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News & Views Curation

February 28, 2017

Climate Presses On Old Infrastructure

Enviro-ECHO

A tip for environmental reporters, keep an eye on what happens to environmental enforcement under Pruitt's EPA, start with the ECHO database

Australia: Coal Has Consequences

With Australia burning more coal, after killing off its carbon price, emissions jump

Japan: On To Energy Plan B

Will home energy storage installations be the next thing as solar incentives ebb in Japan?

Get A Green Infrastructure Grant

Interested in installing a green roof or other eco-friendly ways of controlling NYC's storm water? Sign up for a workshop

CA: Mapping For Tomorrow's Power Supply

California utilities are mapping power grids to enhance distributed energy resource capabilities

Uber: Bad For NYC Mobility

Weighing in on a new report Unsustainable?
The Growth of App-Based Ride Services + Traffic, Travel + the Future of NYC

February 27, 2017

Federal Climate Change Funding - Then

1993-2014, trends + issues - that may become moot now

Arctic: Acid Oceans

Open Doors For Bus Riders

All door boarding could help boost urban bus ridership

Uber Clogs NYC Streets

A NYC traffic expert writes that rides services like Uber + Lyft fuel congested streets but the City must step up to improve bus + subway service to woo back riders

Renewable Disruptions

Given their power to disrupt business as usual, governments should be supporting renewable energy

EU: Carbon Market Combat

Expect conflicts over how the EU's carbon emissions permit program, the ETS, should be updated

Rails v Trails In Queens

A call to add an abandoned LIRR line in Queens to the subway system instead of making it a new bike + pedestrian pathway

February 24, 2017

Knitted Light Installation

See solar power's power at an upcoming MoMA PS1 installation by Jenny Sabin

Antarctica: Watch It Break Up

Denial, Depressison And Melancholia

A reading list on the psychology of climate disruption experience

How Administration Could Off The Clean Power Plan

The current President says he will dismantle Obama's Clean Power Plan, here, how

St Louis Benchmarks

Large commercial + residential buildings in St. Louis now required to measure + report on energy use, with substantial energy cost savings anticipated

Energy Efficiency - Carpe Diem

Energy efficiency could be a main player in closing the energy supply gap that will open when NY's Indian Point nuclear power plant shuts

Subway Ridership Slips

Dear reader, what could explain slipping subway use?

February 22, 2017

And The Answer Is...

Electrify everything, it will save the planet + the utility biz too

Soak This In

Bankers Plug Into Battery Storage

Investors interest grows in backing large-scale energy storage battery tech

Cleanliness Closer To Godliness

Geothermal power now in operation at NYC's Old Saint Patrick's Catherdral

Loco-Motion

Which major Manhattan avenues lack modern bus + bike lanes?

Loco-Motion

Which major Manhattan avenues lack modern bus + bike lanes?

Get To Know New EPA Chief Better

Emails made public as a result of a judge's order, disclose the close relationship between new EPA chief Pruitt + the fossil fuel+ electric utilities industries

Mayor May Fight Back On Plastic Bags

After losing to Albany plastic baggers, Mayor De Blasio is open to a bag ban in NYC

February 21, 2017

Legal Eagles: Environmental Protections At Risk

With both climate + wetlands already at risk from executive order rollbacks, it's important to know the details of each for formulating defenses

Solar Power - Fine Print Matters

Loss of special tax credits may not the biggest threat to the growth of solar power

Africa: Solar Revolution Coming

“Never more possible and less expensive" says head of the International Renewable Energy Agency

Adapting In Massachusetts

How are Massachusetts coastal communities, dealing with the challenges of climate adaptation?

Singapore: Carbon Tax On Tap

Going beyond its Paris accord climate goals, Singapore plans to tax carbon emissions, starting in 2019

Get Wads Of Cash For The Trash

This firm makes so much money from recycling bottles + cans that it cuts into NYC's own revenue projections

Letters-To-The-Editor

The recent conservative's carbon tax proposal, gets readers comments in the New York Times

Make America's Environment Great Again

Expect climate + water protection rollbacks from Trump executive orders

February 17, 2017

The EPA Under Pruitt

Why Trump's pick of Scott Pruitt to head the EPA could be such a big deal

Help Wanted: Sustainability Policy Advisor

The NYC Mayor's Office of Sustainability is seeking a Policy Advisor to provide project management + budget support, insight for the portfolio delivery + solve cross-governmental stakeholder challenges

