Showing posts with label carbon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label carbon. Show all posts

Thursday, January 26, 2023

"Major investments to shift away from US car dependency would have benefits"

Daniel Aldana Cohen (@aldatweets) tweeted:
"We got so sick of hearing about all the lithium we need to carpet the roads w electric cars. So we did the 1st study to quantify alternatives. Leading w mass transit, ebikes, and urban density cuts lithium demand by up to 90%, while slashing carbon & giving us mobility & freedom. https://t.co/g77RwmXtIi"

The Guardian article highlights the study 

"The US’s transition to electric vehicles could require three times as much lithium as is currently produced for the entire global market, causing needless water shortages, Indigenous land grabs, and ecosystem destruction inside and outside its borders, new research finds.

It warns that unless the US’s dependence on cars in towns and cities falls drastically, the transition to lithium battery-powered electric vehicles by 2050 will deepen global environmental and social inequalities linked to mining – and may even jeopardize the 1.5C global heating target.

But ambitious policies investing in mass transit, walkable towns and cities, and robust battery recycling in the US would slash the amount of extra lithium required in 2050 by more than 90%.

In fact, this first-of-its-kind modeling shows it is possible to have more transport options for Americans that are safer, healthier and less segregated, and less harmful mining while making rapid progress to zero emissions."
Continue reading the article in The Guardian

Introduction to to the report ->

Link to the report itself ->


Found via Twitter: 
https://twitter.com/aldatweets/status/1617918544712462337

the lithium we need to carpet the roads w electric cars
 the lithium we need to carpet the roads w electric cars

1st study to quantify alternatives
1st study to quantify alternatives

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Franklin residents: ACTION ALERT to support Franklin Net Zero emissions goal

Hey, Franklin residents!

An exciting opportunity for local action to help advance Franklin's climate goals from the comfort of your own home!

This Wednesday, January 19 at 7:00 PM the Franklin Town Council will be voting to adopt the 2022/2023 Town Goals. Thanks to Cobi Frongillo, a Town Councilorthe following language in red has been included within the 'General Government' section:
"Continue to implement “Green Community” goals through the state approved Energy Reduction Plan. As part of the Green Community goals in 2022-2023, the Town will work with the state to investigate how a Net Zero emissions plan could be incorporated."

This is a major win for advocates of climate action! I ask that if you can, please attend the meeting to voice support for this goal!

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82629643659   Meeting ID # 826 2964 3659

Franklin 2022-2023 Town Goals:
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/10a._22-04.pdf
- FOURTH PAGE, RED TEXT is net zero language addition

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

COME TO THE MEETING: The Town Goals will be discussed at approximately at 7:30 so I encourage you to join the meeting then. 

support Franklin Net Zero emissions goal
support Franklin Net Zero emissions goal

Sunday, October 24, 2021

"The world’s largest carbon capture plant is seizing the imaginations"

"A half-hour’s drive from Iceland’s capital city, Reykjavik, one happens upon a scene straight out of a science fiction movie: Plumes of white steam billow above the Hellisheiði volcanic region. The air is suffused with the unmistakable stench of sulfur — several thermal springs, their mineral-rich waters a favorite of local bathers, are nearby. The rays of a waning sun are no match for the thick cloud cover that hangs over the rough terrain on a crisp early autumn day.

It is here that the future and the present collide in a structure about two stories high. This is the Orca Plant, the world’s largest facility for capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air and storing it deep underground. The steam we see is being released into the sky from geothermal drilling sites. The captured CO2 is mixed with water and injected into those holes in the ground.

The Orca Plant, built, owned, and operated by the Swiss company Climeworks, kicked into whirring, carbon-sucking life last month, fueled by geothermal energy from Iceland’s ON Power. While Orca is not the first of its kind in the world, its size and potential have sparked expectations for a revolution in CO2 capture and storage, as well as hope for our rapidly warming planet."
Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/22/opinion/machines-that-could-save-world/

The Hellisheiðe geothermal power plant, located in the middle of a volcanic field in Iceland. The region is a hub of innovation in realms ranging from climate to food science and is home, most notably, to the Orca Plant, the world's largest carbon capture facility, which began operating last month.MATJAŽ KRIVIC
The Hellisheiðe geothermal power plant, located in the middle of a volcanic field in Iceland. The region is a hub of innovation in realms ranging from climate to food science and is home, most notably, to the Orca Plant, the world's largest carbon capture facility, which began operating last month.MATJAŽ KRIVIC


Saturday, January 2, 2021

MAEnergy Environment: 2050 Roadmap Report & 2030 Clean Energy and Climate Plan


"Building on @MassGovernor's ambitious commitment to achieve Net Zero GHG emissions by 2050, @MassEEA today (12/30/20) released its 2050 Roadmap Report & 2030 Clean Energy and Climate Plan to equitably & cost-effectively meet MA's #climate goals."

