Energy and Environment News Roundup – 10.10.13
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
CLIMATE
By 2047, coldest years may be warmer than hottest in past, say scientists (via New York Times)
Melting permafrost is creating “drunken forests” around Arctic (via Climate Progress)
Saudi efforts to weaken IPCC report in Stockholm exposed (via RTCC)
Can cities solve climate change? (via Scientific American)
Mining, fossil fuel firms talk about embracing climate change adaptation (via SNL Energy)
Florida considers creating alternative to federal flood insurance (via Miami Herald)
FEDERAL SHUTDOWN
90% of America’s nuclear regulators will be furloughed today (via Gizmodo)
Energy industry beginning to feel federal shutdown’s bite (via Anchorage Daily News)
RENEWABLES
World’s largest wealth fund may become green energy investor (via Renew Economy)
Q3 portfolio review: A bottom for clean energy developers? (via Renewable Energy World)
GE boosts wind turbine output up to 5% with industrial Internet technology (via CleanTechnica)
EPA drafts scaled-back renewable fuels goal (via National Journal)
Pennsylvania discourages renewable energy as climate solution (via Philadelphia Business Journal)
New York’s SUNY Cortland College using 100% renewable energy (via EarthTechling)
Will Oregon test project bring offshore wind to the West Coast? (via ClimateWire)
EMISSIONS
Carbon markets cut emissions 17x cheaper than subsidies (via CleanTechnica)
Study finds setbacks in carbon capture projects worldwide (via New York Times)
EU already close to meeting 2020 emissions goal (via Reuters)
Early repeal of carbon price system could cost Australia $2 billion (via Australian Financial Review)
Shell exec says oil companies might become carbon capture ones (via MIT Technology Review)
Fossil fuel divestment campaign growing, says study (via Grist)
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
Europe votes to tighten rules on drilling method (via New York Times)
GRID
UK, Denmark advance grid link-study (via Recharge)
Canada unveils energy storage research program (via Renew Grid)
Less than 1% of residential electricity customers will adopt dynamic pricing by 2020 unless utilities act aggressively (via Navigant Research)
AB327 signed into law with net metering warning from Gov. Brown (via Greentech Media)
ENERGY POLICY
Citibank: Utilities are dinosaurs waiting to die (via GreenBiz)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Study: Efficiency leads to “amazingly good energy news” (via Midwest Energy News)
San Francisco publishes open data on energy use in city buildings (via Sustainable Industries)
KEYSTONE XL
Alberta’s current carbon strategy no match for Keystone’s emissions (via InsideClimate News)
Influence in America: TransCanada’s Keystone XL lobbying activities (via DeSmog Blog)
TRANSPORTATION
New vehicle fuel economy continues to increase (via US EIA)
ENVIRONMENT
Chicago’s investment in cleaner, greener water (via Huffington Post)
POLITICS
Germany’s Greens turn frosty toward any alliance with Merkel (via Reuters)
OPINION
Are there any major world financial institutions that don’t want to act on climate? (via Climate Progress)
Could weather forecasting be the secret to energy management? (via Greentech Media)
Are biofuels contributing to the dead zone? (via Treehugger)
Battle over Binz: An anomaly, or first shot in a drawn-out war? (via E&E Daily)
How to divest from fossil fuels, no matter the size of your piggy bank (via Grist)