Energy and Environment News Roundup – 12.8.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
CLIMATE
Adapting to a warmer climate could cost almost three times as much as thought, says UN report (via The Guardian)
Peru climate change talks slowed by clashes of rich and poor nations (via Los Angeles Times)
Rift widens among greens over burying carbon as climate fix (via Reuters)
Five burning issues for Lima climate talks this week (via RTCC)
Morocco and Mexico biggest beneficiaries of climate funds (via The Guardian)
US Coast Guard proposes Bering Strait shipping route (via ABC News/AP)
How winters are changing throughout the U.S. (via Climate Central)
A fossil fuel scandal at Lima climate talks (via Huffington Post)
NATURAL GAS
Ukraine expects Russian gas supplies to resume Monday (via Reuters)
West Virginia approves fracking under Ohio River; critics leery (via Columbus Dispatch)
Plans for shale gas “energy hub” draw investors and protestors to Philadelphia (via StateImpact Pennsylvania)
RENEWABLES
India plans five-fold increase in clean energy (via ABC News/AP)
Peru lifts renewable energy target for 60% by 2025, aims for 100% long term (via Renew Economy)
Canada probes Chinese solar imports for possible dumping violations (via Forbes)
Wind farms powered 107% of Scotland’s homes in November (via BusinessGreen)
Global wind turbine manufacturing capacity far surpasses demand (via Navigant Research)
Enel Green Power starts $190 million wind farm in Chile (via Bloomberg)
Suzlon conducting study for offshore wind farm in India (via Financial Express)
Ethanol joins US fuels dominating global export market (via Houston Chronicle)
World record solar module efficiency of 40.4% from CPV startup RayGen (via Greentech Media)
Solar PV generation doubles – monthly US electricity generation report (via CleanTechnica)
Heco seeks Hawaii green light for 207MW solar PPAs (via Recharge)
Now’s the time to buy into community solar prices, at all-time low (via CleanTechnica)
New York launches “Community Solar NY” To support Solarize campaigns (via Solar Industry Magazine)
A “business” model for expanding renewable energy: The New Mexico Production Tax Credit (via Renewable Energy World)
EMISSIONS
Global Divestment Day: Climate action vs carbon bubble risk (via CleanTechnica)
China blocks carbon review sought by US at UN talks (via Bloomberg)
IETA: Carbon markets need to matter more in Lima (via RTCC)
Oil companies at climate talks dismiss carbon bubble fears (via RTCC)
Renewable energy price declines can help states meet carbon targets under EPA’s Clean Power Plan (via NRDC Switchboard)
RGGI carbon auction raises more than $94 million (via Environmental Leader)
A California community shoots for the moon: Palo Alto considers carbon neutrality (via RMI Outlet)
OIL
Global shale ambitions wane as OPEC price war deepens oil plunge (via Bloomberg)
Don’t count on oil drop greasing global growth (via Bloomberg)
Oil price drops boost argument for crude exports (via Houston Chronicle)
US oil rig count rises as shale drillers face OPEC challenge (via Bloomberg)
US Supreme Court rejects BP challenge to Gulf spill settlement (via Reuters)
TRANSPORTATION
US fuel economy average down for the first time in four years (via Autoblog)
Fuel to the fire? Fuel exports soar under Obama (via AP)
Quebec is first Canadian province to use carrot-and-stick tactics with car buyers (via Montreal Gazette)
US gasoline prices fall to four-year low (via Reuters)
US airlines will need to sharply increase fleet renewal to meet 2020 carbon neutral growth goal (via Green Car Congress)
Audi confirms it will release Tesla-rivaling electric sedan in 2017 (via Inhabitat)
Uber adds a billion dollars more to its coffers (via New York Times)
ENVIRONMENT
Latin American coalition to restore 20 million hectares of forest (via RTCC)
California’s drought is now the worst in 1,2000 years (via Time)
Trackable, biodegradable fishing nets could put an end to “ghost nets” (via Treehugger)
COAL
Big banks propping up dirty coal industry to tune of $89 billion (via Huffington Post)
Grassroots anti-coal movements to watch (via Treehugger)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
UK government to re-launch Green Deal energy efficiency scheme with £30 million fund (via BusinessGreen)
Are hotel energy and water savings programs really about the environment? (via Treehugger)
Freedom Tower was supposed to be the greenest building in America – so what went wrong? (via Mother Jones)
Green real estate trends (via Huffington Post)
NUCLEAR
Almost all US nuclear plants require life extension past 60 years to operate beyond 2050 (via US EIA)
GOP gain put nuclear power back on the table (via The Hill)
New math to help Exelon’s nuclear plants (via Crain’s Chicago Business)
GRID
Regional Japan grids can take less than half of renewables approved by government (via Bloomberg)
Smart meter power savings prove slow to materialize (via New York Times)
POLITICS
Energy firms secretly helped state attorneys general fight Obama (via The Hill)
Fossil-fuel lobbyists, bolstered by GOP wins, work to curb environmental rules (via Washington Post)
House Republican plans to introduce climate-science bill (via National Journal)
Black Friday shopper numbers twice as high as midterm election voter turnout (via Inhabitat)
OPINION
The end and beginning of the Arctic (via Climate Central)
India’s energy moment: Ready for a low-carbon future? (via National Geographic)
Will German wind market double? (via Renewables International)
Five reasons why Tesla’s stock is down (via GigaOm)
Why a Florida utility suddenly wants to serve Hawaii (via Christian Science Monitor)
Can solar companies really be called “high tech?” (via Renewable Energy World)
What’s really at stake in the Florida solar battle? (via Renewable Energy World)
Do gasoline prices affect home values? (via Houston Chronicle)
Why the world missed the oil price crash (via Council on Foreign Relations)