choose their energy sources.

    Jot Condie, president and chief executive of the California Restaurant Association, in a statement said the city’s ordinance is an overreaching measure beyond the scope of any city and that it would limit the variety of cuisine that restaurants can offer.

    “Natural gas appliances are crucial for restaurants to operate effectively and efficiently,” Condie said. “Cities and states cannot ignore federal law in an effort to constrain consumer choice, and it is encouraging that the Ninth Circuit upheld this standard.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Volkswagen reveals the ID.7, new flagship EV with more than 300 miles of range

    Volkswagen reveals the ID.7, new flagship EV with more than 300 miles of range

    [ad_1]

    Volkswagen’s new ID.7 electric sedan will go on sale in the U.S. next year.

    Courtesy: Volkswagen

    Volkswagen on Monday unveiled a new large electric sedan that it says will have well over 300 miles of range in its top-level trim when it arrives in the U.S. market next year.

    Volkswagen’s new ID.7, as it’s called, will serve as a flagship for the automaker’s growing line of mainstream EVs. The German auto giant said last month that it expects to invest 180 billion euros (nearly $200 billion) in future products and technologies between now and 2027, with more than two-thirds earmarked for “electrification and digitalization.” The company expects about 80% of the VW brand’s sales in Europe, and about 50% of its sales in the U.S., to consist of electric vehicles by 2030.

    VW hopes that the new ID.7 will play a key part in that transition. It’s a large sedan with a distinctive hatchback design that allows for more headroom in the rear seats and improves the car’s aerodynamic efficiency.

    That aerodynamic emphasis and a brand-new high-efficiency electric drivetrain help the ID.7 achieve what VW says will be strong range ratings: up to 435 miles with the optional 86 kilowatt-hour battery on the European WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure) test cycle. (The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EV range ratings are often 10% to 20% lower than WLTP ratings.) Base models will come with a 77 kWh battery that will provide an estimated 382 miles of range on the WLTP cycle, the company said.

    Both batteries will accept DC fast charging: The standard 77 kWh battery can recharge at up to 170 kilowatts; the optional 86 kWh battery at up to 200 kWs.

    All ID.7s will feature a single 282-horsepower motor driving the rear wheels.

    All Volkswagen ID.7s will come standard with a large touchscreen and a heads-up display, the company said.

    Courtesy: Volkswagen

    Inside, the ID.7 is a roomy high-tech wonderland – as one would expect of a car designed to challenge Tesla‘s Model 3 in markets around the world.

    Beyond the now-ubiquitous large touchscreen, all ID.7s will come standard with a heads-up display that replaces most traditional dashboard instruments with images projected in the driver’s field of vision.

    Above the passengers is a large auto-dimming sunroof – standard on U.S.-bound ID.7s – that, like many other features in the car, can be controlled with voice commands.

    Production of ID.7s for Europe will begin in the second half of 2023 at VW’s plant in Emden, Germany; production of ID.7s for Chinese customers will begin in China before year-end. ID.7s for North America will also be built in Germany and will begin arriving at dealers in 2024.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Live from Earth — World’s Largest Online Event in Support of Earth Day — April 17-22, 2023

    Live from Earth — World’s Largest Online Event in Support of Earth Day — April 17-22, 2023

    [ad_1]

    LIVE FROM EARTH — Worldwide online gathering happening April 17-22, 2023, featuring broadcasts that will highlight innovators who are at the forefront of helping solve global environmental challenges


    SAN FRANCISCO, April 14, 2023 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Live from Earth (www.livefromearth.net) is a worldwide online gathering happening April 17-22, 2023, featuring broadcasts that will highlight innovators who are at the forefront of helping solve global environmental challenges. This inspiring event will be broadcast on the new carbon-neutral social media streaming platform PORTL (www.portl.com). PORTL is dedicated to positive social/environmental impact and a fair equity-share with content creators. The event feed will also be delivered on YouTube and Facebook through a global coalition of broadcasting partners.

    Background: Humanity is at a crossroads. The recent IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) just released an ominous report on the health of our planet. Yet simultaneously, we are witnessing a groundswell of organizations and individuals who are bringing forth actionable solutions that are empowering, hopeful, and inspiring. As people self-organize to address these challenges, the need for a social platform dedicated to this cause of healing our planet has become imperative. It is always the artists, the creatives, and the community-weavers who bring about needed changes for the collective and PORTL is providing that platform. Live from Earth highlights the collaborative efforts that are possible when tech platforms allow individuals to organize and mutually support each other towards positive social and environmental change.

    Musical guests: Ziggy Marley, Donovan, Xavier Rudd, Heilung, The String Cheese Incident, STS9, Starling Arrow and others.

    Celebrity appearances from Prince EA, Holland Roden, Kim Stanley Robinson, Nathalie Kelley and others.

    Environmental thought leaders including Captain Paul Watson, Vandana Shiva, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Lynne Twist, Zainab Salbi, Fawn Sharp, Pat McCabe, Atossa Soltani, Justin Winters, Leila Salazar-Lopez, Ron Finley, Chad Frischmann, Ryland Englehart and more. 

    Additional programming includes a film premiere of “Hidden Heroes” by Marco Rios Bollinger; a presentation from Kiss the Ground; a segment from Earth Gratitude hosted by actress Brianna Brown; wisdom from indigenous wisdom-keeper Pat McCabe; films from indigenous storytelling non-profit If Not Us Then Who?; and an interview with Shawn Heinrichs of the environmental impact accelerator Only One.

    The event is free, and will be raising funds via donation for high-impact nonprofit organizations that are dedicated to environmental causes. Beneficiaries: Ocean Futures Society, The Climate Initiative, Captain Paul Watson Foundation, Pachamama Alliance, Navdanya International, Conscious Alliance, UNIFY, and If Not Us Then Who? The event donation campaign is sponsored by the Rugged Elegance Foundation.

    Schedule: Commences 1 p.m. PDT daily, between April 17-22, 2023

    Themes:

    Monday, April 17: Food and Water

    Tuesday, April 18: Indigenous Voices

    Wednesday, April 19: Wildlife and Habitat

    Thursday, April 20: Youth Activism

    Friday, April 21: Ocean Futures

    Saturday, April 22: Earth Day Celebration featuring major global artists and speakers

    Event Location: www.livefromearth.net

    About PORTL: PORTL is the new carbon-neutral social media streaming platform. We are an online platform for content creators to monetize and distribute their content, engage their community, and earn money.

