Author: cne4h

The auto industry has an addiction. It's a “capital junkie” that has been spending unprecedented amounts on all-electric and autonomous vehicles for years. Now, it's waking up from alcoholism and entering rehab. [emphasis, links added] Automakers from Detroit to Japan and Germany are trying to cut costs and spending amid economic concerns, wasted billions on self-driving cars and investments in electric vehicles as their adoption has been slower than expected. Returns are long-term (if not uncertain). The problems come on top of weak consumer demand, rising commodity costs and warnings from some Wall Street analysts that the continued expansion of…

Germany has phased out all its nuclear reactors over the past few years and wants to rely on renewable energy, claiming they are cheaper and cleaner. [emphasis, links added] However, the transformation has not progressed smoothly because the power grid transformation has not kept pace. Wind and solar prices make German electricity among the most expensive in the world. At the United Nations climate change conference in Baku, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), warned: “Germany can no longer reject nuclear power and a readjustment of energy policy is necessary. The government must restart the debate…

Guest post by Gregory Wrightstone As the enthusiasm for so-called green energy cools and “net zero” promises to eliminate “carbon emissions” fade, we are seeing recognition of the benefits of CO2. That’s right: More and more people are beginning to realize that the gas—widely demonized as a pollutant that harms the planet by overheating—is a life-giving substance that needs to be used in large quantities. American voters know that President-elect Donald Trump has declared the Green New Deal a “hoax” and promised to return common sense to environmental regulations and energy development. His return to office depends in part on…

The Biden administration is rushing to finalize a dozen green energy loans worth more than $25 billion before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in mid-January — a frantic move that lawmakers and industry officials warn could lead to fraud and Abuse of taxpayers' money. [emphasis, links added] Through the Department of Energy's Office of Loan Programs, the government is working to finalize 16 pending loans with a total value of $25.1 billion. washington free beacon Analysis found. Those loans are expected to be in serious jeopardy — Trump repeatedly vowed on the campaign trail to “end” green energy spending —…

The Global Climate Finance Innovation Lab (the “Lab”) convened more than a hundred climate finance practitioners for a 10th Anniversary Summit during New York Climate Week to discuss the progress made in mobilizing climate finance over the past decade. The Summit identified key trends, challenges and opportunities in climate finance and informed the broader climate finance investment landscape. Summit participants include Lab members, observers, and guests from government agencies, development finance institutions, philanthropic organizations, and private sector institutions focused on sustainable investing in emerging markets. This blog highlights key elements of the discussion, introducing the lab’s ongoing work and contributions…

Two years ago, Evan Dishion, a young doctor in Arizona, went hiking with some friends. But temperatures in the desert soared to 109 degrees Fahrenheit, the team ran out of water, got lost, and Ivan began to overheat. Dishion: “Eventually, he lost consciousness before they could find cell service.” Evan was already dead when rescuers arrived, said his wife, Amy Dishion. Today, Amy is working to prevent the same tragedy from happening to others, especially in a warming climate. She said extreme heat can harm anyone. Evan was healthy and active before his death. As a result, she urged people…

Overall, modern buildings have a very large carbon footprint due to polluting concrete, steel, insulation, etc. In fact, according to the United Nations Environment Program, “the construction industry is by far the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, accounting for a staggering 37% of global emissions.” (Estimates vary, but are all high, including in the U.S. of new homes) so it’s no surprise that ways to reduce these emissions are being looked for. Part of this research involves the recycling and transformation of traditional, natural, low-carbon or even carbon-sequestering building materials, sometimes involving new technologies and sometimes not. The resulting buildings…

The algorithm reconstructs the wind field quickly and accurately with less observation data. With Eurekalert, maybe this will work, maybe not. Worth a try.Washington, November 19, 2024 — A hurricane or tropical cyclone can cause devastating natural disasters, leveling entire cities and claiming hundreds or thousands of lives. A key aspect of their destructive potential is their unpredictability. Hurricanes are complex weather phenomena and it is difficult to estimate their intensity or landfall location. In a paper published this week fluid physicspublished by AIP Publishing, two City University of Hong Kong researchers used machine learning to more accurately simulate the…

Article by Eric Worrell All output from the reopened Three Mile Island nuclear power plant will be used to power artificial intelligence computers. Once-shuttered nuclear power plants may soon be back online. The planned reopening of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant has been hailed as a boon to Pennsylvania and a booster of artificial intelligence, but is still loathed by residents haunted by the near-catastrophic plant disaster in 1979. … Three Mile Island's (TMI) resurgence was driven by Microsoft's need to power its power-hungry data centers, half of which were still operating after the 1979 collapse, only to…

Research Brief by Kip Hansen — November 23, 2024 — 700 words There is a very interesting paper by Anup Malani and Ari Jacob, both from the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, MA, USA, “This is a study that promotes major economic A private nonprofit organization that provides cutting-edge research and analysis of issues. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NBER.) The title of this paper is “New measure of children surviving reveals long-term trends in fertility” [ or as .pdf here ]. What are…