Books For Our New, Climate-Changed Summers

After the daunting heatwaves and storms of this summer, our cheery visions of the season seem at odds with our climate-changed reality. Officially, the end of summer is marked by the autumnal equinox on September 23. Unofficially, summer ends some weeks earlier, with the start of classes in the nation’s schools and colleges. This year, […]

How is the Inflation Reduction Act Helping the U.S. Fight Climate Change?

A flagship piece of U.S. legislation – which backers tout as the biggest investment in clean energy and climate action in the country’s history – hit its one-year anniversary this week. The hundreds of billions of dollars in climate funding authorized by the law, known as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), includes money for initiatives […]

Local Buffer Zones Could Cut U.S. Renewables Potential by 42%

As municipal zoning rules limit space for solar and wind projects, finding less disruptive locations with the aid of environmental and social data may become key to balancing renewable energy growth with local needs. In the United States, setback ordinances—regulation issued by towns and counties to keep renewables projects at a safe distance from neighbouring […]

One Person Stopped California’s Divestment From Fossil Fuels — Again

Assemblymember Tina McKinnor refused to take up the bill in a committee, for the second year in a row, as divestment movement grows. Environmental groups, faculty associations and others seeking to slow climate change are pushing California to cut its investments in fossil fuels. Divestment supporters point to the state’s massive economy — the largest in […]

Just How Fast Will Clean Energy Grow in the U.S.?

The Inflation Reduction Act set the stage for explosive solar and wind energy growth. To slash U.S. emissions of climate-warming carbon pollution, many experts have settled on a plan that can be largely described in two steps: Clean up the power grid and electrify everything.  If electric vehicles, heat pumps, induction stoves, and some industrial processes can be powered by clean […]