You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

Check out the climate change tattoo of this NASA artist-in-residence

Mexico City: Capital At Climate Risk

Sinking water tables not rising sea levels, pose grave climate disruptions to Mexico City

February 16, 2017

EV's Won't Go To The Bronx

A plan falls through for an electric truck maker to set up shop in the Bronx

London: EV's Charge At Street Lights

Lampposts in Central London converted to EV recharging spots

Not A Pretty Picture

Why Big Biz Won't Press For Climate Action

According to one CEO, environmental issues aren’t a priority for many CEOs because, unlike immigration or gay rights, they do not directly affect company employees

Taxes And Renewable Energy

How might federal tax code changes impact the renewable energy industry?

Less Antarctica

Big ice loss news from Antarctica

Foodscrap Finance

Soon, NYC food waste could be converted to profitable energy by a composting company on Long Island

Up On The Roof Now

Want a resilient building? Put the boiler on the roof - or at least above the potential flood level

February 15, 2017

Copenhagen: Cool School

Meet Will Happer

Possible Trump science advisor Will Happer explains his doubts about climate science + why he thinks more CO2 is great

Carbon Tax Foes Seek Trump's Ear

Opponents of a federal carbon tax request a White House meeting

Australia: Raining Bats

Dead bats, killed by a record heat wave, are plummeting from trees to the streets in New South Wales

Bakersfield: Dont Breathe Here

Dirty dust + ozone make Bakersfield, California the center of US urban air pollution, with dim prospects for relief

EPA: Gray/Green Alliance

EPA retirees around the country mobilize to defend colleagues still working for the agency, as fears of deep layoffs, regulatory rollbacks + science suppression spread

NYC Fights Plastic Bags, Loses

Governor Cuomo signs a bill that overrides NYC's local law imposing a 5 cent fee on plastic grocery bags

The Green Beat: Reporting Now

Advice from veteran environmental + energy reporters on how to do top-notch green journalism now

February 14, 2017

Greenland: OMG

Data comes in on a NASA study of how fast Oceans are Melting Greenland

Must Be Love

The End Is Nearer

Toshiba's failure to build modular nuclear power plants on time + at cost, are devastating the company + could mean the end of any nuclear power rebirth in the US. BREAKING Toshiba chairman resigns

Green Promises In De Blasio Speech

Growing good paying jobs for greening municipal buildings + $136 M for made-in-NY fashion + food industry development were climate-friendly promises in Mayor De Blasio's State of the City address

Brexit And Carbon Markets

With its exit from the EU lawmakers want Britain to find other carbon emissions trading markets

NY's Water Bill

If New Yorkers want safe, reliable water systems, the price tag could be $40 B according to the State Comptroller

This Bolt Could Make History

The electric car market could be at a pivot point with the rollout of the mid-market Chevy Bolt

Australia: Preview The Hot New Normal

Record-shattering hot weather is a taste of things to come in Australia

Don't Repeat This History

 What doomed last year's Washington State carbon tax legislation was a fissure within the climate movement, centrist economists + other policy wonks favored it but progressive greens opposed. Don't do this again with the GOP-floated carbon tax

February 13, 2017

Red, Blue And Green

Governors of both red + blue states urge Trump to support renewable energy

February 10, 2017

French Offer To US Climate Workers

A French Presidential hopeful invites US climate experts to come work in his homeland

Urban Climate Action: Compare, Contrast, Uptake

What are Boston + Los Angeles doing to combat climate change, lessons for your city?

Meet Ted Halstead

Who's this guy converting some GOP grandees into climate tax advocates?

Consider This

Is technological innovation the silver bullet to fight off climate chaos?

Voters Like Climate Rules

By a margin of 61% to 29%, US voters oppose rolling back current rules to combat climate change according to a February poll

How Things Work: NYC's Electric System

When you recharge your phone, know what's behind the outlet

February 08, 2017

Green Ranking NYC Co-ops

Now, along with benchmarking scores, NYC co-op residents can get an Energy Star score + see how their buildings stack up

Keeping Your Powder Dry

The GOP Case For A Carbon Tax

Don't overlook readers' comments

A Garment Center Grows In Brooklyn

What will it take to revive NYC's garment industry, which provides more local jobs + a smaller carbon footprint than imports?