Road map link: https://t.co/8R90L1AaiA 
Shared from Twitter: https://t.co/eubtOAc1dA


Roadmap direct link

2050 Roadmap Report & 2030 Clean Energy and Climate Plan
2050 Roadmap Report & 2030 Clean Energy and Climate Plan


Monday, July 13, 2020

"I urge them to listen to the science and act now before it’s too late"

“The fact that the responsibility to communicate this falls on me and other children should be seen for exactly what it is –a failure beyond all imagination” 
I tried summarising the #climatecrisis from my own experiences in 12 chapters. Full text in @TIME

The link to Greta Thunberg's article in Time:  https://t.co/AfAocy7Red?amp=1
The article/essay chronicles her trip to the US via sail boat and then to Davos.

Franklin radar picked this up via Twitter:   https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1282243518853984259?s=09

Why? There is a small but active climate group here in Franklin, and there is a whole lot of us who pay attention far less often than perhaps we should. I read her article and I found it explains our problem succinctly, more so than anything else I have found. She suggests that we choose to follow the science and even if we do, we have little time left to act. How little? Maybe 6 or 7 years.
.
So as with many things I share here, I present the info, you make the choice to read, or not, and if you read, then maybe you can act upon the info. Greta writes: 
"if you read between the lines you realise that we are facing the need to make changes which are unprecedented in human history."


From Chapter 6:
"So, in short: the temperature increases, the damaging mountain pine beetle survives the winter and dramatically increases in population. The trees die and turn into wildfire fuel which intensifies the wildfires even further. The soot from those fires makes the surface of the glaciers turn darker and the melting process speeds up even faster. 
This is a textbook example of a reinforcing chain reaction, which in itself is just a small part of a much larger holistic pattern connected to our emissions of greenhouse gases. 
There are countless other tipping points and chain reactions. Some have not yet happened. And some are very much a reality already today. Such as the release of methane due to thawing permafrost or other phenomena linked to deforestation, dying coral reefs, weakening or changing ocean currents, algae growing on the Antarctic ice, increasing ocean temperatures, changes in monsoon patterns and so on."
https://time.com/5863684/greta-thunberg-diary-climate-crisis/

Thunberg arrives in New York City after a 15-day journey crossing the Atlantic on Aug. 28, 2019. Courtesy of Greta Thunberg
Thunberg arrives in New York City after a 15-day journey crossing the Atlantic on Aug. 28, 2019. Courtesy of Greta Thunberg

Sunday, January 26, 2020

“Actually getting there is really going to take everything Massachusetts can muster”

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"The Massachusetts Senate plans to take up a far-reaching package of climate bills whose major components include an electric MBTA bus fleet by 2040, carbon-pricing mechanisms for transportation, homes and commercial buildings, and a series of five-year greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements that ramp up to net-zero emissions in 2050.

The three bills, teed up for debate on Jan. 30, with amendments due by Monday, amount to what Senate President Karen Spilka called a “comprehensive plan for the state” to respond to an international issue – global climate change.

“This is a race against time,” Spilka told reporters. “Climate change is changing not only Massachusetts and the United States, it is changing the face of our planet, and our planet’s survival is at stake.”

The carbon pricing and net-zero emissions provisions are both contained in one piece of legislation, dubbed An Act Setting Next-Generation Climate Policy (S 2477). The other bills address energy efficiency (S 2478) and electric vehicles (S 2476)."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200126/carbon-pricing-is-cornerstone-of-senate-climate-package

Links to the specific legislation referenced

The post earlier this week with the MA Senate press release can be found
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/01/massachusetts-state-senate-unveils-next.html

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Reduce your carbon impact - start today

On this day, over four thousand events taking place simultaneously in over 175 nations will be held to raise awareness on climate change. This brief video from New Zealand captures the spirit of the event and it's importance.



What can you do to reduce your carbon intake?

Visit the Franklin Area Climate Team (FACT) for information and links to 350.org and other informative sites.

Not sure who to believe on the climate change issue? This video I found the most convincing argument. Take ten minutes to view this and see if you can decide to take action today.



The team will host a Cut the Carbon event on Saturday at 3 p.m. in front of Foxborough Universalist Church at 6 Bird St., Foxborough.

Additional details can be found here