Climate scientists are shocked by the intensity and scale of floods in Germany. In the West and Pacific Northwest of the United States, we’ve had record-breaking heatwaves. In fact, June 2021 was the hottest June on record for the United
Hydropower is being left behind. Yet hydropower remains the largest source of U.S. renewable energy, but why is it no longer growing? And why is a resurgence crucial for both society and for our economy? The concept of using water
Yes! It is hot, hot, hot… June 2021 very likely will be designated as the 438th consecutive month in which temperatures, at least nominally, were above the 20th-century average. My 32-year old daughter has—not even once—experienced normal or below normal
What if… we could harness the mechanical vibrations of everyday objects we interact with and turn it into electrical energy? What if the fibers moving around in the pockets of our favorite shirts and pants could charge our cell phones while wearing them, or the motor mounts in our cars were also energy-reaping shock absorbers that re-charged the car battery while also powering other devices?
There is an ongoing, slow erosion of the economy. . . Even as the burdens of growing waste and the cost of climate change continue to grow. The good news is that the Biden Infrastructure Plan is a step forward that might bolster our lagging infrastructure and weakened economy to a positive benefit. But it is just a down payment on the scale of effort needed if we are to succeed as a nation. Indeed, as a global economy!
It is decidedly time we took a fresh look at the economics of job creation. And if we do so? Then we will find that investments in energy efficiency, clean renewable energy, other energy productivity upgrades, as well as decarbonization improvements can all create a larger and more sustainable number of jobs. Yes, the new employment opportunities include construction and manufacturing jobs as well as the many jobs created when the energy bill savings are spent locally.
At this time of year there normally would be a burst and a profusion of newly greened textures throughout the landscape of the Sonoran Desert. The monsoon rains from last year, and the early spring rains this year would have
I call it the Blue-Green-Red Resource Squeeze on the American economy. It is neither a perfect nor a straightforward comparison, but it does result in what I think is a rather eerie warning. It is the kind of warning we
In Europe the football season has already started. When talking about football one seldom makes any link with climate change. However, as Colin Drury writes on The Independent website, one small English team has. Forest Green Rovers have an organic
Because maritime shipping doesn’t receive as much attention as it merits, we asked our Paris-based colleague, Rod Janssen, if we might reprint an article he wrote on the topic in the May 20, 2019 issue of his newsletter Energy In
There is neither a law of physics nor economics that prevents us from quadrupling the productive use of energy and other resources. Rather, it is much more an issue of imagination and our political will to get it done.
– John A. “Skip” Laitner