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NASA wants to play a big part in the development of electric aircraft
NASA is working with the aviation industry to develop Electrified Aircraft Propulsion tools and designs in a bid to introduce the systems to commercial flights by 2035.
Ford, BMW and others sign binding emissions agreement with California
They've committed to building cars that outperform federal fuel efficiency standards.
Microsoft announces plan to make the Xbox carbon neutral
Microsoft has joined other major tech companies such as Amazon, Google and Sony in laying out some new commitments to mitigate climate change. One of the more eye-catching measures it detailed was a pilot project to make 825,000 Xbox consoles carbon neutral. It says those'll be the first carbon-neutral consoles.
Amazon orders 100,000 EVs to help meet climate goal ten years early
Jeff Bezos has announced Amazon will sign up to a climate pledge with the aim of meeting the United Nations Paris Agreement climate goals 10 years early. He said Amazon will hit emission reduction targets by 2040, report its emissions regularly and implement decarbonization strategies. The company will balance out any remaining emissions with carbon offsets. Bezos wants 80 percent of Amazon's energy use to come from renewable sources by 2024, and for it to rely fully on renewable energy by 2030.
UPS hybrid trucks automatically switch to EV mode in cities
UPS has unveiled hybrid electric trucks that not only quadruple the range of previous vehicles, but automatically switch to battery-only mode in UK cities and clean-air zones. On top of that, the trucks (built by EV startup Tevva) will have the same cargo capacity as like-sized diesel trucks. The aim, said UPS and Tevva, is to get ready for the UK's strict "Net Zero" laws that will completely cut CO2 emissions by the year 2050.
Amazon investors reject call to limit facial recognition system sales
Amazon shareholders have voted against a proposal to limit the company from selling its facial recognition technology to law enforcement and government agencies. The proposal, which highlighted concerns over the Rekognition system related to "civil and human rights and shareholder value," failed to pass at Amazon's annual investor meeting Wednesday, on the same day the House Oversight Committee held a hearing on facial recognition tech.
CO2 levels are the highest since humanity began
CO2 levels on Earth have officially hit 415 parts per million (ppm), according to readings taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawai'i. That's the highest level since homo sapiens came onto the planet, meteorologist Eric Holthaus tweeted, and represents an increase of 15 ppm over just the past three years. "We don't know a planet like this," Holthaus said.
2018 was the fourth-hottest year on record
Earth's surface temperatures in 2018 were the fourth-highest of any year since records started in 1880, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 2016 was the hottest year ever, followed by 2017 and 2015, and since 2001, we've had 18 of the 19 warmest years on record.
House committee sets first climate change hearing in eight years
The National Resources Committee has set a date for the first House of Representatives hearing on climate change in eight years after Democrats regained control of the legislature. It takes place Wednesday at 10 AM ET, and it will address how climate change affects "American communities, natural resources and economic well-being."
German climate proposals could put an end to no-limit Autobahns
Germany's Autobahns are legendary for segments with no speed limits, but you might have to wave goodbye to those unfettered driving experiences. Reuters has obtained draft proposals from a transport committee that would cap speeds at 130km/h (about 80MPH) in a bid to curb emissions and mitigate climate change. That's still quite fast, but it might dampen the enthusiasm of someone trying to push their Porsche to the max.
US saw the largest increase in CO2 emissions in almost a decade
The US isn't faring well in efforts to keep carbon dioxide emissions in check. Rhodium Group analysts have determined that CO2 emissions jumped 3.4 percent year-over-year in 2018, or the largest increase since 2010. The reasons for the worsening output aren't necessarily what you expect, though. The research team attributed it both to a cold winter (thus increasing the use of oil and gas for heat) and, more importantly, a then-booming economy. The growth led to greater uses of factories, aircraft and trucks that frequently aren't subject to strict environmental policies, leading to sharp upticks in emissions. Industry alone saw emissions climb by 5.7 percent.
