It is that time of the month again : here is my selection of the most interesting and note-worthy news of September in the climate, energy and sustainability spheres. Each of them could have been the subject of an article.
Given this selection I believe it is safe to say we are reaching tipping points for both the seriousness of our multiple crises and in some way, how we are starting to address them (mostly climate change).
I believe this selection of news offers a good complement to this website. So if you are on Twitter and like this selection, don’t hesitate to start following me.
Climate change and environmental issues
US CO2 Pollution Down 3.8% in 2012..due to warm winter, > efficient cars & ongoing shift from coal->nat gas for elec http://abcn.ws/17FiE1z
Aussie fire danger today “is equivalent to the worst case projected for 2050” – Roger Jones in The Conversation http://theconversation.com
One dead and hundreds of homes feared lost after firestorms rip through Australia’s NSW state. http://www.abc.net.au
Australia’s climate-change denying prime minister gets burned by apocalyptic bush fires http://qz.com/137707 via @qz
Al Gore: Divest now from ‘sub-prime’ coal & oil companies before ‘carbon bubble’ bursts http://thkpr.gs/1i9CLK9
Air pollution can cause lung and bladder cancer, says World Health Organisation http://gu.com/p/3jjbc/tw via @guardian
China smog emergency shuts city of 11 million people | Reuters http://reut.rs/16mUjT5
China contributed most 2 growth in global emissions in 2012, but increase lowest in a decade due 2 efforts in renewables & efficiency gains
Plants Absorb Carbon, Reduce Historical Warming http://dlvr.it/49tjNy #cleantech #energy
Scientists in 1932: Carbon Dioxide Heats The Earth http://bit.ly/1byK6RH –> yet @CNBC & @WSJ still espouse climate denial in 2013!
Climate Change, A $10 Trillion Opportunity… Here And Now http://cleantechnica.com Possible #bookreview ?
#Climate Departure: When the coldest year is warmer than the warmest year on record http://www.treehugger.com Scary as possible !
Poor ocean health threatens food security and increases flood risk http://bit.ly/1btp3jx
Better land care may be worth US$1.4 trillion a year http://ow.ly/pMeRv
WWF : Global push for pricing carbon is picking up momentum http://ow.ly/pHP5X
PHOTOS: A lot has happened in the world of extreme weather this week http://huff.to/19Dhibp
OECD says carbon markets cut emissions 17x cheaper than subsidies http://shar.es/EqbrA
‘Weatherpalooza’ May be 1st time in US history simultaneous blizzard, trop storm, tornado outbreak, and big wildfire http://www.wunderground.com
31 dead, approximately 2 million affected as flooding hits Thailand, http://www.bangkokpost.com
The oceans are heating, acidifying and choking http://ow.ly/24wKc8 #oceans #environment
Ocean acidification: ‘The next mass extinction may have already begun.’ http://thkpr.gs/1g8ciON
Biochar in Soils Cuts Greenhouse Gas Emissions http://ow.ly/pvQc1
60! new species found in Suriname’s rainforest. http://nature.ly/1bEBNo4
CO2 emissions cutoff point may be 27 years away if we want to stay below 2°C http://ow.ly/qfaa3
Is climate change making Australia’s bushfires worse?” The answer is yes, mostly http://bit.ly/1fVYg4g #climate
Energy and cleantech
Clean #Energy creates 7X more jobs than #oil & gas. A #green economy = lots more jobs #costofcarbon http://twitpic.com/dih4ms
India’s #coal house of cards is falling down http://bit.ly/17ByGfS
Why we still need #nuclear power, but not a deal as bad as at Hinkley. My column: http://www.theguardian.com
I argue that we need #nuclear power. But the government has chosen outdated technology at a shocking price. http://www.theguardian.com
« J’éco-rénove, j’économise » : Lancement d’une grande campagne en faveur de la#rénovation énergétique des logements http://bit.ly/17DTbp5
Wind power seen generating up to 18% of global power by 2050 http://buff.ly/1h0v4Ir
WOW: #Renewable #Energy Capacity Outpacing Coal, Oil & Nuclear Combined http://ow.ly/pXBeg #solar http://twitpic.com/dhv1v3
Largest coal utility in US says coal is “out of the picture” in future plans http://bit.ly/17S4xFf
New solar power capacity will exceed wind power for first time ever in 2013 (36.7 GW vs. 35.5 GW) http://www.treehugger.com
How #renewables can keep the lights on when the sun doesn’t shine http://www.treehugger.com/ Solutions to intermittency 🙂
IEA : “The average unit of energy produced today is basically as carbon-intensive as it was 20 years ago” #climatechange http://bit.ly/19Dif1j
China shuts down 2,000 coal mines: http://bit.ly/1alfxMK #endofcoal
Invest in efficiency and renewables! “@ftenergy: India’s reliance on imported energy threatens long-term recovery http://on.ft.com/1amdXuj ”
Coal will surpass oil as the key fuel for the global economy by 2020 despite… http://goo.gl/fb/6QZwF #energie
How Denmark Turned an Efficiency Obligation Into Opportunity http://ow.ly/2ACdxQ
Insulating might be pesky, it can also make you happier?@HuffingtonPost: eight ways your home can increase happiness http://huff.to/19klYCM ”
Armed with lots of lasers, researchers just made a fusion power breakthrough http://thkpr.gs/16A0y41
#Renewables jointly accounted for 32.5% of #Spain’s electricity mix in September
Best #energy #efficiency standards for power supplies of 4 billion electronic devices/yr = 480 TWh saving http://ow.ly/pA8kc
Myanmar working w/ Thailand on large-scale #solar energy, to reduce dependency on gas, oil & hydro http://bit.ly/1g6qc5N @ADBClimate
According to the @NationalGridUK, from 09:30 -10:00 today Wind generated 3110MWhrs, which accounted for 8.1% of the UK’s total energy needs.
