The switch to outdoor LED lighting has increased light pollution and power consumption – “The migration to LED isn’t having the anticipated benefit in terms of global reductions in energy usage”

By George Dvorsky 22 November 2017 (Gizmodo) – To reduce energy consumption, many jurisdictions around the world are transitioning to outdoor LED lighting. But as new research shows, this solid-state solution hasn’t yielded the expected energy savings, and potentially worse, it’s resulted in more light pollution than ever before.Using satellite-based sensors, an international team of […]

Emissions Gap Report 2017: Governments, non-state actors must do more to reach Paris Agreement

Geneva, 31 October 2017 (UN Environment News) – Governments and non-state actors need to deliver an urgent increase in ambition to ensure the Paris Agreement goals can still be met, according to a new UN assessment.The eighth edition of UN Environment’s Emissions Gap report, released ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, finds […]

Big U.S. corporate names object to Trump’s power plan – Microsoft, Apple, and General Electric among those lobbying against more support for coal

By Ed Crooks 26 October 2017 NEW YORK (Financial Times) – Companies from the technology and oil and gas industries have stepped into the debate over the future of the US electricity system, raising objections to the Trump administration’s plans for new rules to support coal-fired and nuclear power plants.Microsoft, Walmart, ExxonMobil, General Electric, and […]

UN urged to help countries devastated by recent natural disasters to “build back better”

24 October 2017 (United Nations) – Hurricanes Irma, Harvey, and Maria may be over, but the devastating impact they had on the countries in their path continues, likewise the effects of successive earthquakes in Mexico, said senior United Nations officials Tuesday, calling for more action at all levels to manage disaster and climate risk and […]

Confessions of a climate change denier – “Distracting ourselves with impotent solutions might be more dangerous in the long run than the outright detachment from reality on the right”

By Artur Gorokh and Ryan Sherman 23 October 2017 (The Cornell Daily Sun) – It was in southern Utah in 2003 that Aron Ralston amputated his own arm to escape the boulder that had crushed him against the wall of a slot canyon. The only implement on hand was a small multi-tool, and in vain […]

Inventing a vocabulary to help Inuit people talk about global warming

By Laura Poppick 17 October 2017 (Smithsonian) – Canada’s Northwest Territories comprise one of the fastest-warming regions of the Arctic. Here, residents see spring arrive weeks earlier than it used to, while the ground beneath their homes thaws and slumps. Yet while much of the world talks about solar power, wind energy and other sustainable […]

Why it’s unclear when Puerto Rico will get power back – “The devastation of the island is really breathtaking”

By Jon Schuppe 23 September 2017 (NBC News) – A team of New York electricity-transmission workers and a pair of drone operators arrived in San Juan Friday to help the reeling government of Puerto Rico begin to measure the damage to the U.S. territory’s power grid. The entire island remained without electricity into the weekend, […]

Hasten efforts to achieve sustainable global goals, urges deputy UN chief – “Our assessment clearly shows that the pace of progress is insufficient”

8 September 2017 (United Nations) – Noting the efforts being undertaken around the globe to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed called for picking up the pace to ensure that the 2030 deadline is met.“The SDGs have jumped from the General Assembly Hall to communities across the world [and] […]

Making the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals consistent with sustainability

1 September 2017  (Global Footprint Network) – This month, the UN General Assembly (UNGA 72) will convene in New York City for its 72nd Regular Session. The summit’s theme is “Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet.” The phrase closely echoes Global Footprint Network’s vision “that […]

CarbonBrief: Why U.S. carbon emissions have fallen 14 percent since 2005

By Zeke Hausfather 15 August 2017 (CarbonBrief) – Before 2005, U.S. carbon emissions were marching upwards year after year, with little sign of slowing down. After this point, they fell quickly, declining 14% from their peak by the end of 2016.Researchers have given a number of different reasons for this marked turnaround. Some have argued […]

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