July 16, 2022

Weekend Reads: CA Shipping Seeks Decarbonization Tech; Efficiency's Role in the Energy Crisis

It's the weekend! Kick back and catch up with these must-read articles from around the web.

Why tackling the energy crisis calls for collective action (World Economic Forum) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has in a few short months altered our view of energy security forever. Governments, consumers and producers around the world are scrambling to adapt, while at the same time facing mounting pressure to drastically reduce the environmental impact of the energy we use and address a global supply chain crunch. Meeting the goals of security, sustainability and accessibility – the energy trilemma – is more difficult and more crucial than ever.

Greater US efficiency can counter global energy chaos (The Hill) Much of the proposed energy response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has focused on increasing domestic oil and gas production. While this will help, another powerful tool that has not received sufficient attention is increasing U.S. energy efficiency. Not only would greater domestic energy efficiency reduce the influence of Russian oil and gas on the U.S. it also would provide other important benefits to American consumers and the economy. Any strategy to counter Russian-induced energy chaos should give greater weight to promoting energy efficiency domestically.

Australia 'on track' to generate half its electricity from renewable sources by 2025, report finds (ABC News) Australia is on track to generate half its electricity needs from renewable sources within three years, according to a report highlighting the extraordinary pace of change underway in the country's energy system. In what it described as a snapshot of the industry, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (AATSE) found renewable energy adoption was galloping ahead as wind and solar power became cheaper. The group, which is comprised of technical experts, said renewable energy was "tracking towards" 50 per cent of Australia's electricity generation in 2025, a share that was expected to rise to 69 per cent by 2030.

A needed nuclear option for climate change (Vox) Peel away the politics and the passion, the doomsaying and the denialism, and climate change largely boils down to this: energy. To avoid the chances of catastrophic climate change while ensuring the world can continue to grow — especially for poor people who live in chronically energy-starved areas — we’ll need to produce ever more energy from sources that emit little or no greenhouse gases. It’s that simple — and, of course, that complicated.

California lawmakers are ready to decarbonize the shipping industry. The technology isn’t there yet. (Grist) Late last month, Long Beach, California, signed onto a historic effort to clean up the shipping industry when city council members unanimously passed a resolution to reach 100 percent zero-emissions shipping by 2030. The move comes just months after a similar declaration from Los Angeles, whose port abuts Long Beach’s to make up the San Pedro Bay Port Complex — the U.S.’s largest port, handling more than 275 million metric tons of furniture, car parts, clothes, food, and other cargo every year. Together, the two cities’ resolutions represent one of the world’s most aggressive shipping decarbonization targets and reflect a growing desire among policymakers and environmental advocates to drive down the industry’s emissions.

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