It’s been a while since my last post and I know I have been very irregular recently. As I’ve run into some of you, you bring this up. Not to worry. I’m fine. I’ve been traveling some and otherwise just enjoying the summer. And there hasn’t been a ton of pressing news to report that you aren’t seeing on your nightly news. Climate related events are occurring multiple times on a daily basis. Fires, massive rainfall and flooding, hurricanes, drought, mudslides, etc., etc. Obviously, very scary and disturbing but get used to it because it’s only going to get worse.
Today I am going to start with the auto industry and then a variety of headlines and articles some of which reveal that there are consequences to a changing climate that are not things most of us had thought about or realized could happen but are important events that we need to be aware of and plan for.
https://www.autonews.com/mobility-report/evs-cost-less-own-similar-gas-vehicles-most-states
From Automotive News
Electric Cars Cost Less than Similar Gas Cars Over 5 Years
Despite high sticker prices, EVs had a cost advantage over gasoline counterparts in 48 states, according to J.D. Power. Here’s why.
July 14, 2024
From E&E News
US Automakers ‘Headed for Obsolescence’ as Chinese EVs Grow, Analysts Say
A new report finds that Chinese manufacturers are launching new electric vehicle models at a furious pace.
07/15/2024
One way that we can blunt the onrush of horrible consequences of increased heat is to reduce the level of CO2 and Methane in the atmosphere. Up until recently this was thought to be a pipe dream to be able to do this in a cost effective way on a massive scale necessary to make a difference. Here are two articles that provide some degree of hope that this is changing.
From E&E News
DOE Offers ‘Groundbreaking Support’ to Improve Direct Air Capture
Up to $12 million is available for researchers to prove commercial viability of new technology with the ‘goal of industry deployment.’
08/12/2024
From E&E News
Largest US Direct Air Capture Plant Opens in Oklahoma
The Bantam project aims to make it more affordable to extract CO2 from the atmosphere.
08/13/2024
In order not to make this too long, I’ll wrap up today with a couple of articles about how extreme heat is disrupting life and business as we know it and have taken for granted. People who work outdoors are in much greater danger from extreme heat, helicopters struggle to fly and electric wires are at risk.
From the Wall Street Journal
Racked by Extreme Heat, One Worker Died on the Job. His Story Is a Warning.
Cory Foster’s death shows perils of prolonged exposure to extreme heat worsened by climate change
Aug. 3, 2024
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/07/10/excessive-heat-helicopter-emergency/?utm_campaign=wp_the7&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_the7&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3e47af6%2F668fb8fb5548d0083d765974%2F615b259dae7e8a5bad6f57eb%2F57%2F94%2F668fb8fb5548d0083d765974
From The Washington Post
As Extreme Heat Bakes the West, Emergency Helicopters Struggle to Fly
Extreme heat, like the intense wave blanketing the West right now, is affecting the way rescue helicopters can carry out their missions.
July 10, 2024
From Bloomberg News
Hellish NYC Commutes Reveal Aging Wires Are No Match for Extreme Heat
Searing temperatures wreak havoc on transit and power lines
August 5, 2024