    Creators can lock live streams, audio, video, and photos behind a paywall giving subscribers access for a monthly fee.

    The platform provides easy-to-use live streaming, community engagement tools, virtual audience window, dynamic live chat, direct messaging, robust social media features, display network, and more.

    PORTL was created by a team of festival producers and artists to combat the revenue losses creators have suffered over the past decade; copyright infringement, low revenue for internet broadcast, the disappearance of products like books, CDs, DVDs, and now the disappearance of in-person events.<br><br>PORTL will provide a new revenue stream for thousands of content creators that are seeking an appropriate and equitable platform to monetize their creativity, media, and influence.

    www.portl.com

    Source: PORTL

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Billionaire founder of Paul Mitchell and Patron invests in man-made coral reefs

    Billionaire founder of Paul Mitchell and Patron invests in man-made coral reefs

    [ad_1]

    They are majestic and beautiful and critical to the world economy. Coral reefs, often called the “rainforests of the sea,” support roughly 25% of all known marine species. They are vital not just to sea life, but to human life. And the planet has lost half its coral reefs since the 1950s due in large part to climate change.

    The total economic value of coral reef services for the united states alone, including fisheries, tourism, and coastal resilience, is over $3.4 billion annually, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That includes $1.8 billion a year in flood protection benefits from averting damage to property and economic activity. The annual value of U.S. commercial and recreational fisheries dependent on coral reefs is $200 million.

    Now, an unlikely pair is teaming up not to save existing reefs but to create new more resilient reefs: Marine scientist Dr. Deborah Brosnan of the Ocean Shot Project, and John Paul DeJoria, co-founder of John Paul Mitchell hair care systems and Patron Spirits. Brosnan has been studying coral reefs for more than 25 years, with a specific focus on the Caribbean.

    “Coral reefs are at risk. We have lost more than a third of coral reefs already,” Brosnan told CNBC. “And the prognosis for losing more is high. So right now today, we lose more coral reefs in a day than we can restore in a decade.”

    Coral reefs are one of the most important ecosystems on the planet, according to Brosnan, who explained that while they occupy a fraction of the sea floor, they support more than half a billion people a day. A living coral reef will break 95% of a wave’s energy, which means it creates a calm lagoon and protects us from storm surge. Reefs are mitigating sea level rise.

    Brosnan’s solution is not to restore damaged reefs, but rather replace them with manmade reefs designed to be far more resilient to climate change.

     “We came up with the technology to figure out the shape that a reef should be and the size that the reef should be in order to promote biodiversity and to protect the coastline,” explained Brosnan.

    The reefs are made of a PH-neutral concrete — calcium carbonate, which mimics the natural makeup of reefs. It’s a dead skeleton, but then the team attaches corals grown in a nursery — 300 of them from 3 different species. Fish then move in. 

    Last fall, the first project was installed off the coasts of Antigua and Barbuda. It was neither easy nor cheap, but Brosnan found a billionaire backer, DeJoria, to fund the project, which cost about $1 million.

    “It’s my way of paying a little bit of rent for being here on the planet earth,” said DeJoria, who has a real estate project on Barbuda.

    “I’m doing a billion-dollar project of fine beautiful homes. Incredible. It’s a big project,” he explained. “The people, they are very wealthy people, and they love the fact that everybody’s getting a good job, making good money, and that we’re bringing the reefs back.”

    While DeJoria touts the jobs he’ll bring to the islands, restoring the reefs has a much wider economic impact.

    “When you lose a coral reef, you lose extraordinary beauty, so when that disappears, tourism goes down because it’s not a nice place to go. Added to that the fisheries. Coral is vitally important for fisheries,” said Brosnan.

     Brosnan and DeJoria intend to build a facility on Barbuda to manufacture these reefs, which could then be installed anywhere around the world. They have two more ready to go. The technology is there, but the ability to scale it is a larger financial hurdle.

     “The question is, will the world listen?” asked Brosnan. “This is very doable. This is doable in the region, it is doable globally. What we need is the investment in the technology, the investment in the deployment, and the recognition that there is a return on that investment in terms of our own health, our own safety on the coast, and the livelihood of at least a billion people on the planet.”

     

     

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • How green mortgages can help finance an energy-efficient home and save money

    How green mortgages can help finance an energy-efficient home and save money

    [ad_1]

    Solar panels create electricity on the roof of a house in Rockport, Massachusetts, U.S., June 6, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. 

    Brian Snyder | Reuters

    The residential real estate market has been volatile due to rising interest rates, but the peak spring season — if challenging for buyers and sellers — is here. For many potential homebuyers, a green mortgage could be a good idea, especially as incentives for energy-efficiency upgrades increase and costs of new climate technology are coming down.

    A green mortgage — also known as an energy-efficient mortgage — is different than a conventional mortgage in that it allows borrowers to finance certain green improvements at the same rate and terms as their home purchase. For many homebuyers this could mean making environmentally-friendly upgrades sooner than they might otherwise be able to afford, while also reducing their monthly energy costs.

    Here is what you need to know about green mortgages and financing a home purchase.

    How energy upgrades are rolled into a housing loan

    If the home you’re considering needs various energy-efficient upgrades, as many houses do, it pays to see what a green mortgage can offer. In the past, buyers may have walked away from a home purchase because the windows were in rough shape or because the water heater was old, said Kevin Kane, chief economist with Green Homeowners United, a residential energy efficiency construction firm in West Allis, Wisconsin.

    With an energy-efficient mortgage, homebuyers can finance these types of improvements on better terms.

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, one of the entities that offers energy-efficient loans, cites the example of a couple who bought a California home for $150,000. They got an FHA loan for 95% of the property’s value. Based on estimates from a required home energy assessment, the lender set aside an extra $2,300 for the improvements, bringing the total loan amount to $144,800, from $142,500. The couple’s monthly mortgage payments rose by $17, but they are saving $45 a month due to lower utility bills.

    To be sure, green mortgages won’t be appropriate for everyone. This includes consumers who are buying a new construction or a renovated house that’s Energy Star-certified.

    The Inflation Reduction Act and home improvements

    The Inflation Reduction Act — an expansive climate-protection effort by the federal government — makes green improvements even more advantageous for would-be homebuyers. 

    Kane offers the example of a home that needs a new air conditioning unit. Instead of replacing it outright, a prospective buyer might instead consider installing a heat pump and rolling the cost into a mortgage.

    The homeowner could then be eligible for a tax credit of up to $2,000 and a rebate, depending on income, that amounts to 50% to 100% of the unit’s cost up to $8,000.

