Recent Podcasts
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Online misinformation is spreading from English to Spanish - Mar 24, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Policy |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections More than 40 million people in the U.S. speak Spanish at home. And as the climate warms, many of their communities are harmed by intensifying heat waves, storms, and wildfires. So Spanish-speaking people need access to accurate information about the causes and consequences of global warming. But false and misleading content is pervasive online. “You want to find out more about what information is getting targeted towards these communities,” says Cristina López of Graphika, a social media analytics firm. The nonprofit Green Latinos, with support from Friends of the Earth, commissioned her team to study how Spanish-language misinformation about climate change spreads on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. They found that most of the misinformation does ... |
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Climate change could disrupt Maine’s coastal economy and culture - Mar 23, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Oceans |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections Maine has thousands of miles of coastline, and many small communities that rely heavily on fishing and tourism. “Maine is a state that is deeply rooted in coastal culture. And it’s part of our traditions, part of our heritage, a huge part of our economy,” says Gayle Bowness of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. But she says climate change threatens to disrupt coastal life. Rising seas and extreme storms will cause increased flooding, erosion, and land loss. And rapidly warming ocean waters are shifting where different species of fish can thrive. Bowness says people need to understand what’s going on and how they can adapt. But she says many communities do not have the money or staff to dedicate to climate planning. “So not just are we rural, but we’re ... |
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Climate change could disrupt Maine’s coastal economy and culture - Mar 23, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Oceans |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections Maine has thousands of miles of coastline, and many small communities that rely heavily on fishing and tourism. “Maine is a state that is deeply rooted in coastal culture. And it’s part of our traditions, part of our heritage, a huge part of our economy,” says Gayle Bowness of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. But she says climate change threatens to disrupt coastal life. Rising seas and extreme storms will cause increased flooding, erosion, and land loss. And rapidly warming ocean waters are shifting where different species of fish can thrive. Bowness says people need to understand what’s going on and how they can adapt. But she says many communities do not have the money or staff to dedicate to climate planning. “So not just are we rural, but we’re ... |
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Wisconsin schools adopt electric buses - Mar 22, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Education |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections More than 25 million children in the U.S. ride school buses. And most of those buses spew diesel fumes that can worsen asthma and other conditions. “We’re literally making kids sick by sending them to school in these buses,” says Francisco Sayu of the nonprofit Renew Wisconsin. He says electric school buses offer a clean alternative. They’re better for kids’ health and cut back on global warming pollution. They save districts money on fuel. And they’re expected to need less maintenance than conventional buses. But electric buses cost much more than their diesel counterparts. So to help schools make the switch, the federal government is investing $5 billion over five years to replace existing school buses with zero- and low-emission models. In Wisconsin, ... |
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Wisconsin schools adopt electric buses - Mar 22, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Education |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections More than 25 million children in the U.S. ride school buses. And most of those buses spew diesel fumes that can worsen asthma and other conditions. “We’re literally making kids sick by sending them to school in these buses,” says Francisco Sayu of the nonprofit Renew Wisconsin. He says electric school buses offer a clean alternative. They’re better for kids’ health and cut back on global warming pollution. They save districts money on fuel. And they’re expected to need less maintenance than conventional buses. But electric buses cost much more than their diesel counterparts. So to help schools make the switch, the federal government is investing $5 billion over five years to replace existing school buses with zero- and low-emission models. In Wisconsin, ... |
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Armadillos are showing up farther north as the climate warms - Mar 21, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Ecosystems |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections When homeowners in Illinois see a freshly dug hole in their lawn, few suspect it’s an armadillo. But in recent decades, these small, armored animals have established populations as far north as southern Illinois and Indiana. These areas were once thought to be too chilly. Armadillos are hairless, so they’re vulnerable to low temperatures. When it’s cold, they also struggle to find food because the worms and bugs they eat burrow deep underground. But Agustín Jiménez of Southern Illinois University says armadillos have proven that they can survive some frigid days. “They can actually go and form a den. In that area, they could be isolated from the fluctuations that occur in the exterior,” he says. And as the climate warms, those conditions - and ample food - are ... |
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Armadillos are showing up farther north as the climate warms - Mar 21, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Ecosystems |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections When homeowners in Illinois see a freshly dug hole in their lawn, few suspect it’s an armadillo. But in recent decades, these small, armored animals have established populations as far north as southern Illinois and Indiana. These areas were once thought to be too chilly. Armadillos are hairless, so they’re vulnerable to low temperatures. When it’s cold, they also struggle to find food because the worms and bugs they eat burrow deep underground. But Agustín Jiménez of Southern Illinois University says armadillos have proven that they can survive some frigid days. “They can actually go and form a den. In that area, they could be isolated from the fluctuations that occur in the exterior,” he says. And as the climate warms, those conditions - and ample food - are ... |
