On a November morning, Julia Chuñil, 72, strode through her cabin door in Chile’s lush Los Ríos region in search of missing livestock, with her dog Cholito by her side.
Since January, the Trump administration has laid off thousands of scientists and staff and cut research funding for those who remain across the federal government. At the same time, department heads at different agencies—from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—directed scientists to halt much of the research on climate change and its ripple effects on U.S. residents, lands and seas.
Canada’s forests are immense, covering nearly 350 million hectares and holding almost 9% of the world’s forested land. They are central to the country’s identity, economy, and climate profile. For decades, forestry has provided jobs and exports while maintaining relatively stable forest cover, but the climate and biodiversity math has ... [continued]
The post Higher Value, Lower Volume: The Future Of Canadian Forestry appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Researchers say dietary changes are crucial part of effort to tackle global heating
Figure 1. Mean electricity contract prices in Finland.
High energy prices—driven by supply disruptions, renewable energy intermittency, and climate policies—have become central to policy discussions. A key concern is the financial burden that high energy prices impose on households. Assessing whether this concern is justified requires understanding households’ capacity to adjust to elevated energy costs. The European Energy Crisis created a natural experiment to study how households respond when energy prices rise unexpectedly.
To identify causal effects of high energy prices, we exploit a natural experiment based on the quasi-random expiration dates of two-year, fixed-price electricity contracts. Households whose contracts expire during the peak of the crisis suddenly faced large, overnight price increases (the “treated” group), while those with contracts ending later still paid their lower, pre-crisis rates (the “control” group). Using a stacked difference-in-differences research design, the study identifies significant differences in households’ ability to respond. When energy prices double, the households respond as follows:
Electricity Use: Households reduce their electricity consumption by about 18.4% in response to a doubling of the electricity price. Higher-income households are more responsive, likely because they can afford efficiency upgrades or have more discretionary usage to cut back.
Labor Earnings: Households overall increase labor earnings by about 1.4% in response to doubling electricity costs. This effect is strongest among middle-income groups. Low-income households often have weaker labor-market attachments, limiting their ability to earn more.
Financial Distress: We find about a 0.4 percentage-point rise in default probability (roughly a 4% overall increase) follows a price doubling. Low-income and heavily indebted households are at the highest risk, while high-income households avoid serious financial distress.
Residual Consumption: Using the administrative data, we can impute households’ residual consumption and savings. On average, we find that households reduce residual consumption by 4.5%. Low-income lack other adjustment channels and must cut back spending more, amplifying inequality.
Beyond the direct effects, our setting allows us to study anticipation effects. By observing behavior in the months leading up to contract expiration, we find that households are forward-looking and reduce electricity consumption several months before their contracts expire. We do not find similar effects for households whose electricity retailer abruptly goes bankrupt during the crisis. Also, similar anticipation effects are not observed for earnings. A longer anticipation period alleviates some negative effects of the energy price increase, but does not completely remove them.
Beyond the energy crisis, the estimated household-level responses teach us about impacts of other policies that influence energy prices, such as climate policies. We use the estimated behavioral effects to simulate household-level responses to a hypothetical €100/tCO2 carbon price; shown in Figure 2. Our results identify three channels through which low-income households are affected by carbon pricing: (i) they spend a larger share of disposable income on electricity, (ii) they have lower demand elasticity, and (iii) they are less able to increase earnings. These response channels help medium- and high-income households to reduce their cost burden by around one half, but low-income households only by less than one fourth. As a result, the low-income households face a higher risk of default, and they are forced to reduce their already low residual consumption further.
Dr. Serber will advance the biotechnology enabling ArkeaBio’s first-of-its-kind solution to deliver a practical, cost-effective way for farmers and producers to reduce emissions and enhance livestock productivity. Dr. Serber’s appointment comes as ArkeaBio accelerates toward product validation and commercial deployment. BOSTON, MA, USA — ArkeaBio, a global agricultural bioscience company ... [continued]
The post ArkeaBio Appoints Dr. Zach Serber as Chief Technology Officer to Accelerate Development of Methane-Reducing Livestock Vaccine appeared first on CleanTechnica.
