The state is working on establishing a 2030 storage target by the end of the year, as it looks to pair storage with renewable electricity generation to further the state’s clean energy and climate goals. Under Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision strategy, the state is aiming for 50% renewable energy generation by 2030. New York also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050, both compared to 1990 levels.
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Antarctic ice loss has tripled in a decade. If that continues, we are in serious trouble. — The Washington Post
Antarctica’s ice sheet is melting at a rapidly increasing rate, now pouring more than 200 billion tons of ice into the ocean annually and raising sea levels a half-millimeter every year, a team of 80 scientists reported Wednesday. The melt rate has tripled in the past decade, the study concluded. If the acceleration continues, some of scientists’ worst fears about rising oceans could be realized, leaving low-lying cities and communities with less time to prepare than they had hoped.
‘Sunny day flooding’ worsens at NC beaches — a sign sea rise is decades too soon, studies say — News & Observer
Living in cities threatened by sea-level rise could be like living near an active volcano, according to NOAA oceanographer William Sweet. Some parts of the Earth are seeing sea levels rise far beyond average, and it’s just a waiting game before some areas are inundated with sea water, studies show. The East Coast of the U.S. is experiencing “sunny day flooding” that scientists didn’t expect for decades yet.
The oceans’ circulation hasn’t been this sluggish in 1,000 years. That’s bad news. — The Washington Post
The Atlantic Ocean circulation that carries warmth into the Northern Hemisphere’s high latitudes is slowing down because of climate change, a team of scientists asserted Wednesday, suggesting one of the most feared consequences is already coming to pass. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation has declined in strength by 15 percent since the mid-20th century to a “new record low,” the scientists conclude in a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Nature. That’s a decrease of 3 million cubic meters of water per second, the equivalent of nearly 15 Amazon rivers.
How Elon Musk’s big Tesla battery is changing Australia’s power landscape — Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The world’s biggest lithium-ion battery — built by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s company Tesla last year — has survived its first summer in South Australia’s mid-north. And according to a new report by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), it’s outperforming coal and gas generators on some key measures.
UN reports see a lonelier planet with fewer plants, animals — The Washington Post
Scientists meeting in Colombia issued four regional reports Friday on how well animal and plants are doing in the Americas; Europe and Central Asia; Africa; and the Asia-Pacific area. Their conclusion after three years of study : Nowhere is doing well.
Search for the Super Battery — NOVA
We live in an age when technological innovation seems to be limitlessly soaring. But for all the satisfying speed with which our gadgets have improved, many of them share a frustrating weakness: the batteries.
Entertainment Activists & 36 Nonprofits to Duke Energy CEO: Help Avert Climate, Social Chaos before It’s Too Late for Us All — News Release from NC WARN
Nine national organizations join call for Lynn Good to get on the right side of history; ad campaign will urge more nonprofits, businesses and individuals to speak up. Support this effort by emailing Lynn Good at ceo@duke-energy.com and tweeting @DukeEnergy with #ClimateAction.
New NASA study shows fracking of natural gas and oil is key driver of climate change — News Release from NC WARN
A bombshell new study by NASA concludes that methane emissions from the oil and gas industry have grown rapidly and are a key driver of global warming. The findings support many earlier studies, and bolster the argument that a huge rise in super-potent methane emissions is linked to soaring global temperatures in recent years.
Arctic report card: Permafrost thawing at a faster pace — The Washington Post
Permafrost in the Arctic is thawing at a faster clip, according to a new report released Tuesday. Water is also warming and sea ice is melting at the fastest pace in 1,500 years at the top of the world.