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UBS Is Buying Credit Suisse’s Emissions Burden, Too - Mar 21, 2023 Bloomberg |
| To do so, Credit Suisse developed complicated structures involving multiple “special purpose vehicles” responsible for payments that stand alone from the bank after the deal is closed, according to a sustainable bond investor with close knowledge of debt-nature swaps who asked not to be named. Those SPVs will probably insulate borrowers and investors from any fallout from Credit Suisse’s sale, the person said. The convoluted setup has drawn criticism from sovereign debt experts for its high cost and lack of transparency. And the opaque terms of the Belize and Barbados deals — the first of their kind — mean outside analysts will struggle to assess precisely what comes next. “We're feeling around in a dark room,” said Sean Newman, a private investment adviser and former chief investment officer of Sagicor Group, a financial services conglomerate in the Caribbean. “It’s certainly very unprecedented ... |
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EU Proposes Extending 15% Cut in Gas Demand Through Next Winter - Mar 20, 2023 Bloomberg Energy Science |
| Still, officials remain vigilant as the global market is tight, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said on Twitter. The International Energy Agency last month flagged the risk of a European gas shortage this year if Moscow were to fully cut off supplies. The EU shaved around 19% off its usual gas demand between August and January, according to Eurostat data. The commission has set member states a target of filling underground storage facilities to 90% before the next heating season. Stockpiles for the region are now about 56% full on average, data from Gas Infrastructure Europe show. Benchmark futures on Monday dipped below €40 per megawatt-hour for the first time since 2021. While the 15% cut is voluntary, it could be made mandatory under an emergency situation. To contact the reporter on this story:John Ainger in Brussels at jainger@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story:Rachel Morison at ... |
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Michigan woman helps neighbors go solar - Mar 20, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Energy |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections Four years ago, Julie Roth of Ann Arbor, Michigan, installed solar panels on her home - and got excited to help others in her community do the same. Working with her city’s office of sustainability, she organized a get-together where her neighbors and friends could learn about solar. And a local installer agreed to offer a discount if enough attendees decided to go solar. “Forty people showed up in my living room, and 12 solar installations went up from that one gathering,” Roth says. Today, Roth runs a program called Ann Arbor Solarize. It negotiates group discounts on solar installations and recruits other residents to hold neighborhood gatherings like the one she hosted. She says the events create a relaxed place for people to learn about solar and have their ... |
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Michigan woman helps neighbors go solar - Mar 20, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Energy |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections Four years ago, Julie Roth of Ann Arbor, Michigan, installed solar panels on her home - and got excited to help others in her community do the same. Working with her city’s office of sustainability, she organized a get-together where her neighbors and friends could learn about solar. And a local installer agreed to offer a discount if enough attendees decided to go solar. “Forty people showed up in my living room, and 12 solar installations went up from that one gathering,” Roth says. Today, Roth runs a program called Ann Arbor Solarize. It negotiates group discounts on solar installations and recruits other residents to hold neighborhood gatherings like the one she hosted. She says the events create a relaxed place for people to learn about solar and have their ... |
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“The lungs of the world are under threat. This makes no sense” - lawlessness and the rainforest crisis - Mar 17, 2023 Economist |
| THE ECONOMICS are clear-cut: the benefits of preserving the lungs of the world vastly outweigh those of felling trees. We travel to the Amazon and find that the problem is largely down to lawlessness in the world’s rainforests. And reflecting on the life of Oe Kenzaburo, a Japanese writer shaped by family crisis who gave voice to the voiceless. Runtime: 25 min Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Stitcher | TuneIn For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer In episode 4 of our podcast, Arkady Ostrovsky talks to the actor Chulpan Khamatova whose work has brought her up close with Russia’s leaders Our podcast on markets, the economy and business. This week, the largest US bank failure since the financial crisis |
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You can help track the impacts of climate change in your yard - Mar 17, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Ecosystems |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections As global temperatures warm, many plants flower earlier in the spring. And lots of animals are changing their migration or nesting schedules. It’s impossible for professional scientists to be on the ground everywhere tracking all the changes. So trained volunteers are helping monitor more than 1,000 species through a program called Nature’s Notebook. Alyssa Rosemartin is with the USA National Phenology Network, which runs the program. “Folks go out in their backyards or parks or neighborhoods and answer a series of yes/no questions: Do you see leaves, do you see flowers, do you see … individual warblers today?” she says. For example, volunteers are tracking the bloom times of pollinator plants such as milkweed, buttonbush, and coneflower to help researchers ... |
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You can help track the impacts of climate change in your yard - Mar 17, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Ecosystems |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections As global temperatures warm, many plants flower earlier in the spring. And lots of animals are changing their migration or nesting schedules. It’s impossible for professional scientists to be on the ground everywhere tracking all the changes. So trained volunteers are helping monitor more than 1,000 species through a program called Nature’s Notebook. Alyssa Rosemartin is with the USA National Phenology Network, which runs the program. “Folks go out in their backyards or parks or neighborhoods and answer a series of yes/no questions: Do you see leaves, do you see flowers, do you see … individual warblers today?” she says. For example, volunteers are tracking the bloom times of pollinator plants such as milkweed, buttonbush, and coneflower to help researchers ... |