As Kenya’s largest city, most initiatives in any industry start in Nairobi. Of course, as the place with the highest number of motorcycles in the country, as companies worked to find solutions to electrify Kenya’s massive motorcycle taxi industry, most, if not all, of the companies in the sector started ... [continued]
The post Spiro Kenya Is Taking E-Mobility Countrywide appeared first on CleanTechnica.
The quest for AI and humanoid robots is focused on large language models. One authority thinks that is the wrong approach.
The post Is The Pursuit Of AI & Humanoid Robots Based On A Flawed Approach? appeared first on CleanTechnica.
The Aston Martins are stylish, distinct vehicles to the point that some were featured in James Bond films. One site stated the Aston Martin company owner was so dedicated to producing the DB6 at a high standard he was losing money on every one sold. Today, if you want to ... [continued]
The post Classic Aston Martin DB6 Converted To Electric Power appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Senate committee investigates suspected push that led administration to overturn EPA’s endangerment finding
In the wake of the Trump administration’s announcement that it will overturn the rule which underpins virtually all US climate regulations, a Senate committee has launched an investigation into a suspected lobbying push that led to the move.
On Tuesday, the Senate environment and public works committee sent letters to two dozen corporations, including oil giants, thinktanks, law firms and trade associations. The missives request each company to turn over documents regarding the 2009 declaration, known as the endangerment finding, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in July that it will unmake.
Continue reading...Ahead of The Independent’s Climate 100 List being published later this month, we are celebrating some of the leading lights being honoured for their work tackling the crisis. Emma Henderson meets chef Doug McMaster who removed the bin from the kitchen, built a restaurant from waste materials, and has pioneered new ways to make the restaurant business green
Group of activists, who range in age from seven to 25, include plaintiffs who won landmark climate case in Montana two years ago
Youth climate activists are taking the Trump administration to court this week over its anti-environment agenda.
In a two-day hearing in Missoula, Montana, starting Tuesday, the young activists, who are between seven and 25, will argue that a federal judge should block three of Donald Trump’s pro-fossil fuel executive orders.
Continue reading...The United States is not exactly a world leader in electric vehicles, as we know by now. More than half of new car sales in China are plugin electric cars (full electrics or plugin hybrids), and 27% of new car sales in Europe are plugin electric cars. In the US, ... [continued]
The post Vietnam & Thailand Humiliating the USA appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Legal experts see a new Trump administration move to block an offshore wind project alongside Maryland’s Ocean City as a targeted strike against clean-energy infrastructure amid rising electricity demand, with some going so far as to call the action illegal.
Western suburbs, where temperatures are often 5C warmer, need shaded bus stops, more green space and better environmental standards in rented homes, locals say
Full Story: Rising sea levels and soaring heat deaths: will climate action match the risks?
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Bud Moses is all too aware of the longer, hotter summers impacting his community in Sydney’s west.
As black summer bushfires raged on 4 January 2020, Penrith was sweltering in temperatures of 48.9C, making it the hottest place on the planet that day. It was just one of a growing number of above-40C days Moses has witnessed in recent years.
Continue reading...We’ve covered T&E’s latest EV progress report for the EU, “EV progress report: Which EU carmakers are on track for 2025-27 targets?,” and it includes several interesting findings and arguments. However, one chart jumped out to me as stunning and also sort of lost in the broader narratives of the ... [continued]
The post Dramatic Differences in EV Sales Growth (& Decline) in Europe — CHART appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Just as BYD started churning out Seagulls from its new plant at Camaçarí, General Motors announced the arrival of a competitor in the affordable EV segment, the re-branded Chevrolet Spark EUV. The timing was not ideal. Brazil’s leniency towards EV imports just ended (tariffs for EVs were raised to 25% ... [continued]
The post GM Works to Fix the Spark EUV’s Botched Arrival with Local Assembly in Brazil & Lower Prices in Colombia appeared first on CleanTechnica.