    “You can do it now and not shell out the cash upfront because the bank rolled it into your mortgage, and you can get the incentives which make it a lot more advantageous,” Kane said.

    Financing requirements and restrictions

    There are restrictions on what can be financed, and there are caps on what can be included in a green mortgage. 

    For example, Fannie and Freddie Mac’s specifications say that the maximum available energy financing is 15% of the “as completed” value of the property, which is the appraised value of the home once the upgrades are finished. So, under these programs, an eligible buyer with a home valued at $100,000 after upgrades can receive up to $15,000 from the mortgage transaction. 

    There’s also an extra step that typically has to happen before financing is approved. That is a home energy assessment by a trained professional to analyze the home’s energy usage and recommend energy-saving improvements. The evaluation projects the cost and potential savings for each improvement.

    Additionally, to comply with the terms of the mortgage, homeowners have to be committed to finding contractors and completing the work on an existing structure in a set period of time, generally three to six months, said John W. Mallett, a mortgage broker and founder and president of MainStreet Mortgage in Westlake Village, California. This might not be appropriate for people who want to take their time fixing up their house. They might be better off with a different type of financing later on, he said.

    Most lenders should be able to offer green mortgages, but it’s helpful to work with one that does them regularly, said Drew Ades, senior advisor at RMI, a nonprofit that focuses on accelerating the clean energy transition. The lender can refer you to a home energy assessor it has worked with in the past, and the lender will also be familiar with how to maximize benefits for homebuyers, Ades said.

    Be sure to compare costs and rates from multiple lenders before choosing a provider, Ades said, adding, “Just because someone is offering you this product doesn’t mean you are getting the best rate.”

    Refinancing into a green mortgage

    Existing homeowners looking to make energy-efficient upgrades may also want to consider refinancing with a green mortgage to include the cost of the updates. This most likely won’t be a cost-effective option for someone who refinanced when rates were at or near all-time lows since rates have moved significantly higher. 

    However, there are some scenarios where refinancing could still make sense, Kane said. He offers the example of first-time homebuyers who couldn’t afford to do improvements when they first bought their home and who haven’t owned it long enough to take out a home equity loan. They could refinance and roll the green improvements into the mortgage. If their interest rate is already 6.5%, a new rate might be around the same, and even if they pay $2,000 to $3,000 in closing costs, they may be able to unlock a similar amount in tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, he said.

    LendingTree CEO: Buying homes remains tough for people right now

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • The EV industry is gaining momentum. But public charging is a long way from being accessible to all

    The EV industry is gaining momentum. But public charging is a long way from being accessible to all

    [ad_1]

    Electric vehicles will play a critical role in slashing transport-related emissions in the years ahead.

    Momentum behind the industry is building, with a number of big economies gearing up for the mass rollout of EVs and sales of electric cars hitting 6.6 million in 2021, a record, according to the International Energy Agency.

    Not all countries will move at the same pace in the planned transition to low and zero-emission mobility, and the shift away from cars powered by fossil fuels won’t always be smooth.

    There are concerns, for example, that the lower noise levels of EVs may pose a challenge to people with sight problems, while talk of a skills gap is sparking discussions about cost and safety.

    Charging infrastructure is another area to watch, with the construction of vast networks set to be crucial in allaying fears about range anxiety. Equally important is making sure these EV chargers are accessible to all.

    Read more about electric vehicles from CNBC Pro

    According to the charity Motability, it’s estimated the U.K. will have 2.7 million disabled drivers by 2035.

    As many as 1.35 million of this group, it says, “will be at least wholly or partially reliant on public charging infrastructure.”

    The year 2035 is seen as being particularly important because that’s when the U.K. government wants all new cars and vans to have zero tailpipe emissions.

    A disabled person who wants to use an EV charger today faces “inaccessibility at lots of different points throughout the process,” Catherine Marris, Motability’s head of innovation, told CNBC.

    Such challenges begin when one leaves the house to use a public charger, she added.

    “If they want to go on an app, for example, to see where there’s chargers, there isn’t usually information available about which chargers might be more accessible,” Marris said.

    “Then, when they get to a charging site, there might not be clear signage and information about where charging points are located.”

    The built environment around the charging bay could create difficulties too. “There might not be enough space around the charging bay to exit your vehicle,” Marris said.

    “If you’re using a mobility aid, there might be a really high, raised curb that … someone would have to mount to get on the pavement.”

    “The charge point itself might be surrounded with bollards that aren’t adequately spaced, so … if you’re using a mobility aid or wheelchair, you wouldn’t be able to actually get up to the charge point itself.”

    Marris told CNBC that a charging point may also be “too high for a seated user, it might be too low for someone who might have difficulties reaching down.”

    Ensuring EV chargers are accessible to all is a big task, and organizations like Motability are pushing hard to create conditions for change.

    In collaboration with the U.K. government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, it commissioned the British Standards Institution to develop a “national accessible charging standard for EV chargepoints.”

    PAS 1899:2022, as it’s known, was published in October 2022, and covers everything from curb height and location of charging kits, to the spacing of bollards and height of charge points. 

    “There was a yearlong process where industry … accessibility experts and disabled people came together, and they developed the standard through consensus as a group,” Marris said.

    She went on to describe the end product as “a really powerful document that sets out exactly what accessible charging is and how it can be achieved.”

    Read more about energy from CNBC Pro

    Another charity, Designability, was included in a steering group to help inform PAS 1899:2022. Separately, it received funding from Motability to develop design guidance for those involved in the charging industry.

    The guidance covers three main areas: signage and information; the built environment; and the process of charging a vehicle.

    “We did a deep dive into the areas that were really difficult,” Matt Ford, director of design and innovation at Designability, told CNBC.

    “It’s out there, it’s free, it’s there for anybody to use that’s involved in providing vehicle recharging,” he said.

    Having design guidance and a standard like PAS 1899 is one thing. Getting charging stations that actually incorporate accessible features is another.

    ‘Change is required across the industry’

    In February 2023, Tanni Grey-Thompson, a wheelchair user who won multiple gold medals at the Paralympic Games, highlighted the issue when she tweeted a picture of EV chargers from the firm InstaVolt with the caption: “This is why I can’t change to an electric car.”

    Expanding on her point, Grey-Thompson — who sits in the U.K.’s House of Lords — tweeted about a lack of space on either side and how she couldn’t “get close enough to reach.”

    In a statement sent to CNBC, InstaVolt CEO Adrian Keen said it’s “committed to cooperating with the requirements outlined in the PAS1899 consultation, while also taking on board direct feedback from charge point users, to improve accessibility at InstaVolt sites.”

