IPCC Report and the Missing Dialogue in US Environmentalism
The Wheels on These Buses Go Round and Round With Zero Emissions
State officials are looking to limit children’s exposure to the harmful exhaust from older diesel buses. They’re also increasingly concerned about the carbon emissions that drive global warming. At the same time, the price of electric buses, while still out of reach for most school districts, keeps falling as technology improves. [The New York Times]
Fast-Rising Demand for Air Conditioning Is Adding to Global Warming. The Numbers Are Striking.
With window units set to more than triple by 2050, home air conditioning is on pace to add half a degree Celsius to global warming this century, a new report says. The demand is growing so fast that a "radical change" in home-cooling technology will be necessary to neutralize its impact. [Inside Climate News]
Can the Electricity Industry Seize Its Resilience Moment?
A slate of natural disasters that reads like a roll call — Willa, Michael, Harvey, Irma, Maria, Florence and Thomas — has forced a serious conversation about resiliency. “If you look at the whole ecosystem of utilities and vendors, there’s a sense that there needs to be a more resilient grid,” said Miki Deric of Accenture. [Green Tech Media]
Freddie Mac launches new, “green” mortgage
Freddie Mac is now offering what it calls GreenCHOICE mortgages. These mortgages will help finance home improvements for greater energy efficiency and include broader financing options to help families with lower incomes reduce home utility costs through energy saving home repairs and improvements. [HousingWire]
Why the Transportation Energy Intensity of buildings matters
Experts looked at how much energy was used by people getting to work (what he called Transportation Energy Intensity). He compared it to the energy actually used by the building (the Energy Use Intensity) and found that the transportation energy use was greater than what the building used. [Treehugger]
D.C. Council gives preliminary approval to ambitious clean-energy goals
The D.C. Council gave preliminary approval to legislation in November that would move the District’s power grid to entirely renewable energy sources by 2032, a goal that places the city in the vanguard of local governments seeking to tackle climate change. [Washington Post]