GHG Emissions, Solar, Wind  -  August 17, 2024

Weekend Reads: Global Warming to Slow; Nike's Emissions Problem

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

Global warming slowdown projected, with caveats (Axios)  Cuts in greenhouse gas emissions may soon begin slowing the rate of global warming, which some researchers say has been speeding up in recent years, according to a new study.

Energy Secretary addresses concerns over AI's growing electricity demand (Newsweek)  U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm offered assurances that the U.S. will be able to meet the soaring demands for electricity to power the surge in data centers driving the tech sector's artificial intelligence boom.

Nike’s private jet emissions are up despite vows to cut carbon (OregonLive)  Nike’s jet travel is up. Company disclosures show that its private planes last year emitted almost 20% more carbon dioxide than they did in 2015, which the company uses as a baseline for its climate goals. The flights are one small reason Nike and its supply chain produced roughly as much carbon dioxide in 2023 as in 2015, despite the company’s commitment to sharply reduce emissions.

Why a massive Va. offshore wind project made it when others failed (E&E News by POLITICO)  On an emerald swath of ocean here, a 30-foot-wide hammer attached to a ship is pounding carbon steel into the seafloor. The giant turbine foundations are a critical step in building Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project (CVOW), which will be the largest U.S. offshore wind project when completed, able to provide more power than two nuclear reactors. The project, which is under construction this summer and expected to be operational in 2026, shows how offshore wind projects with certain characteristics — such as locking in costs before inflation surged in 2023 — are barreling forward, even as other projects are faltering. 

Major power milestone: Wind and solar energy overtake coal in first half of 2024, expected to continue (Sierra Club)   New federal data shows that wind and solar energy — due to coal plant retirements and the growth of renewable energy — generated more power this year so far than coal. The U.S. is on track for wind and solar to outpace coal for the entire calendar year of 2024, including the hot summer months.

Read These Related Articles:

• Weekend Reads: COP29 on Energy Efficiency; Unscrambling Hydrogen
• Weekend Reads: Five Things to Know About COP29; Rethinking Gas Stations
• Weekend Reads: Where Climate Triumphed at the Polls; Iceland Goes to Space for Solar
• Weekend Reads: Candidates Avoid Clean Energy; Costco (Cautiously) Adds EV Charging
• Weekend Reads: The Carbon Offset Debate; New Powder Captures CO2

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