    “We are in contact with Tanni Grey-Thompson to discuss the work we’re doing in the space, challenges that users face, and how this can influence our site designs in future,” he added.

    “We recognise that change is required across the industry as a whole and we are taking steps to ensure we’re providing accessible sites where we can.”  

    “In addition, we have fully redesigned our chargers based on PAS1899 guidance, and these will be installed at new sites from the spring,” Keen said.

    This unit has now incorporated a number of features, such as longer cables, lower screens and payment terminals, as well as what Keen called “an enhanced cable management system, to allow for improved charger accessibility.”

    Creating a standard

    InstaVolt’s plans represent a step in the right direction, but there’s still a lot of work ahead.

    Designability’s Ford explained that a PAS, or publicly available specification, is “not an official standard — it’s not been adopted into legislation. It’s not … regulation.”

    “But by creating a standard, by doing it through a robust process with the British Standards Institute, by having a steering group of stakeholders from across industry and the disabled community … what you have is a standard that is a really good blueprint for making chargepoints accessible.”

    Such a standard became “really powerful” when local authorities started to incorporate it in procurement forms for companies bidding to install charging installations, Ford said.

    “It’s being adopted, from what we can see, really quite quickly, not just by councils [but] … hotel chains, large companies [as well].”

    A global challenge

    U.K.-based organizations like Motability and Designability aren’t alone in looking to develop ideas and designs focused on accessibility.  

    In July 2022, the U.S. Access Board, an independent federal agency, issued design recommendations for accessible charging stations.

    And in December 2022, the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia announced it was launching a trial focused on creating “access standards for people with disabilities seeking to use electric vehicle charging infrastructure.”

    Stock picks and investing trends from CNBC Pro:

    The IEA, seen by many as an authoritative voice on the energy transition, describes EVs as being “the key technology to decarbonise road transport.”

    To achieve this mass decarbonization, a huge network of public chargers will be required in the years ahead.

    For charities like Designability, that represents a huge chance to put accessibility at the heart of charging networks. “It is a once in a generation opportunity … once an infrastructure goes in, it’s very hard to affect it,” Ford said.

    For her part, Motability’s Marris said she firmly believes that “100% of charge points should be accessible.”

    “Not only because we want disabled people to charge at any charge point they come across — not just only a select few — but also, accessibility is great for everyone.”

    “Whether you’re a disabled person, whether you’re an older person, whether you’re a parent pushing a pram and you need some more space, accessibility really does result in a better consumer experience.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Green transition won’t be perfect and we’ll need natural gas, World Energy Council CEO says

    Green transition won’t be perfect and we’ll need natural gas, World Energy Council CEO says

    [ad_1]

    The planet appears to be at a major crossroads when it comes to meeting climate-related goals.

    Discussions about how to mitigate the effects of climate change are closely tied to the energy transition, which can broadly be seen as a plan to shift away from fossil fuels to a system in which renewables dominate.

    It’s difficult to predict how the transition will pan out, given that it depends on a complex combination of factors, such as technology, finance and international cooperation.

    The topic was covered in detail during a recent panel discussion moderated by CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick.

    “We need to get electrification going faster,” said Angela Wilkinson, the secretary general and CEO of the London-based World Energy Council.

    “We want it to be more renewable-powered electrification,” she added, before acknowledging that a huge amount of work will be needed.

    Read more about energy from CNBC Pro

    “We can’t let perfection be the enemy of the good in this, right? The reality is, to get renewables to scale we’re going to have to have other clean energy friends in the mix, we’re going to have to build multiple clean energy bridges.”

    “We’re going to have to have hydrogen [doing the] lifting, we’re going to have to have gas with CCUS [carbon capture, utilization and storage] lifting, we’re going to have to have grid strengthening going on,” Wilkinson said.

    The idea of using gas as a “transition” fuel that would bridge the gap between a world dominated by fossil fuels to one where renewables are in the majority is not a new one and has been the source of heated debate for a while now.

    Is hydrogen the answer?

    In recent years, hydrogen has been touted as a potentially crucial tool in the shift to a net-zero future.

    Described by the International Energy Agency as a “versatile energy carrier,” hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be used in a wide range of industries.

    One method of producing hydrogen involves electrolysis, a process through which an electric current splits water into oxygen and hydrogen.

    Some call the resulting hydrogen “green” or “renewable” if the electricity used in the electrolysis process comes from renewable energy installations like wind or solar farms.

    Over the past few years, major economies and businesses have looked to the emerging green hydrogen sector to decarbonize industries integral to modern life, although the vast majority of hydrogen generation today is still based on fossil fuels.

    In looking at the overall picture, the World Energy Council’s Wilkinson stressed there are no easy answers.

    “It’s not that it’s a simple issue of just swapping out one technology for another technology,” she said. “It’s a much more complex challenge than that.”

    IPCC concerns

    In March, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a major report stressing the need for urgent action, with the U.N. secretary general describing it as a “survival guide for humanity.”

    In a statement, Antonio Guterres said the report represented a “clarion call to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every timeframe.”

    IPCC report is 'sobering,' World Energy Council CEO says

    Those findings loomed large over CNBC’s discussion. As the CEO of an organization established in 1923, the World Energy Council’s Wilkinson sought to contextualize the current debate.

    “We started up in an era of energy for peace, we’ve worked through an era of energy for prosperity, and now we’re in this era of energy for people and planet,” she said.

    “And it requires not just a change in thinking about what we need to do, it requires a change in thinking about who we need to do it with.”

    “So if we’re really going to achieve what the IPCC is asking for, we’ve got to remember the energy transition is happening alongside industrial transitions, it’s happening alongside political transitions.”

    Wilkinson also argued that the current era would require collaboration across borders, sectors and generations.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • California to require half of all heavy trucks sales to be electric by 2035

    California to require half of all heavy trucks sales to be electric by 2035

    [ad_1]

    A driver operates a Daimler Freightliner eCascadia all-electric semitruck during a Meijer delivery in Bath, Michigan, US, on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. 

    Emily Elconin | Bloomberg | Getty Images

    The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday said it’s granting California the legal authority to require that half of all heavy-duty truck sales in the state be fully electric by 2035, an ambitious standard that will go beyond federal requirements.

    The Biden administration’s approval of California’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) Regulation comes after the state last year banned the sale of new gasoline-powered cars starting in the same target year of 2035.