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Republican Lawmakers Pan Offshore Wind Plans at NJ Event - Mar 16, 2023 Bloomberg Energy Science |
| Republicans Chris Smith of New Jersey, Andy Harris of Maryland and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania also raised concerns. A clean energy industry group criticized anti-wind activists for focusing on whales and said there’s no evidence linking recent deaths to offshore wind. “Opponents of offshore wind development are weaponizing a convenient narrative to block critical infrastructure that’s contributing to America’s energy independence, creating economic growth, and strengthening the grid,” the American Clean Power Association said in a statement Thursday. The US doesn’t yet have any large offshore wind farms but multiple big projects are planned with some starting turbine installation as soon as later this year. Offshore wind farms have operated in Europe for decades and the energy source is seen as a crucial piece of the push to decrease the use of planet-warming fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. |
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Wisconsin has a 'solar rights’ law. But HOAs still sometimes prevent solar installations - Mar 16, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Energy |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections Dane County, Wisconsin, is full of new housing developments, and many of the homes are ideal for solar panels - except homeowners’ associations often stand in the way. Kathy Kuntz leads the Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change, and a realtor tipped her off to the problem. “When the realtor first called me, I was like, 'Well, that can’t be an issue because we have a law,’” she says. Wisconsin has a 'solar rights law,’ so HOAs cannot legally ban solar. But many do unintentionally. Kuntz had an intern review HOA covenants. They found that most restrictions were not written by residents but by developers. Sometimes the rules are specific to solar, but often they apply to anything that changes a home’s aesthetics. HOAs inherit this language and frequently never ... |
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Wisconsin has a 'solar rights’ law. But HOAs still sometimes prevent solar installations - Mar 16, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Energy |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections Dane County, Wisconsin, is full of new housing developments, and many of the homes are ideal for solar panels - except homeowners’ associations often stand in the way. Kathy Kuntz leads the Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change, and a realtor tipped her off to the problem. “When the realtor first called me, I was like, 'Well, that can’t be an issue because we have a law,’” she says. Wisconsin has a 'solar rights law,’ so HOAs cannot legally ban solar. But many do unintentionally. Kuntz had an intern review HOA covenants. They found that most restrictions were not written by residents but by developers. Sometimes the rules are specific to solar, but often they apply to anything that changes a home’s aesthetics. HOAs inherit this language and frequently never ... |
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The Commodities Billionaire Betting on Power Lines for the Energy Transition - Mar 15, 2023 Bloomberg Energy Science |
| Houston-based Grid United has announced five projects and has as many as five more in the works, and Arnold said the company is actively buying up land for three power lines. Each of these massive overhead electric highways can cost $1 billion to $3 billion and can carry 1.5 gigawatts to 3 gigawatts. One gigawatt is enough to power about 200,000 Texas homes, and as many as 800,000 homes in parts of the Midwest that use less energy. That capacity will be crucial to carrying clean energy from wind and solar farms that are expected to be built across the US with incentives from the IRA. “If you can’t build transmission, a lot of what the IRA was geared towards is not going to get built,” Arnold said. Building more long-distance transmission lines will be key to the US clean-energy transition. To contact the authors of this story:Naureen Malik in New York at nmalik28@bloomberg.netRachel Adams-Heard in Houston at ... |
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BP Economist Warns Against Too Much Focus on Decarbonization - Mar 14, 2023 Bloomberg Energy Science |
| Forget Peak Oil Demand: A Thirst for Barrels Puts $100 in View Oil consumption is heading for a record this year, according to the International Energy Agency, which advises major economies. Supply — buffeted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a slowdown in US shale growth and lackluster investment in production — hasn’t kept pace. BP’s estimates for oil investment requirements are lower than that of OPEC, with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries expecting a need for $12.1 trillion to 2045. The European oil major anticipates that, at most, the sector will need slightly more than $400 billion a year until 2050. OPEC, the IEA and BP’s estimates “vary widely,” Cohen said. “Its not sensible to get bogged down in the details, what’s clear is we need to keep investing as we have been in the past.” The company is also targeting investment in green hydrogen and ... |
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Rising seas could cause septic system failures in Beaufort County, South Carolina - Mar 14, 2023 Yale Climate Connections - Oceans |
| Take the Yale Climate Connections audience survey today. Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections As seas rise, groundwater levels in coastal areas do, too. So when a storm hits, water can inundate people’s septic systems. Some residents in low-lying Beaufort County, South Carolina, are already facing the disgusting consequences. During heavy rain, some septic systems fail, so people are unable to flush their toilets. And contaminated floodwater pools in yards and streets. Amanda Guthrie is a coastal climate and resilience specialist with the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium. Her group is working to understand how quickly groundwater levels are rising in Beaufort County and the potential risks to underground infrastructure. The scientists have set up 10 monitoring wells across four communities. “They’ll collect data on the water level that rises and ... |
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