EDITOR'S CHOICE

"Godfather of Climate Science" Warns The World Is About To Pass An Alarming Threshold: "We Are Damned Fools"

25 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"“Perhaps once half the population of the planet has experienced at least one of these weather catastrophes, they will get their leaders to act."

"Ex-NASA scientist James Hansen...warns we'll blow past the next limit of 3.6 F (2 C) even sooner than he originally forecasted unless we take immediate action...Going past 2.7 F could damage life as we know it, Hansen and other scientists caution."

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City of Chicago Sues Oil Companies, Accuses Them Of Deception About Products' Climate Dangers

25 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"The city said it filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court against BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, Phillips 66, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute...The lawsuit accuses the companies of deceiving Chicagoans about the dangers of their products and their impacts on climate change.

"The complaint details climate change-related damages Chicago has suffered as a result of what it says is the conduct of the oil companies."

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Hyundai's CEO Thinks We'll Be Flying Their Electric Air Taxi Subsidiary By 2028 - But Admits Batteries Aren't There

25 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"The aircraft is a pilot-plus-four passenger vehicle and is designed to cruise 120 mph at a 1,500-foot altitude to meet typical city operation needs of 25-to-40 mile trips

"Shin did not reveal how many 40-mile city trips a fully-charged Supernal eVTOL could make...if Supernal had to enter the market next year with the lithium-ion batteries that ground vehicle OEMs are using then, he'd imagine eVTOLs would have to charge frequently"

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These Batteries Are Rilled With Water So They Won't Burst Into Flames

25 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"...lithium-ion battery cells cost between $150 and $300 per kilowatt hour; water battery cells could cost as little as $20 to $75 per kilowatt hour...While a lithium-ion battery is filled with flammable electrolytes, the alternative is filled with water instead..Water batteries have other advantages, including the fact that magnesium and zinc are abundantly available...the new design can't replace lithium-ion batteries in every application."

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The Era Of Cheap Helium Is Over - And That's Already Causing Problems

25 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"The world's supply depends primarily on just three countries - the US, Qatar, and Algeria - and fewer than 15 companies worldwide...The global helium market has experienced four shortages since 2006...MRI manufacturers are making next-generation scanners that require less of it...many of the world's highest-tech industries - including computing and aerospace - will likely need even more helium in the future...there's no good alternative to helium for most applications."

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Why Electric Bikes Actually Give More Exercise Than Pedal Bikes

23 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"On average, studies have found that e-bike riders typically ride for longer periods of time than pedal bike riders. Not only do they log more hours, but they log a lot more miles, too...Researchers have discovered that when riders find it less grueling, they tend to go on longer rides.

"Researchers have consistently found that e-bike riders tend to report that riding an electric bike is more enjoyable... that means more time spent pedaling

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Shift To EVs Could Prevent Millions Of Kid Illnesses By 2050, American Lung Association Report Finds

23 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"A widespread transition to zero-emission vehicles and electricity would dramatically improve the health and well-being of children nationwide...The shift to greener transportation and energy would also prevent 2.79 million pediatric asthma attacks and millions of other respiratory symptoms

"...the nation has recently seen a rise in poor air quality linked to global warming...1 in 4 Americans are already exposed to air quality deemed "unhealthy"...

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Electric Car Or Not? Price Always Makes The Difference

23 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"...the average price of an electric car in the United States is 35% higher than that of a petrol car and 39% higher in Europe. This is not the case in China, where the average price of an electric car is 27% lower than that of a petrol car.

"The big price difference becomes a major problem when the same customer has to choose between electric, petrol or diesel within the same brand..."

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'Every Molecule of Hydrocarbon Will Come Out'

23 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"...the Gulf states have no intention of reducing their production of fossil fuels any time soon. Rather, as capitalist states, their strategic interests lie in the continuation of an oil-fuelled world for as long as possible.

"The Saudi energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, put this perspective bluntly in 2021, pledging that ‘every molecule of hydrocarbon will come out...

"By appearing to transform themselves into key actors in the fight against a warming climate, the Gulf states obscure their ongoing centrality to a globalised fossil capitalism."

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Coal's Influence On Energy Generation Is Fading Fast

23 Feb 2024 | Synopsis

"Based on plant owners' reports to the Energy Department stats arm, another 43 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity is slated to retire by 2030...[I]n 2018, EIA data suggested that from January 2018 to December 2023 only 37.7GW would retire, compared with the 81.5GW that did retire during that period.

"Coal, once dominant, today provides about 15% of U.S. power."

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