    The two decisions make California, the country’s most populous state and center of U.S. car culture, a leader in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, which generates most of the country’s greenhouse gases.

    The California Air Resources Board had sought waivers from the Clean Air Act to set stricter standards for heavy-duty vehicles such as garbage trucks, delivery vans and tractor-trailers. The approval of the new rule will likely have greater impacts beyond California and pave the way for other states to follow suit.

    California, which has committed to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2045, has considerable authority over the country’s auto industry. For instance, a federal waiver under the Clean Air Act gives the state authority to adopt stronger fuel economy standards than those of the federal government, which has set the precedent for the rest of the U.S. on how to address vehicle emissions.

    The heavy-duty truck rule has already been adopted by six other states — New York, New Jersey, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts and Vermont — all of which were waiting for permission from the Biden administration to enact it.

    A Tesla Semi electric truck parked outside the Frito-Lay manufacturing facility in Modesto, California, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023.

    Benjamin Fanjoy | Bloomberg | Getty Images

    “Under the Clean Air Act, California has longstanding authority to address pollution from cars and trucks,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. “Today’s announcement allows the state to take additional steps in reducing their transportation emissions through these new regulatory actions.”

    The state’s rule requires manufacturers to produce zero-emission trucks beginning in 2024 — three years ahead of the Biden administration’s most recent regulations — and raises production targets through 2035. The rule aims to put 300,000 zero-emission trucks on the road by 2035.

    The requirement will curb climate pollution by nearly three million metric tons each year by 2040, according to estimates from the California Air Resources Board. Heavy-duty trucks represent nearly one third of the state’s nitrogen oxide and more than one quarter of its fine particle pollution from diesel fuel.

    “California has been hard at work passing landmark regulations to clean our air and protect our climate with zero emissions vehicles, so we’re heartened to see EPA stand with California today and grant this waiver,” Paul Cort, director of Earthjustice’s Right to Zero campaign, said in a statement.

    However, some of the country’s major truck manufacturers and their lobbying groups have argued that the requirements to sell a certain percentage of electric heavy-duty trucks are costly and difficult to implement.

    The Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, an industry group that represents truck and bus manufacturers, has said that the standards would increase the cost of trucks and result in truck buyers delaying decisions to purchase new vehicles.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Private jet flights in Europe soar to record levels — and most were ultra-short journeys

    Private jet flights in Europe soar to record levels — and most were ultra-short journeys

    [ad_1]

    A private jet is landing over the snowy mountains of St. Moritz in Switzerland. Private jet emissions, which have a disproportionate impact on the environment, were found to have more than doubled in Europe in 2022.

    Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images

    A private jet aviation boom shows no signs of slowing.

    Analysis published Thursday by environmental campaign group Greenpeace showed the number of private jet flights in Europe last year rose by a whopping 64% to reach a record high of 572,806.

    Private jet emissions, which have a disproportionate impact on the environment, were found to have more than doubled in Europe in 2022, exceeding the annual per capita carbon emissions of 550,000 European Union residents.

    More than half (55%) of the private jet flights in Europe last year were ultra-short journeys below 750 kilometers (466 miles), Greenpeace said, noting that these were trips that could have been taken by train or ferry instead.

    It comes at a time when Europe is in the grip of a severe winter drought and shortly after the region’s driest summer in at least 500 years. Scientists warned in late January that a lack of groundwater across the continent meant the water situation was now “very precarious.”

    “The alarming growth of private jet flights is entirely at odds with all the climate science that tells us to bring down CO2 emissions immediately in order to avert total disaster,” said Klara Maria Schenk, transport campaigner for Greenpeace’s Mobility for All campaign.

    “Reducing oil-powered transport immediately is a no-brainer, starting with a ban on energy-wasting ultra-polluting private jets that provide no value for people, yet burden them with harmful emissions, toxic microparticles and noise, harming our climate, environment and health,” Schenk said.

    The analysis found that the countries with the most private jet flights in Europe last year were the U.K., France and Germany.

    The most popular destinations for private jet flights in Europe in 2022 were the French Riviera city of Nice, France’s capital of Paris and Switzerland’s second-most populous city of Geneva.

    Rising demand

    Greenpeace said the research, which was conducted by Dutch environmental consultancy CE Delft, was based on data provided by aviation analytics company Cirium. It assessed all private flights departing from and arriving in European nations from 2020 through to 2022 and separated these trips by year, route and aircraft type.

    Some small aircraft types with less than three seats were excluded as these were trips predominantly used for leisure. The data also excludes flights to and from the same airport and trips to and from airports without a unique International Air Transport Association code.

    Private jet use has been soaring for some time. Indeed, major private jet manufacturers have been racing to keep pace with the uptick in demand since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with first-time buyers fueling record sales.

    A wealth boom, stronger leisure demand and the gradual loosening of Covid-19 restrictions are some of the factors seen driving the rise in private jet demand.

    Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion, Scientist Rebellion and Last Generation block the entrance of the “Milano Linate Prime” fixed-base operator airport facility in Milan on Nov. 10, 2022, demanding the ban of private jet, tax frequent flyers and introduce taxation of most polluters.

    Piero Cruciatti | Afp | Getty Images

    Private jet emissions in Europe have soared at a faster rate than commercial aviation in recent years.

    Data from the non-governmental organization Transport & Environment shows that private jets are up to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes per passenger, and up to 50 times more polluting than trains.

    That’s because, in just one hour, a single private jet can emit two metric tons of carbon dioxide. Meanwhile, the average person in the EU emits 8.2 metric tons of CO2 equivalent over the course of an entire year.

    Earlier this month, the world’s leading climate scientists published a “survival guide for humanity,” calling for a deep, rapid and sustained reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

    This temperature threshold refers to the aspirational goal of the landmark Paris Agreement.

    It is widely regarded as a crucial global target because so-called tipping points become more likely beyond this level of global heating. Tipping points are thresholds at which small changes can lead to dramatic shifts in Earth’s entire life support system.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Picking up the pieces after twin cyclones hit Vanuatu

    Picking up the pieces after twin cyclones hit Vanuatu

    [ad_1]

    Port Vila, Vanuatu – Vanuatu is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world and it is regularly affected by cyclones during the wet season from November to April.

    But few in this archipelago nation of more than 80 islands were prepared for two Category 4 cyclones hitting the country within 72 hours in early March.

    “The cyclone kept changing direction and the winds were coming from different directions,” said Cathy Hivo, recounting the fearful hours as the second of the two cyclones churned across Port Vila, Vanuatu’s capital, on March 3.