#Records in #renewables are being broken all over the world! This week we have Hawaii, Spain, India…http://ow.ly/qeyw1
Windy weather in NW-Europe: Wind energy scheduled to provide 37% of Germany’s electricity late this evening: http://goo.gl/NE1bGo
#wind blowing strong too here on island of Ireland, wind is over 52% of the demand now and the last 24 hours wind is 39.49% of avg. fuel mix
Wind is meeting over 52% of demand now in Ireland and the last 24 hours wind is 39.49% of avg. fuel mix #windworks pic.twitter.com/UM9h7Xccv3
IEA report: $ 300 bill invested in #energyefficency in 2011 – check Rods´s blog, $ 672 bill in oil & gas! http://wp.me/p28pg2-ES #EEIPFin
Between 8 and 9 a.m., lots of wind (18 GW) and a bit of solar (1.7GW) supplied over half of all German electricity: http://goo.gl/NE1bGo
Ce matin 15% du besoin en électricité couvert par l’#éolien en France.
Sustainability
WOW: 70 global investors w/ $3 Trillion assets demand #oil companies disclose #carbon risk http://bit.ly/1a8L83z #climate
We must deconstruct our consumer society to consume less and value more: http://ow.ly/qexAH
Ethical investment: from lentil-chewing lefties to hard headed pragmatists – http://s.shr.lc/16Gmvv1 @Sam_Friggens
Bicycles are outselling cars in Europe, except in Belgium & Luxembourg http://qz.com
Building Cities that Think Like Planets http://fw.to/0WKEIkN Gotta read that soon as it was strongly recommended to me by @ginacasati 🙂
Scotland targets circular economy to slash waste and save billions http://www.businessgreen.com
New Oxford study: divestment campaign is the ‘most far-reaching threat” to the fossil fuel companies. http://www.theguardian.com
How to divest from fossil fuels, no matter the size of your piggy bank http://bit.ly/17nvroj
Our morals are ahead of our money, almost 2/3 of British investors would like to be offered #ethical investments http://ow.ly/pNIg4
Newman’s own foods donates 100% of its post tax profits to charity. As of June 2012 these donations have exceeded 330 million dollars.
En México existen más de 2 millones de empleos verdes – VeoVerde http://www.veoverde.com/ Further reading to today’s article 🙂
Microsoft invests in 15 carbon offset projects worldwide – http://ow.ly/pPsZb
Cities can be symbiotic, not parasitic http://www.treehugger.com
Need a morale boost? Check out @1010‘s #itshappening gallery. Amazing climate success stories from around the world http://www.1010global.org/itshappening
Can Cities Solve Climate Change?: Scientific American http://www.scientificamerican.com
So very important: “Why “Sustainability” Should Be More than a Meaningless Buzzword” http://reut.rs/199tQHj #CSR
Misc
“Petrichor” is a term for the way it smells outside after rain.
This week’s KAL’s cartoon http://econ.st/18Uurug pic.twitter.com/FlANZzBzos
Chappatte delivers once again. Best cartoon on #IPCC #Climate report : Somber predictions on climate http://public.globecartoon.com/
Carbyne — Strongest Material Yet Known, Possesses A Number Of Useful Properties, Research Finds http://bit.ly/1bh7CTe
Obamacare has gotten MORE popular since the GOP shut down the government to defund it http://thkpr.gs/1hHDZvN
.@NeelieKroesEU: ‘If you don’t take change by the hand, it will grab you by the throat.
’Study Links Meditation to Telomerase, An Anti-Age Enzyme http://www.treehugger.com