Exxon’s scientists were as “skillful” as independent experts in predicting how the burning of fossil fuels would warm the planet and bring about climate change.
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See No Evil
Fossil fuels dominate our lives We occasionally receive letters from readers calling our attention to the fact that wind turbines are not green because they kill birds, are an eyesore, and make noise. We also had a President that claimed windmills cause cancer and destroys the value of homes. And there have been many articles written claiming electric cars (EVs) are more damaging to the environment than gas-fueled cars. The claim is that the manufacturing processes used to build EVs and their batteries produce more CO2 and other side effects than are ever offset over their lifetime of use. This same issue is used against solar panels and wind turbines,…
- Electric Vehicles, ENERGY, Energy Conservation, Fossil Fuels, Go Electric, Go Electric, Heating & Cooling
Top 12 Climate Developments of 2022
2022 should be celebrated for some amazing climate developments that will make a difference for years to come.
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Moving the Decimal Point on the Price of Gas
More reasons to buy an EV than your pocketbook. They drastically reduce your carbon footprint and the amount of air pollution you are generating (and, in turn, breathe). And they’re delightfully quiet and fun to drive.
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The Top 11 Clean Energy Developments of 2020
2020 will be a year to remember. Fortunately, we don’t only have to remember it for a global pandemic, wildfires, an economic recession, racial justice protests, and locust swarms. Plenty of exciting and positive things happened in the energy space throughout the year. Here we list our top eleven (in no particular order). 1. Coal Is on Its Way Out US power companies announced the retirement of more than a dozen coal plants in 2020, representing 26 gigawatts of power. And in Europe, coal plant retirements outpaced the commissioning of new generation for the first time. And while other regions may not be as quick to phase out coal as…
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Changing Direction
“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.” — Thomas Paine, from the introduction to Common Sense. For more than 200, years we have accepted the burning of fossil fuels as the way to power our rapidly changing modern world. For more than 100 years, we have accepted the gasoline-powered car for personal mobility. For more 70 years, we have accepted crop hybridization, chemical fertilizers and herbicides as the means to feed our exploding population. For more than 60,…
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Tigard Company Produces Jet Fuel from Plastics
Agilyx, the leader in converting waste plastics to fuels and chemicals, recently announced a collaborative agreement with, Monroe Energy, to supply up to 2,500 barrels per day (bbl) of Agilyx’s synthetic feedstock. Agilyx Synthetic Crude Oil (“ASCO”) is produced through a proprietary waste plastics recycling technology. Agilyx has agreed to supply ASCO to Monroe Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. Monroe will refine the ASCO into jet fuel for Delta. Agilyx plans to locate a production facility near Monroe’s refinery, which is located just outside of Philadelphia. “This is a capstone achievement for Agilyx,” said Joe Vaillancourt, Agilyx’s chief executive officer. “We are very excited to be…
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Save Gas With Hypermiling
Gas-saving driving habits, called hypermiling, can help you achieve up to 40 percent more miles per gallon (mpg) than your car’s official fuel economy estimate. Take, for example, a 2005 Honda Accord, a best-selling sedan with a mpg rating of 24 (21 city, 31 highway). According to Wayne Gerdes — who coined the term “hypermiling” and is considered by many to be its leading expert and trainer — an Accord driver who is savvy to hypermiling can expect to get about 35 mpg. Dedicated hypermilers can achieve 50 percent or better improvement over their vehicles’ estimated mpg figures. Last year, Gerdes set a world record for distance in a gas-powered,…
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Change the World: Investing for a Fossil Fuel Free Future
Climate change is one of the concerns driving money into Sustainable, Responsible and Impact investing. SRI funds have grown by 76 percent between 2012-2014.
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Portland’s Coal Problem
According to Mayor Sam Adams,Portland receives 68 percent of its power from non-renewable fossil fuels and over 44 percent is produced by coal. A great deal of that coal-fired power generation originates in the Rocky Mountains. Oregon’s only coal-fired electric power plants is located in Boardman, Oregon. It is the state’s largest stationary source of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and other pollutants including mercury. PGE owns 65 percent of the Boardman coal-fired power plant and is seeking to submit an alternative operating plant that would phase out the facility or switch to non-coal fuel by 2020. In January, Adams announced his support of PGE’s work to rethink the…