    “The roofing iron on the house next door tore off and hit one of our windows,” she told Al Jazeera.

    Cyclone Judy had just passed over the archipelago on March 1 when Cathy and her husband Ken endured the second bout of extreme weather, battened down inside their home for more than six hours as the strong winds and driving rain of Cyclone Kevin raged from late afternoon until about 11pm.

    “It got stronger and stronger,” said Ken Hivo, who is the chief of the Freswota settlements in Port Vila.

    “We were told it was a Category 3 cyclone, but it then became Category 4. We have been experiencing stronger cyclones, so we knew what to do,” he said, recounting methods to secure windows and roofs so they do not get ripped off by cyclones.

    Not everyone was so fortunate. Many homes could not withstand the cyclonic winds and lost their roofs and walls. Some structures collapsed entirely.

    “Thankfully, no lives were lost,” Chief Hivo said, adding that many had lost their homes or sustained storm damage.

    While post-cyclone recovery for people in Port Vila will take time, it will be counted in years for the less fortunate residents of the city’s informal settlements like Freswota.

    Children at an informal settlement on the outskirts of Port Vila. These precarious communities are located on land vulnerable to climate disasters, such as cyclones and floods [Catherine Wilson/Al Jazeera]

    ‘Swept out to Sea’

    It takes a ride in a local minibus to reach the sprawling Freswota settlements that are home to more than 12,000 people on the outskirts of Port Vila, and Freswota is just one of more than 20 informal settlements on the outskirts of the capital.

    Visiting on a recent morning, the area’s unpaved streets had turned to mud after a heavy downpour of rain.

    The rapid growth of informal settlements in Pacific Island cities such as Port Vila has been driven by Islanders drawn to the prospect of jobs and better access to education and public services in capitals and major towns. For decades, the growth of settlements in Vanuatu and other island nations has outpaced the capacities of their governments to respond with urban planning, infrastructure and services.

    Settlements have mushroomed — often on flood-prone land where tenure rights are uncertain — and so have unsafe, informal housing and overcrowded living conditions that are particularly vulnerable to the more extreme consequence of climate change.

    Residents of Freswota range from those in permanent employment to the jobless, but what they all have in common is their low incomes. The recent pair of cyclones have only added to the residents’ hardships.

    Destroyed house in Freswota, near Port Vila.
    Cyclones Judy and Kevin, which hit Port Vila during the first week of March, destroyed homes in the Freswota settlement [Photo courtesy of Cathy Hivo]

    There was no power for a week and a half after Cyclone Kevin, and it is still down in some parts of the community.

    “You’re looking at houses that have been damaged and some just totally destroyed”, said Soneel Ram, a Pacific country communications manager for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

    “The urgent needs here are shelter and clean, safe drinking water, because most of these communities rely on rivers and streams as their water source, but the debris have polluted these water sources,” Ram told Al Jazeera.

    The Red Cross has provided tarpaulin to make temporary shelters, and water and hygiene kits, Ram added.

    The morning after Cyclone Kevin hit, Chief Hivo recalled, he met with other community leaders to prepare a recovery plan and to organise residents, including young people, to start the cleanup and assess local needs.

    “We depend on our local foods. People usually have market stalls selling fresh produce on the sides of the roads in the settlement. But now there isn’t much food to sell,” he said.

    “The most vulnerable people in the settlements when we have a cyclone are the elderly, those in poor health or with medical conditions and people who are without relatives here to support them,” Hivo said.

    “But we share everything together, we help each other,” he added.

    Chief Ken Hivo standing in front of a damaged building in the informal Freswota settlement of Port Vila, Vanuatu.
    Chief Ken Hivo witnessed the path of destruction wrought by Cyclones Judy and Kevin in the informal Freswota settlement of Port Vila, Vanuatu [Catherine Wilson/Al Jazeera]

    Two cyclones, one earthquake, and a tsunami warning

    The severe winds and torrential rain unleashed by the cyclones also destroyed crops and household food gardens throughout the country.

    More than 80 percent of Vanuatu’s population of about 320,000 people were affected by the back-to-back cyclones, and Shefa province, which includes the coastal city of Port Vila on Efate Island, was one of the worst-affected areas.

    The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said there was widespread destruction of homes, buildings, food gardens, as well as water, power and telecommunication services.

    While official assessments of the scale of the loss and damage throughout the islands are still being finalised, a UN spokesperson told Al Jazeera that rebuilding homes could take anywhere from a few months to several years.

    Restoration of major infrastructure could take more than three years, according to the UN, and the recovery bill is initially estimated at about $50m.

    A map of Vanuatu with a break-out text for Port Vila.
    Map of Vanuatu (Al Jazeera)

    Located in the tropical Pacific, Vanuatu experiences about two to three cyclones per year. Also located within the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ of seismic activity, Vanuatu faces a high risk of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.

    And as Cyclone Kevin was wreaking havoc in Port Vila earlier this month, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake shook Vanuatu’s Espiritu Santo island in the north of the archipelago.

    For small island developing states, climate change is the single most significant threat to sustainable development. Now, three weeks after the dual natural disasters, the Vanuatu Government is pushing to achieve climate justice at the UN.

    Vanuatu hopes the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will this week adopt its push for greater priority to be given to the human rights implications of changing climates and for the International Court of Justice to protect vulnerable nations from climate change.

    Vanuatu’s Minister of Climate Change, Ralph Regenvanu, reported that 119 governments have cosponsored Vanuatu’s UN resolution, which seeks clarity on the legal obligation of states to tackle climate change action, according to the Reuters news agency.

    Vanuatu hopes more nations will sign on to the resolution before the UNGA debate begins this week and a vote on the resolution takes place.

    While the post-disaster clean up and restoration in the central business district of Port Vila has paved the way for the resumption of public transport, services and business, it will be a far longer road to recovery for the people living precariously in settlements such as Freswota.

    “There are people here who have not recovered from Cyclone Pam,” Chief Hivo said, referring to the cyclone that hit in 2015.

    “It will take longer for the most vulnerable people,” he adds.

     

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • A ‘greenwashing’ crackdown in Europe hasn’t gone down well. Here’s what you need to know

    A ‘greenwashing’ crackdown in Europe hasn’t gone down well. Here’s what you need to know

    [ad_1]

    Greenwashing refers to the marketing practice in which businesses seek to capitalize on the growing movement for environmentally sound products by selling goods labeled as green that actually aren’t.

