It’s the first furlough Friday of September. With all of the post-derecho cleanup accomplished in our neighborhood it seemed like a good time to high tail it out of town. We are on the way to visit family in Lincoln, Nebraska for the holiday weekend. The hope is that I get to spend a couple of days on local trails.
The fact that it is September is really odd. During this time of coronavirus it seems like time both flies and stands still. Perhaps it is like Heisenberg’s cat that is both dead and alive. The ‘rona time uncertainty principle?
Stay safe out there.
On to the links…
Welcome to the ‘Pyrocene,’ an Epoch of Runaway Fire—Everything is on fire will be the new mantra for six months or more out of the year for a lot of the planet.
Extreme Heat is Here, and It’s Deadly—It is hot out there and it is only going to get hotter.
Americans are Saving More than Just Money by Not Commuting—The problem in the United States is not car culture, but commuting culture. People think nothing of driving insane amounts for jobs or houses or whatever. What is the opportunity cost of all that commuting? $12.50 an hour seems low.
New Federal Rule Could Create Horrifying ‘Bomb Trains’—In Trump’s America it is totally cool to move trainloads of natural gas through cities. If a few cities are leveled it is just the price to pay for making fossil fuel companies rich. Plus, he probably sees destroyed cities as just another development opportunity for the Trump Organization.
Solar and Wind Reach 67% of New Power Capacity Added Globally in 2019, while Fossil Fuels Slide to 25%–How do we get to 0% fossil fuels added in a given year? Actually, the goal needs to be some negative rate.
The US South Could Save Money by Cleaning Up Its Power Grid—Yet, the southeastern United States will be held back by monopoly power and politicians in the pocket of those monopoly interests.
Trump Admin Weakens Obama-Era Rule to Limit Toxic Waste From Coal Plants—Day One of a Biden-Harris administration needs to begin with a formal process—which the Trump team has ignored to the peril of their rule changes’ lifespan—to reverse every asinine decision made over the previous four years. The list is long so a lot of people better be ready to do some heavy lifting.
How a Plan to Save the Power System Disappeared—My guess is that if someone other than Bill Barr were to investigate the motives behind these moves there would be a lot of money changing hands in ways that would smell like corruption. Look, the Trump clan and the associated grifters are motivated by money and what money brings them in terms of status. It is everything to these people.
Severe Storms are Increasingly Leaving Us Without Power. Microgrids can Help.—After most of the region I live in lost power—some estimates were that in the day following the derecho 99% of Linn County was without grid supplied power—the importance of some base level of power in an emergency became clear.
North Dakota Blues: The Legacy of Fracking—The bust following the fracking boom is here. The cleanup bill is going to come due and we, the citizens of the United States, are going to be left holding the bill because the companies that caused the damage will be long gone.
The 800-Lb Gorilla Between U.S. Shale Producers And A Big Comeback: Decline Rates—There will be no comeback. The economics of the business just do not play.
Volkswagen ID.3 Pours Across Germany, Ireland, Norway, & Elsewhere—The ID.3 and its variants are a big deal. Why? Volkswagen knows how to make a lot of cars in serial production and work the “kinks” out of the process. Reasonably priced EVs from a mass market manufacturer is just what the market ordered. Which vehicle is more important across the globe: a BMW 3 series or a Toyota Corolla?
Norway In August – Over 70% EV Market Share And Heading Higher—Norway is not a big market and it has large incentives, but 70% share is big no matter what the market conditions. Now Tesla’s Model 3 has a competitor in the VW ID.3—funny how they both use the numeral 3—so the share could go even higher.
Norway’s Largest Private Asset Manager Divests in Chevron, Exxon for Lobbying Against Climate Action—Norway makes my head hurt lately. On one hand it is a country that is actively divesting from fossil fuels and buying lots of EVs. On the other hand it is planning to drill in the arctic.
Can Planting Trees Make a City More Equitable?—Well, planting a tree is not going to make a place less livable. So get out the shovels, drop those seedlings, and lets build out some urban forest cover.
How Jack’s Solar Garden Hopes To Transform Farming—For Good—This is just such a good idea. Combine diversified agriculture with renewable energy to power the future.
What Coffee-Brewing Method Makes the Best-Tasting Cup?—As a long time Aeropress user I am glad to see this simple machine come out on top. Trust me, when your coffee making device only requires hot water and a little muscle power you discover how lucky you are when the power goes out for days. A lot of people were looking longingly at their pod type machines during the week post-derecho.