India: Women-Led Mosque Goes Solar

Surprised by the headline? Read on

Sustainable Energy: 2013-2017

Check out the Bloomberg Factbook to see big shifts in the US energy system + the growth of sustainable energy technologies

February 07, 2017

Energy Policy In Trumplandia

Listen to industry + policy policy mavens on what to expect for energy policy in DT's administration

Germany: How To Cut Wind Power Prices

Science At Work: Debunking NOAA Climate Debunker

One example of how climate scientists are responding to a UK media attack on NOAA's climate science + a US journalist's summary of what it's all about. Now, attacker clarifies that he wasn't slamming NOAA's climate research

Face The Facts

Offshore wind power is becoming a mainstream source of clean energy + business growth

Revisiting Sustainable Business And Design

Part 1 getting sustainability expectations right + Part 2 learn from experience, it's the best way to improve

Renewable Energy And National Security

Will DT disrupt the clean energy mission of the US military launched by President Bush in 2003?

February 06, 2017

North Pole: More Very Weird Weather

Call for Nominations: Committee To Advise US Global Change Research Program

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering + Medicine is seeking nominations for individuals to serve on the Committee to Advise the US Global Change Research Program. It convenes key thought leaders + decision makers at semiannual meetings, provides strategic advice and reviews + supports climate communication activities across the Academies. Nominations are sought for the next rotation in membership to be conducted in the summer of 2017. To submit a nomination click here

Pie In The Sky

Lovely to look at, but here's why images of tree-covered skyscrapers don't translate well to reality

On The Waterfront Now

This letter-to-the-editors notes the myriad local decisions needed to enhance NYC resilience in the face of climate disruptions

Beijing: Coal-Cutting Now

In the face of sky-high air pollution Beijing officials plan to cut coal use 30% in 2017

Liberty, Equality, Reality

Scientists' anguish + activism rise in the DT era

February 03, 2017

Yawn-Proofing Climate Data

Climate Data helps you explore how climate change affects your world by searching events, impacts + related climate signals

Sizing Up Gorsuch

The views on agency regulations articulated by Judge Gorsuch could lead to some surprises in efforts to abolish current EPA rules - and others too - if he joins the Supreme Court. For a different POV, click here

Eco-Scoring The City Council

Make the grade with the League of Conservation Voter's annual NYC Council scorecard rating all 59 members

Learning To Talk About Resilience

To create resilient cities, the words to talk about flood-resistant buildings + infrastructure is a place to start

February 02, 2017

What Sweden Wants

NYCHA: 30x27

NYCHA takes the Carbon Challenge, pledges to cut its GHG emissions 30% over the coming 10 years, here's how

Arctic: Weirdly Warm

Beyond the extreme is how stunned scientists describe hot Arctic temperatures

Energy Efficiency Futures

5 predictions + some advocacy opportunities coming soon

State Scientists/Planners' Power To Face Sea Level Rise

With new, more alarming sea level rise projections planners, scientists + budget makers in coastal states like California can do a lot to enhance resilient infrastructures

Renewables' Jobs Grow, Coal Mining's Don't

Local renewable jobs in red states are on the rise, coal-mining jobs aren't, now keep an eye on investment tax credit

Predicting The EV's Future

Will electric vehicles do to oil what cars did to the horse + buggy?

If Your Were President...

...which way would you go on some key climate policy decisions? Take the quiz

February 01, 2017

Revolutionary NY Utility Regulator's Farewell

Audrey Zibelman, the woman spearheading NY's REV, sums up the project to re-invent electric power regulation before heading to Australia

UK: Utility Calls For Coal Ban

Electric company, Scottish Power, urges an end to paying subsidies to coal burning power power to provide backup power

Protections For Climate Messengers

Climate scientists are better protected than in the past, in case a political climate science battle erupts

2nd Avenue Subway's 1st Month

How has mass transit changed with the opening of the Second Avenue subway?

Gorsuch On Green

How might Neil Gorsuch rule on environmental cases if he's Supreme Court nomination is approved?

India: Coal Mining Clouds

India's coal industry monopoly worries about its future due to declining demand + rising cost pressures

Tip Sheet For Climate Reporters

Pay attention to state + city level emerging environmental + energy trends for climate news leads in 2017