Articles on or after 3/26/2024: New York Times - Climate Section
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A New Law Would Remove Many Architectural Protections in Miami Beach - New York Times - Climate Section  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · Lawmakers say preservationists held too much power over decisions on whether buildings should be demolished and what should be allowed to replace them. The oceanfront Eden Roc Hotel is an icon of Miami Modernist architecture, a style that epitomized the postwar glamour and grandeur of Miami Beach. Two turquoise panels wrap the white facade. The oval canister perched atop the building resembles a cruise ship’s funnel. Crooners like Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, and Sammy Davis, Jr., stayed and played there. But a new Florida law could make it easier for hotels like the Eden Roc and other architectural icons along Miami Beach’s coastline to be demolished. The ... | By Julia Echikson Read more ... |
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Berkeley Will Repeal Its Landmark Ban on Natural Gas in New Homes - New York Times - Climate Section  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · The decision, which came after a legal challenge, throws into question the fate of dozens of similar measures across the United States. The city of Berkeley, Calif., has agreed to repeal a landmark climate rule that would have banned natural gas hookups in new homes, throwing into question the fate of dozens of similar restrictions on gas in cities across the country. Berkeley’s gas ban, which was the first of its kind when it passed in 2019, had been challenged in court by the California Restaurant Association and was struck down last year by a three-judge panel on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The city settled the lawsuit last week by ... | By Brad Plumer Read more ... |
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He’s Got a Plan for Cities That Flood: Stop Fighting the Water - New York Times - Climate Section  (Mar 28) |
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Mar 28 · A landscape architect in China has a surprising strategy to help manage surges of water from storms supercharged by climate change. Cities around the world face a daunting challenge in the era of climate change: Supercharged rainstorms are turning streets into rivers, flooding subway systems and inundating residential neighborhoods, often with deadly consequences. Kongjian Yu, a landscape architect and professor at Peking University, is developing what might seem like a counterintuitive response: Let the water in. “You cannot fight water,” he said. “You have to adapt to it.” Instead of putting in more drainage pipes, building flood walls and channeling rivers ... | By Richard Schiffman Read more ... |
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How Elon Musk Became 'Kind of Pro-China’ - New York Times - Climate Section  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · Mr. Musk helped create China’s electric vehicle industry. But he is now facing challenges there as well as scrutiny in the West over his reliance on the country. When Elon Musk first set up Tesla’s factory in China, he appeared to have the upper hand. He gained access to top leaders and secured policy changes that benefited Tesla. He also got workers accustomed to long hours and fewer protections, after clashing with U.S. regulators over labor conditions at his California plant. The Shanghai factory helped make Tesla the most valuable car company in the world and Mr. Musk ultrarich. But Tesla is now struggling. Mr. Musk helped create his competition, Chinese E.V. ... | By Mara Hvistendahl Read more ... |
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In France, the Future Is Arriving on a Barge - New York Times - Climate Section  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · The Seine is becoming a test case for a European plan to cut carbon emissions by turning rivers into the new highways. A barge filled with items for Franprix supermarkets in Paris made its way along the Seine, not far from the Eiffel Tower.Credit... Photographs and Video by James Hill Reported and photographed along the Seine, between Le Havre and Paris. As pale morning light flickered across the Seine, Capt. Freddy Badar steered his hulking river barge, Le Bosphore, past picturesque Normandy villages and snow-fringed woodlands, setting a course for Paris. Onboard were containers packed with furniture, electronics and clothing loaded the night before ... | By Liz Alderman Read more ... |
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In France, the Future Is Arriving on a Barge - New York Times - Climate Section  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · The Seine is becoming a test case for a European plan to cut carbon emissions by turning rivers into the new highways. A barge filled with items for Franprix supermarkets in Paris made its way along the Seine, not far from the Eiffel Tower.Credit... Photographs and Video by James Hill Reported and photographed along the Seine, between Le Havre and Paris. As pale morning light flickered across the Seine, Capt. Freddy Badar steered his hulking river barge, Le Bosphore, past picturesque Normandy villages and snow-fringed woodlands, setting a course for Paris. Onboard were containers packed with furniture, electronics and clothing loaded the night before ... | By Liz Alderman Read more ... |
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They Grow Your Berries and Peaches, but Often Lack One Item: Insurance - New York Times - Climate Section  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · Farmers of fruits and vegetables say coverage has become unavailable or unaffordable as drought and floods increasingly threaten their crops. Farmers who grow fresh fruits and vegetables are often finding crop insurance prohibitively expensive - or even unavailable - as climate change escalates the likelihood of drought and floods capable of decimating harvests. Their predicament has left some small farmers questioning their future on the land. Efforts to increase the availability and affordability of crop insurance are being considered in Congress as part of the next farm bill, but divisions between the interests of big and small farmers loom over the ... | By Patrick Cooley Read more ... |
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U.S. Approves $1.5 Billion Loan to Restart Michigan Nuclear Plant - New York Times - Climate Section  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · The conditional loan from the Energy Department is part of a broad effort to revive the use of nuclear energy in the United States. The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to provide a $1.52 billion loan guarantee to help a company restart a nuclear power plant in Michigan - the latest step in the government’s effort to revive the nation’s reactors. The loan guarantee from the Energy Department will allow Holtec International to revive the Palisades nuclear plant in Covert Township, Mich., on the shores of Lake Michigan and about 40 miles west of Kalamazoo, and keep it going until at least 2051. The loan guarantee is conditional on the facility ... | By Ivan Penn Read more ... |
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Vacation Rentals: How to Shrink Your Carbon Footprint - New York Times - Climate Section  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · Elaine Glusac is the Frugal Traveler columnist, focusing on budget-friendly tips and journeys. Travelers choosing to stay in a vacation home instead of a hotel may have to spend more time searching for sustainable lodgings, but ultimately they will have more control over their environmental impact. The following are steps short-term renters can take to shrink their carbon footprint. The nonprofit Sustonica validates short-term rentals based on sustainability standards, including conserving water and minimizing waste. But it does not act as a search engine. Instead, travelers will find its logo on certified listings on platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com. Airbnb’s ... | By Elaine Glusac Read more ... |
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Why Palm Oil Is Still a Big Problem - New York Times - Climate Section  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · Subscriber-only Newsletter Climate Forward The ubiquitous ingredient contributes to the loss of tropical forests. Palm oil - the ubiquitous ingredient for all things spreadable, from toothpaste to ice cream - is now the commodity consumed by Americans that contributes most to the loss of tropical forests. That’s the conclusion of a new analysis by Global Witness, an environmental watchdog organization, and Trase, a nonprofit that analyzes supply chains. Cattle products, especially from Brazil and Australia, are a close second. Colombian coffee had a big footprint, too. I want to focus on palm oil today because we’ve known about this problem for a long ... | By Manuela Andreoni Read more ... |
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Why the Solar Eclipse Will Not Leave People Without Power - New York Times - Climate Section  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · Grid managers say they are well prepared to handle a sharp drop in the energy produced by solar panels as the eclipse darkens the sky in North America on April 8. Ivan Penn has covered the energy industry for more than 15 years. When the sky darkens during next month’s solar eclipse, electricity production in some parts of the country will drop so sharply that it could theoretically leave tens of millions of homes in the dark. In practice, hardly anyone will notice a sudden loss of energy. Electric utilities say they expect to see significant decreases in solar power production during the eclipse but have already lined up alternate sources of electricity, including ... | By Ivan Penn Read more ... |
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