In response to a reader inquiry about the electric vehicle (EV) market in Thailand, this two-part series will examine why the country has become a key driver of EV adoption in Southeast Asia. This deep dive required a thorough investigation into the policy and industry landscape shaping this transformation. To ... [continued]
The post Thailand’s EV Industry, Part 1: Manufacturing Shifts & Policy Implementation appeared first on CleanTechnica.
The new dance floor hit by DJ and music producer Purple Disco Machine and Jake Shears about the Volkswagen “Fire + Ice” special model has already been streamed more than one million times in just a few days Stunts reloaded: Action-packed music video with the legendary Golf 2 Fire & Ice and ... [continued]
The post Volkswagen Celebrates the Comeback of “Fire & Ice” with a Special Model and a Song by Purple Disco Machine appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Per capita CO2 emissions from primary energy consumption decreased in every state from 2005 to 2023, according to recently released data in our State Energy Data System. Total energy-related CO2 emissions in the United States fell 20% over that time, and the population grew by 14%, leading to a 30% decrease in per capita CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions across ... [continued]
The post Per Capita Energy-Related CO2 Emissions Decreased in Every US State between 2005 & 2023 appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Five out of seven European truckmakers will easily reach the -15% CO2 target in 2025 relative to 2019, the ICCT finds in a new analysis looking at official CO2 data for internal combustion engine (ICE) trucks up to 2023 and the latest data on electric truck sales. European trucks are ... [continued]
The post Nearly All Truckmakers on Track to Meet 2025 EU CO2 Target — ICCT Finds appeared first on CleanTechnica.
There’s a popular narrative in the auto industry and among the mainstream media that demand for electric cars is shaky whereas demand for fossil-fueled cars is strong and consistent. The problem is: that’s bunk. Electric car sales have been growing and growing, while fossil-fueled car sales have been shrinking and ... [continued]
The post Vehicle Sales Growth Since 2020 Is Entirely From Electric Cars appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Solar panels over irrigation canals are now producing zero emissions power for the Turlock Irrigation District in California.
The post California Completes Solar Canopy Over Irrigation Canal appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Canada has been facing a housing affordability crisis for years, and it has only become more acute. Population growth, immigration, and urban concentration have run headlong into a construction industry that has not kept pace. Annual completions of 240,000 to 270,000 units fall well short of the 500,000 required to ... [continued]
The post Affordable Homes, New Jobs, Lower Carbon: Inside the Carney Housing Plan appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Flood buyouts are an active climate mitigation strategy used in the US to mitigate flood risk and remove people and property away from active flooding zones. Buyouts lessen human risk, decrease legal burdens, and restore land. Certainly, reducing loss due to flooding while also increasing green spaces after-the-fact is beneficial. ... [continued]
The post Floodplain Buyout Programs: Uneven Assistance For Property Owners During Times Of Loss appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Consumption of Colorado River water is outpacing nature’s ability to replenish it, with the basin’s reservoirs on the verge of being depleted to the point of exhaustion without urgent federal action to cut use, according to a new analysis from leading experts of the river.
The top scientist for the Geneva-based United Nations Environmental Programme said the organization is exploring the topic of climate engineering because “growing concerns about the lack of global efforts to cut emissions” is driving more interest in technological fixes that have been discredited by recent research.
The Banner, the three-year-old Maryland news nonprofit that earned national recognition with a Pulitzer win this year, is launching a news bureau in Montgomery County. The expansion into Maryland’s most populous county — where it already has several thousand paying subscribers — brings The Banner into the northern Washington suburbs, and marks its first hub outside Baltimore.
The launch follows the nonprofit’s subtle rebrand last month, when it shifted its website domain from thebaltimorebanner.com to thebanner.com. “The shift simply reflects the reality of our expanding coverage across Maryland,” CEO Bob Cohn said in a statement announcing the change. “Many readers already call us The Banner, and this migration allows us to show up in a way that audiences know us.” (Similarly, The Minneapolis Star Tribune rebranded as The Minnesota Star Tribune last year.)
