After sending my last message to you incapsulating some of my themes and perspectives I thought that today I would send you the highlights of some recent articles that summarize and reiterate several topics about which I’ve been writing.
I’ll leave it up to you to look up the articles if you want more details.
Phoenix Hits 114 F for Another Record-Tying Heat Day
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Another record-tying heat day has hit Phoenix.
The National Weather Service said Phoenix had a high of 114 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday..
Last Thursday, Phoenix posted a high of 118 F — topping the previous record of 115 F set in 1934.
That temperature also marked the sixth-warmest day on record for the city.
Weather service meteorologists said July 2020 went into the record books as the hottest month in Phoenix history. — Associated Press
Record Heat, Politics Inflame Electricity Shortages
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
As temperatures soar to record levels this summer — reaching 125 degrees Fahrenheit in Baghdad last week — Iraq’s power supply has fallen short of demand yet again, creating a spark for renewed anti-government protests. Iraq has imposed a strict lockdown and 24-hour curfew. So families have to pump fuel and money into generators or, if they can’t, suffer in stifling homes without air conditioning.
Fires, Heat and a Cyclone. Arctic Breaks Melting Record
Friday, July 29th, 2020
Ice cover in the Arctic Ocean hit an all-time low for this time of year on July 15, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Sea ice was disappearing at a rate of more than 56,400 square miles a day earlier this month compared with the typical rate of 33,000 square miles.
Total Takes $8.1B Write-Down as Pandemic Devalues Oil, Gas
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Total SA announced an $8.1 billion writedown after the push to curb carbon emissions and the coronavirus pandemic challenged assumptions about the viability of some oil and gas assets and the timing of peak demand.
The French energy giant is following its peers BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, which already warned that they could write down almost $40 billion between them in the second quarter. The size of the impairments shows how the global health crisis, combined with the push to slow climate change, is shaking the industry’s foundations.
Exxon: 20% of Oil Reserves Could be Wiped Out
Friday, August 7, 2020
Exxon Mobil Corp. said this week that the oil price collapse triggered by the coronavirus pandemic could knock out a fifth of its oil reserves.
BP Swerves Toward Renewables in Seismic Shift from Oil
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
BP PLC’s plan to slash its oil production and shift rapidly into renewable power generation could prove to be a turning point for the oil industry, experts said.
The reason? BP’s groundbreaking announcement could force other companies to lower their own output scenarios and acknowledge that peak demand for oil is coming.
BP, one of the world’s most storied oil companies, said yesterday it would cut its oil and gas production 40% and increase its renewable electric power output twentyfold within the next decade. It also expects to spend a third of its capital on low-carbon energy (Greenwire, Aug. 4).
“What BP is acknowledging here is the hard truth — the problem with climate change can’t be solved simply by increasing the supply of clean energy,” Logan said. “We actually need to reduce the supply of carbon-intensive energy, as well.”
Report: ‘Total Decarbonization’ Would Create 25M Jobs
Monday, August 3, 2020
“Rapid and total decarbonization” of the U.S. economy, by tripling the size of the electric grid and replacing nearly every fuel-burning machine with an electric one, would create 25 million U.S. jobs, according to a new report.
Ford COO to Lead Company as EV Transition Continues
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Jim Farley will lead Ford Motor Co. into the future as the global auto industry faces a new era of autonomous and electric vehicles.
“We now have compelling plans for electric and autonomous vehicles, as well as full vehicle connectivity. And we are becoming much more nimble,” Ford said.