    Andrew Aitchison | In Pictures | Getty Images

    The EU outlined new measures designed to prevent companies from making unsubstantiated environmental claims about their products, warning firms they could soon face penalties amounting to at least 4% of their annual revenue for “greenwashing.”

    The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, published its so-called “Green Claims Directive” on Wednesday. The highly anticipated proposal seeks to establish an EU-wide methodology that will help to clean up the environmental claims marketplace.

    The directive is subject to the approval of the European Parliament and Council before it can then come into force.

    The EU says it is hoping to provide more clarity to consumers so that when a product or service is sold as green, they can trust that it is actually environmentally friendly.

    Today, most green claims are too good to be true and the proposal is… far from the real (green) deal.

    Margaux Le Gallou

    programme manager for environmental information and assessment at Environmental Coalition on Standards

    However, the proposals have drawn a mixed response from consumer and environmental groups.

    Campaigners have broadly welcomed the drive to curb the burgeoning corporate greenwashing trend but say that a months-long lobbying effort has “substantially watered down” the directive to such an extent that the measures are now too vague to sufficiently address the problem.

    They have called on the European Parliament and the Council to improve the proposals so that they are “of value” to consumers and companies.

    What is greenwashing?

    Greenwashing refers to the marketing practice in which businesses seek to capitalize on the growing movement for environmentally sound products by selling goods labeled as green that actually aren’t.

    It is a significant problem within the EU. For instance, a commission study published in 2020 found that more than half (53%) of green claims on products and services were deemed to be vague, misleading or unfounded, while 40% were unsubstantiated.

    Some phrases that consumers may have become accustomed to when purchasing goods include “eco-friendly,” “ethical” or “sustainable.”

    The commission says there are about 230 different environmental labels being used across the 27-nation bloc, citing evidence that this leads to confusion and distrust among consumers.

    What is in the EU’s ‘Green Claims Directive’?

    The EU’s “Green Claims Directive” seeks to tackle this trend.

    It says the proposal will ensure that claims are communicated clearly to the benefit of consumers — and businesses, noting that firms making a genuine effort to improve the environmental sustainability of their products should be more easily recognized and therefore able to boost their sales.

    The measures target explicit claims, the commission says, such as “CO2 compensated delivery,” “packaging made of 30% recycled plastic” or “ocean-friendly sunscreen.”

    It does not, however, cover terms such as “carbon neutrality,” advocacy groups said, noting this is a favored marketing strategy for companies seeking to give their products a “green makeover.”

    “This proposal is a huge missed opportunity to send a powerful message to corporations that the EU is taking corporate climate responsibility seriously,” said Lindsay Otis, a policy expert on global carbon markets at Carbon Market Watch.

    “The Commission appears to understand the problems created by greenwashing, but refuses to adequately address them,” Otis said. “It is now up to the European Parliament and Council to enact a ban on carbon neutrality claims, because anything short of that will not only fail to protect consumers, but will also fail to push corporations towards truly sustainable practices.”

    “With this proposal, we give consumers the reassurance that when something is sold as green, it actually is green,” said Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president for the European Green Deal.

    Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

    The EU says that before companies communicate any of the covered types of green claims, companies must first have them independently verified and proven with scientific evidence. EU member states would be in control of establishing a verification process that’s overseen by independent bodies.

    Firms based outside the EU making green claims that are targeting the bloc’s consumers would also be required to abide by the directive.

    “Green claims are everywhere: ocean-friendly t-shirts, carbon-neutral bananas, bee-friendly juices, 100% CO2-compensated deliveries and so on,” said Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president for the European Green Deal.

    “Unfortunately, way too often these claims are made with no evidence and justification whatsoever,” he added. “With this proposal, we give consumers the reassurance that when something is sold as green, it actually is green.”

    The proposal excludes claims that are covered by existing EU rules, the commission says, such as the EU Ecolabel or the organic food logo.

    What’s been the response?

    Margaux Le Gallou, programme manager for environmental information and assessment at the non-profit Environmental Coalition on Standards, said “tackling misleading green claims is crucial to ensure consumers get reliable information and are empowered to make sustainable choices.”

    “Sadly, without harmonised methodologies at the EU level, the new Directive will provide little clarity to consumers and business, and will only complicate the job of market surveillance authorities. Today, most green claims are too good to be true and the proposal is … far from the real (green) deal,” Le Gallou added.

    Others were more optimistic about the potential impact of the measures put forward by the commission.

    The proposals “will help provide more clear language, shared governance criteria and minimum requirements to communicate corporate climate efforts in authentic, credible ways,” said Isabel Hagbrink, director of global communications at South Pole, a climate strategy and solutions company.

    “This, in turn, we hope will help inspire greater and more genuine corporate climate ambition,” Hagbrink told CNBC via email. “Given that we are well into our decade of action and climate scientists have once again sounded the alarm, we simply cannot afford to have anyone — in particular big corporate leaders — ‘green-hush’ on their climate efforts,” she added.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Mortgage giant Fannie Mae tackles climate risk, but changes to underwriting may take several years

    Mortgage giant Fannie Mae tackles climate risk, but changes to underwriting may take several years

    [ad_1]

    Global warming has already caused irreversible damage to the earth’s ecosystems and communities, according to a critical report just issued from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

    The damage is extending to the U.S. housing market, which just saw unprecedented snow and flooding in California, as well as unusual winter tornados in the south. All that came after one of the worst hurricanes on record in Florida last year.

    These changes have profound implications for the nation’s nearly $12 trillion mortgage market.

    Hurricane winds are getting stronger, common storms are getting wetter, wildfires are spreading faster —and millions of U.S. homes sit in the path of all of it. But the housing market currently doesn’t price that climate risk into home values. U.S. homes exposed just to flood risk may now be overvalued by roughly $200 billion, according to research recently published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

    Fannie Mae, which backs more than 40% of all residential mortgages, could face much of that risk. The mortgage giant’s chief climate officer, Tim Judge, says mortgage underwriting does not currently account for climate risk. So he is mounting a major effort — really a defense — to figure out the exact climate risk to Fannie Mae’s balance sheet, so that it can ultimately incorporate that risk into mortgage underwriting.

    “I think there’s still more that we have to do, and I think we just don’t have the analytics yet to do it,” said Judge.

    To help, Judge is hiring climate risk modeling firms, such as First Street Foundation and Jupiter Intelligence, as well as others, to figure out just how to factor climate risk into home values and mortgage underwriting.

    First Street, for example, looks at climate risk from floods, fire and wind, and brings it down to an individual property level. Jupiter studies neighborhoods and communities.