Governments reach deal to implement Paris climate change agreement
Politicians signed the Paris climate agreement back in 2015, but they've finally laid the groundwork for acting on that agreement. Governments have developed guidelines, known as the Katowice Climate Package, that will determine how they implement emissions reductions starting in 2020. It establishes how nations will set targets, measure technological progress, verify effectiveness and otherwise translate the agreement's goals into reality.
EU aims to be 'climate neutral' by 2050
European countries have already vowed to take significant steps to curb their effect on the climate, but they're now setting a more ambitious target. The European Union now hopes to achieve a "climate neutral" economy by 2050 -- that is, zero net greenhouse gas emissions. The strategy would involve wider use of renewable energy (80 percent by 2050), a shift to electric transportation and 'decarbonizing' industry.
The US government knows climate change is ravaging the planet
Hurricane Katrina claimed nearly 2,000 lives when it struck the Gulf Coast of the United States in 2005, submerging New Orleans in floodwater and devastating the region for more than a decade. It was the costliest natural disaster in US history, causing more than $160 billion in damage. Hurricane Katrina was the result of human-driven climate change.
Federal climate change study says US at risk of 'substantial damages'
Now that US federal agencies have determined that humans are driving climate change, they're turning their attention to the potential effects of that change... and it's not looking good. They've released the second half of the National Climate Assessment, and have determined that humans aren't doing enough to prevent "substantial damages" to the American economy, environment and health in the decades ahead. You've already seen the consequences in some cases, such as increasing numbers of wildfires and communities that have had to relocate due to rising sea levels.
Recommended Reading: Midterms have already been hacked
The midterms are already hacked. You just don't know it yet. Benjamin Wofford, Vox The concerns regarding voting processes in the US are nothing new, especially when it comes to vulnerabilities. Vox is the latest to take an in-depth look at the troubling issues surrounding voting systems ahead of the midterms on November 6th. And it's (still) not pretty, even after months of warnings from all sides.
Tougher emissions rules helped cut US air pollution deaths in half
There's little doubt that air quality has generally improved in the US in recent decades, but quantifying that improvement has been difficult. However, a recently published University of North Carolina study might have produced a more tangible figure. The NASA- and EPA-backed report determined that American deaths from air pollution dropped by 47 percent between 1990 and 2010 to 71,000 per year. The researchers achieved the figures by measuring the levels of two pollutants (ozone and PM2.5) in a 21-year computer simulation and comparing that to CDC data for related causes of death in given regions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ischemic heart disease.
Major UN report says climate change is worse than first thought
Even if nations stick to the Paris agreement and keep global warming below two degrees, it will still be a major disaster for the planet, according to a blockbuster UN report on climate change. What's more, we now have less time to act than previously thought. If governments don't take massive action over the next decade, we could see severe food shortages, increased forest fires and large scale coral reef die-offs by 2040. The report also predicts more serious issues, including the potential migration of tens of millions of people that would increase the risk of wars.
NHTSA study forecasts dangerous rise in world temperatures by 2100
The Trump administration has accepted the scientific consensus of human-made global warming. However, it's not being used to push for tougher environmental regulations -- just the opposite, in fact. In a draft NHTSA environmental impact statement for Trump's proposed fuel standards freeze, the agency predicts that the worldwide temperature will increase about 7 degrees Fahrenheit (4 Celsius) over pre-industrial levels by 2100. Rather than use that as an incentive to push for more drastic cuts in emissions, though, the report claims that there's not much point. It's allegedly "not currently technologically feasible or economically feasible" to move enough people to clean transportation to make a difference, the NHTSA argued, so why bother with tougher rules?
The EPA will dissolve its science advisory office
The Environmental Protection Agency will eliminate the Office of the Science Advisor, an entity within the agency that works to ensure its policies and decisions are based on quality science. The New York Times reports that the scientific advisory position, which currently reports directly to the head of the EPA, will be merged into another office -- the Office of Research and Development. "It's certainly a pretty big demotion, a pretty big burying of this office," Michael Halpern, deputy director of the Center for Science and Democracy with the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the publication. "Everything from research on chemicals and health, to peer-review testing to data analysis would inevitably suffer."