“It has always been our plan to expand beyond our core audience in Baltimore,” Cohn told me in an email. “As we looked at communities further from the core, we saw real hunger for Banner-style coverage of local news, but audiences were confused by ‘Baltimore’ in our name. So in these new regions, we will show up as The Banner.”
The Banner team has been planning for the Montgomery expansion since this spring, when leaders decided a dedicated Montgomery bureau made sense. “We expect the Montgomery launch to help us grow all aspects of our business — subscribers, advertising, and philanthropy,” Cohn added.
The Washington Post’s Jeremy Barr reported that the new bureau will consist of around nine journalists, led by Zuri Berry, who was previously a digital strategy editor for The Banner. Seven of the nine are new hires, Cohn told me; of the two positions from the Baltimore newsroom, one has already been backfilled.
According to the Post, The Banner is not yet profitable, but has about 69,000 paying subscribers. Per a press release from The Banner, this includes “paid subscribers in all 23 Maryland counties and Baltimore City.” The Banner is Maryland’s largest newsroom, with a staff of around 145 people, including about 95 in the newsroom, the Post reported.
To expand the reach of its reporting, The Banner is partnering with NBC4 Washington and Telemundo 44 Washington; Banner reporters will “participate in on-air segments” on the two stations, per the press release. (The Banner also has partnerships with WJZ and WYPR in Baltimore.)
The Post reported that starting Monday night, readers looking for Montgomery County-specific Banner reporting will be directed to a new homepage without “Baltimore.” The Banner is “exploring further growth opportunities,” Cohn told me, but has nothing further to announce for now.
You can read the Post’s full story here, and The Banner’s announcement here.
Nigel Topping says shifting course risks deterring capital, as he urges ministers to hold firm on green transition
Weakening or changing net zero policy would deter investors and spook financial markets, the UK government’s new climate adviser has warned.
Nigel Topping, recently appointed chair of the climate change committee (CCC), said there was “robust evidence” the UK would benefit economically from strong climate policy, despite calls from some politicians to back down.
Continue reading...In a recent article, California Refineries Close as Gasoline Demand Slips into Permanent Decline, I wrote that diesel consumption in California had not declined even as gasoline demand slipped. Jeremy Martin from the Union of Concerned Scientists reached out to me to point to some data I’d missed. I reviewed ... [continued]
The post From Fossil To Renewable: California’s Diesel Transition & The Future Of Refineries appeared first on CleanTechnica.
Grave remarks on the potential shocks to people, property and the economy are all too familiar. Putting a credible number on the emissions target is the harder part
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It is hard to imagine there will be a more important piece of work put out by the Albanese government in this term of parliament than the national climate risk assessment. It suggests that at more than 2C of global heating – a level we are headed towards on our current trajectory – the systems Australians rely on could start to crumble and collapse.
That’s an easy thing to say, but a hard thing to get your head around. There was a huge amount of information released on Monday, including an adaptation plan that is only the start of grappling with the problem, and it will take time to digest. But it is worth considering what the assessment led by the Australian Climate Service says about the country’s economic future if global emissions are not curbed and temperatures continue to rise.
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Continue reading...Norway is a world leader in electric vehicle adoption. Visit Norway calls the northern European nation the “EV Capital of the World.” Almost 89% of all new cars sold in Norway in 2024 were electric. The Norwegians seem to understand that fossil fuels are harmful. “But the strongest incentive may ... [continued]
The post Norway Has More EV Charging Ports Than Gas Nozzles? appeared first on CleanTechnica.
A Norwegian transportation company has begun testing a BETA Alia CX300 electric airplane before commercial service begins.
The post Test Flight Of BETA Alia CX300 Electric Airplane Completed In Norway appeared first on CleanTechnica.