    But the work can’t come fast enough. New research from CoreLogic shows that on the current climate trajectory, the estimated number of U.S. homes significantly impacted by climate-related disasters will rise from less than a million in 2030 to over 62 million by 2050. In value, that’s losses of just under $200 million to close to $9 billion in any given year.

    Consumers are largely unware of potential future costs from climate-related disasters. Mortgage lenders are also struggling to figure out the financials.

    “It is a massive challenge for all of us to really think about,” said Kristy Fercho, head of mortgage lending at Wells Fargo.

    She also says climate risk may need to be factored into mortgage underwriting.

    “To date, it hasn’t. I think it’s something that we’re evaluating like the industry is,” Fercho added.

    Fercho just finished a term as chair of the Mortgage Bankers Association, which issued a special report from its research institute in 2021 saying, “Climate change may increase mortgage default and prepayment risks, trigger adverse selection in the types of loans that are sold to the GSE’s [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac], increase the volatility of house prices, and even produce significant climate migration.”

    Fercho agreed, “It’s certainly impacting how we’re thinking about mortgages and what we need to do.”

    The problem is the models from the different firms, as well as from government agencies like FEMA, all vary widely, and Judge says that has made the project harder than he expected.

    So far, Judge says, Fannie Mae has learned that climate impact varies widely across the country but impacts vulnerable communities far more than affluent ones. It echoes the UN report, which found the impact of climate change is worst in the world’s poorest nations and islands, which are home to about 1 billion people but account for less than 1% of greenhouse gas emissions.

    But Fannie Mae is not yet rejecting any mortgages based solely on climate risk.

    “No, we’re not there yet,” he said. “The first step is understanding what the damage will be to each property. The second step is how is that going to change our behavior? And how is that going to change valuation of properties? That’s a lot of the work we have to do. Is it five years away? I’m not sure.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Here are the most polluted cities in the U.S. and world

    Here are the most polluted cities in the U.S. and world

    [ad_1]

    Commuters make their way along a street amid smoggy and foggy conditions early in the morning in Lahore on January 3, 2023.

    Arif Ali | AFP | Getty Images

    About 90% of the global population in 2022 experienced unhealthy air quality, and only six countries met the World Health Organization’s recommendations of safe air pollutant levels, according to a new report from Swiss air quality technology company IQAir.

    IQAir measured air quality levels based on the concentration of lung-damaging airborne particles known as PM 2.5. Research shows that exposure to such particulate matter can lead to heart attacks, asthma attacks and premature death. Studies have also linked long-term exposure to PM 2.5 with higher rates of death from Covid-19.

    When the WHO first published air quality guidance in 2005, it said the acceptable levels of air pollution were less than 10 micrograms per cubic meter. In 2021, the WHO changed its benchmark guidelines to below 5 micrograms per cubic meter.

    The report found that the top five most polluted countries in 2022 were Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain and Bangladesh. The most polluted cities globally were Lahore, Pakistan; Hotan, China; Bhiwadi, India; Delhi, India; and Peshawar, Pakistan.

    Lahore’s air quality worsened to 97.4 micrograms of PM 2.5 particles per cubic meter in 2022 from 86.5 in the year prior, making it the most polluted city in the world.

    The report also said India and Pakistan endured the worst air quality in the Central and South Asian region, where more than half of the population resides in areas where the concentration of PM 2.5 particles is about seven times higher than WHO’s suggested levels.

    In the U.S., the most polluted major cities were Columbus, Ohio, followed by Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis and Dallas. Air quality in Columbus hit 13.1 micrograms of PM 2.5 particles per cubic meter in 202, making it the most polluted major city in the U.S.

    The Biden administration this year proposed limiting pollution of industrial fine soot particles from the current annual level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter to a level between 9 and 10 micrograms per cubic meter. Some public health advocates criticized that proposal as not going far enough.

    Only six countries met the WHO’s updated health limits: Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland and New Zealand, the report said. The 2022 report used air quality data from more than 30,000 regulatory air quality monitoring stations and air quality sensors from 7,323 cities across 131 countries, regions and territories.

    Air pollution takes more than two years off the average global life expectancy, according to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Sixty percent of particulate matter air pollution comes from fossil fuel combustion.

    “Too many people around the world don’t know that they are breathing polluted air,” Aidan Farrow, senior air quality scientist at Greenpeace International, said in a statement.

    “Air pollution monitors provide hard data that can inspire communities to demand change and hold polluters to account, but when monitoring is patchy or unequal, vulnerable communities can be left with no data to act on,” Farrow said.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • UK backs Rolls-Royce project to build a nuclear reactor on the moon

    UK backs Rolls-Royce project to build a nuclear reactor on the moon

    [ad_1]

    Rolls-Royce has been working on a Micro-Reactor program “to develop technology that will provide power needed for humans to live and work on the Moon.”

    Lorenzo Di Cola | Nurphoto | Getty Images

    LONDON — The UK Space Agency said Friday it would back research by Rolls-Royce looking at the use of nuclear power on the moon.

    In a statement, the government agency said researchers from Rolls-Royce had been working on a Micro-Reactor program “to develop technology that will provide power needed for humans to live and work on the Moon.”

    The UKSA will now provide £2.9 million (around $3.52 million) of funding for the project, which it said would “deliver an initial demonstration of a UK lunar modular nuclear reactor.”

    The new money builds upon £249,000 provided by the UKSA to fund a study in 2022.

    “All space missions depend on a power source, to support systems for communications, life-support and science experiments,” it said.

    “Nuclear power has the potential to dramatically increase the duration of future Lunar missions and their scientific value.”

    Read more about energy from CNBC Pro

    Rolls-Royce is set to work with a range of organizations on the project, including the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and Nuclear AMRC, and the University of Oxford.

    “Developing space nuclear power offers a unique chance to support innovative technologies and grow our nuclear, science and space engineering skills base,” Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said.

    Bate added that Rolls-Royce’s research “could lay the groundwork for powering continuous human presence on the Moon, while enhancing the wider UK space sector, creating jobs and generating further investment.”

    According to the UKSA, Rolls-Royce — not to be confused with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, which is owned by BMW — is aiming “to have a reactor ready to send to the Moon by 2029.”

    The news out of the U.K. comes at a time when NASA is pushing ahead with its Artemis program, which is focused on creating what it calls a “sustainable presence on the Moon to prepare for missions to Mars.”

    NASA is working with international and commercial partners on Artemis. In July 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon.

    [ad_2]

    Source link