GHG Emissions, Solar, Wind  -  June 29, 2024

Weekend Reads: Hollywood's Climate Action Claims; Renewables Dominate in California

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

Hollywood talks big on climate. But what is it really doing? (The Hollywood Reporter) These days, there’s little trace of climate denialism among the Hollywood studios. Officially, they’re all in on facing the crisis, including by zeroing out their own carbon footprints. Or at least talking about how they’re planning to eventually do that.

Simple new process stores carbon dioxide in concrete without compromising strength (Phys.org) By using a carbonated — rather than a still — water-based solution during the concrete manufacturing process, a Northwestern University-led team of engineers has discovered a new way to store carbon dioxide (CO2) in the ubiquitous construction material. Not only could the new process help sequester CO2 from the ever-warming atmosphere, it also results in concrete with uncompromised strength and durability.

California is showing how a big state can power itself without fossil fuels (The New Yorker) California has the fifth-largest economy in the world and, in the course of a few months, the state has proved that it’s possible to run a thriving modern economy on clean energy.

A second Trump term could slow the shift from fossil fuels as climate threats grow (NPR) A second Trump term could slow the country’s shift away from fossil fuels. But it probably won’t entirely halt the transition to renewable energy, industry analysts and researchers say.

We’ve been accidentally cooling the planet — and it’s about to stop (The Washington Post)  Tiny particles from the combustion of coal, oil and gas can reflect sunlight and spur the formation of clouds, shading the planet from the sun’s rays. Since the 1980s, those particles have offset between 40 and 80 percent of the warming caused by greenhouse gases. And now, as society cleans up pollution, that cooling effect is waning. 

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