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Trump reportedly seeks massive budget cuts to clean energy research
The Trump administration has made it very clear that it is pro fossil fuels and has little interest in pushing programs the promote renewable energy. Now, the Washington Post reports that the president's proposed 2019 budget slashes funds for Energy Department programs focused on energy efficiency. While the proposal is just a jumping off point, the fact that it seeks to cut such funding by 72 percent underscores where the administration's interests lie and in which direction its policies will continue to go.
Microsoft plans a 75 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030
Microsoft has pledged to slash its carbon emissions by 75 percent by 2030, against a 2013 baseline. By pushing its carbon neutrality plans and renewable energy commitments, the target puts the company on track to meet the goals set in the Paris Climate Agreement, and of course puts a big tick in its corporate social responsibility box.
Federal report says humans are the cause of climate change
Today, over a dozen federal agencies released the Climate Science Special Report, which is a product of the National Climate Assessment -- a congressionally mandated review that takes place every four years. In it, hundreds of scientists from dozens of government agencies and academic institutions present evidence that supports the existence of a human-caused warming planet and all of the consequences that come with it. "This assessment concludes, based on extensive evidence, that it is extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century," the report stated. "For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of the observational evidence."
EPA plans to repeal Obama-era Clean Power Plan
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Scott Pruitt, announced today he would sign a proposed rule that would withdraw the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan (CPP). "Here's the president's message: The war on coal is over," Pruitt said today during a speech given in Hazard, Kentucky.
Politicians and tech titans unite to uphold Paris agreement
The 61 US cities and states that vowed to uphold the Paris climate agreement have ballooned in number over the past few days. Despite President Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Accord, 1,219 politicians, tech titans and other businesses, investors and educational institutions have banded together and pledged to meet the goals it set anyway. Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has formally submitted the group's "We Are Still In" declaration to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. As the Secretary General's special envoy for Cities and Climate Change, he promised the organization and the global community on behalf of the signatories "that American society remains committed to achieving" greenhouse gas concentrations that are 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2025.
The EU plans to cut 30 percent of its energy usage by 2030
Even if the forthcoming Trump administration doesn't take climate change seriously, the European Union plans to slash its energy usage by nearly a third by the year 2030. By the terms of the Paris Climate Agreement, the EU already planned to cut carbon emissions by 40 percent over the same period, but the new usage goal will further eliminate waste by focusing on renewable energy sources and renovating older, less efficient buildings.
Donald Trump's environmental plan and more in the week that was
The Hyperloop keeps getting realer by the day. This week, architects unveiled detailed plans for a next-gen transportation system that will travel from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in just 12 minutes. Meanwhile, Elon Musk announced big plans to build a second Gigafactory in Europe that will produce lithium-ion batteries and electric cars. Gogoro rolled out a faster, more powerful version of its battery-swapping electric Smartscooter, while Vespa delighted fans with plans to launch an all-electric model next year. And MIT teamed up with NASA to develop a new "morphing" airplane wing that could revolutionize aviation.
