• Sustainability

New Science on Carbon Capture Highlights Its Potential

• Antarctica
• carbon capture
• CO2
• conservation
• electrification
• green snow
• recycle
• science

New technology developed in Japan provides a much-needed breakthrough for capturing carbon released from a concentrated source like a thermal power plant and “recycling” it to create other gas fuels like methane, methanol, and gasoline.  And scientists from the U.K. have discovered that green algae known as “green snow” on the Antarctic Peninsula are a significant carbon sink for the continent, absorbing approximately 479 tons of carbon a year through photosynthesis.

Why This Matters: Carbon recycling will help reduce global warming by re-using the CO2, which would otherwise be let go into the atmosphere.

• Animals

The IMF Says All Whales Together Are Worth More than $1 Trillion

• carbon sink
• CO2
• whales

A new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) quantifies the significant benefits of whale conservation and the results are surprising — they estimate that, if whales were allowed to return to their pre-whaling numbers it would result in the capture of  1.7 billion tons of CO₂ annually. 

Why This Matters:  The Bottom Line: “Enhancing protection of whales from human-made dangers would deliver benefits to ourselves, the planet, and of course, the whales themselves.” 

• Air

Nearly Half U.S. Governors Stand Up To Trump On Clean Cars

• air pollution
• Clean Car Rule
• climate change
• CO2
• fuel efficiency
• fuel efficiency standards
• greenhouse gasses

Twenty-four governors from across the country, including three Republicans and governors from states that voted for President Trump in 2016, have banded together to oppose one of Trump’s biggest climate policy rollbacks: the weakening of clean-car standards. The governors are calling for the Trump administration to require efficiency standard improvements every year, as well as asserting California’s legal right to implement its own clean air rules.

• Weather

Global Temps in April Second Warmest in Recorded History

• carbon emissions
• climate change
• CO2
• Keeling Curve
• record
• temperatures
• warmest

According to the Japanese Space Agency and NASA, April was the second warmest since record-keeping began in 1891 — only April 2016 was warmer.   Axios’ Andrew Freeman reported yesterday that because March of this year was in the top 3 warmest, 2019 could be another year of record-breaking warmth. 

• Energy

FERC Reaches “Compromise” and Approves New LNG Export Terminal

• CO2
• FERC
• fracking
• GHGs
• LNG
• methane
• storms

For the first time in two years, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission late last week approved a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export project — the Calcasieu Pass in Cameron Parish, Louisiana — after the Commission’s two Republican commissioners and one of the two Democratic commissioners agreed to use a new approach for consideration of direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from LNG facilities. 

• Politics

Green Wave Rising in Europe Fueled by Kidpower

• Belgium
• climate change
• CO2
• emissions
• France
• FridaysForFuture
• kids
• protests
• yellow vests

Yesterday, 30,000 school children again turned out for protests in three cities across Belgium after an open letter to the government from 3,450 Belgian scientists saying “the activists are absolutely right”.  Children’s climate rallies and protests are spreading across Europe — taking place in Germany and Switzerland too with the #FridaysForFuture, according to the BBC.  There was even a sit-in at the Scottish Parliament.