This week’s edition of the Exponential View newsletter just went out – and that prompts me to post here all the stories of climate momentum that the team and I surfaced the week prior.  There’s a whole system we’ve built to surface the best climate news each week, and a team to run it. (More on that soon.)  Then I write up the stories selected by the folks at Exponential View.  It’s a great honor to get to be a part of it, EV is an amazing community and I can’t recommend checking them out highly enough.

Want some good climate news to build on?  Here are 4 stories we wrote up last week and 26 more that you might find inspiring as well!

Snipped from…

Marshall’s comment: “In addition to billions of dollars of new loans and investments aimed to bolster renewables, and legal rulings against multi-billion dollar fossil fuel projects, here are some of the most interesting new developments in climate this week.” 

Renewables milestone: Wind and solar power provided more than 10% of the entire world’s power generation for the first time last year, Bloomberg NEF reported this week.  50% of the new power generation added last year was from solar, 14% from wind.  The bad news is that coal grew faster last year, too. Just 89.5% of the mix left to go for renewables! Last month we shared a meta study by 15 academic institutions demonstrating that it is now effectively a global scientific consensus that 100% of the world’s energy needs could be filled by renewable sources by 2050.

Indigenous co-management for climate: The US Federal Government announced new guidelines last week for co-management with indigenous tribes of federal lands across the country, covering more than 70% (!) of the land under federal management. The guidelines will apply to three giant agencies: the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service (links to each agency’s order in PDF).  Repeating for emphasis, because this really is amazing, more than 70% of the federal land in the US (by my math) now falls under orders with language like this from the BLM, which is directed to “engage Tribes in meaningful consultation at the earliest phases of planning and decision-making in order to provide an opportunity for Tribes to shape the direction of the BLM’s land management activities. Upon request by a Tribe, the BLM will meet and consult regarding costewardship opportunities and evaluate proposals submitted by Tribes, including proposals to build both Tribal and Federal capacity to carry out the SO.” That sounds good, but do see this critique of the co-management paradigm from 1998. Globally, Indigenous Peoples represent 6.2% of the world’s population, hold tenure over 25% of the world’s land surface, steward 80% of the world’s biodiversity, and manage at least 24% of the total carbon stored above ground in the world’s tropical forests. The IPCC’s February report cites indigenous land tenure 58 times as a key lever for limiting climate change.

Solar panels in space: China’s LONGi Green Energy, called the world’s largest solar company, has announced that it is going to launch solar panels into space. The experimental system will capture sunlight high above the ground and convert it into microwave beams. Then it will shoot those beams through the air to a receiver station on the ground, where they can be converted back to electricity.  While such a system is intended to offer continuous access to the sun’s rays, many people have called it more trouble than it’s worth. Dutch renewables expert Auke Hoekstra posted a thoughtful Twitter thread in defense of solar panels in space almost 4 years ago.  It’s certainly a very centralized solution. 

Breaking the loss & damage taboo: Denmark has announced that it will break ranks with international leaders who refuse to pay money to poor countries and former colonies for the impact of climate change. This week the country announced a symbolic USD $13M pledge to aid countries already suffering far more than they’ve contributed to climate change. Historically, global powers have been unwilling to give a little, lest they be expected to pay up the full sums that might be expected.  Denmark built commercial colonial power with sugar and slaves, across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, for more than 400 years, until the 1950’s.  Announcing the new climate damage funds, Denmark’s current development minister Flemming Møller Mortensen said: “I saw for myself in Bangladesh this spring that the consequences of climate change need increased focus…It is grossly unfair that the world’s poorest should suffer the most from the consequences of climate change, to which they have contributed the least.” Imagine what it would mean for fairness to be a priority in all such matters.

Let’s build on these examples of bravery!

All the stories we found that week

1. New federal guidance aims to strengthen Indigenous land management | Grist *
   1. The Department of the Interior announced on Tuesday new guidance to help federal agencies strengthen collaboration with Indigenous Nations in the management of public lands, water, and wildlife. The new policy will support agreements designed to help tribes co-manage projects on public lands that make up 620 million acres divided among four major federal agencies.
2. GM upgrading assembly plant to support EV production (electrek.co)
   1. As part of GM’s plans to provide “EVs for everyone,” the automaker says it will be upgrading its Marion, Indiana, assembly plant. General Motors will invest $491 million to prepare the facility for the automaker’s transition to electric with new stamping capabilities.
3. 3 big direct carbon capture deals to know | Greenbiz
   1. The past few months of 2022 have seen a flurry of deals between promising direct air capture startups or ventures and big corporate sponsors.
   2. Related: How I Built This with Guy Raz: HIBT Lab! Climeworks: Jan Wurzbacher on Apple Podcasts
4. Solar & Wind Power = 71% of New US Power in 2022 (January–July) – CleanTechnica
   1. solar and wind accounted for 70.6% while renewables overall accounted for 71.0%. Clearly, solar and wind power dominate the renewable energy market these days in terms of new power plants — and lead the industry as a whole.
5. 14% Of New Cars Now Fully Electric In France! – CleanTechnica
   1. Plugin vehicles continue to rise in France, with last month’s plugin vehicle registrations ending at 19,712 units. That means it was another two-digit growth month for plugin vehicles (PEVs) in France.
6. Judge Tosses Air Permits For $9.4 Billion Louisiana Plastics Plant – Inside Climate News
   1. The sharply worded ruling dismantled the state Department of Environmental Quality’s rationale for permits that would have allowed Formosa Plastics to emit more than 800 tons of toxic pollution a year into predominantly Black St. James Parish. “People’s lives are worth more than plastic,” says one activist.
7. Kia plans US EV manufacturing in 2024 as new incentive requirements loom – The Verge
   1. Manufacturing EVs in the US would allow Kia to qualify for new incentives that were included in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, which requires automakers to build EVs in North America to qualify.
8. U.S. will phase down HFCs, polluting compound found in ACs and refrigerators : NPR
   1. Nearly six years after the United States helped negotiate it, the Senate is moving to ratify a global climate treaty that would formally phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, industrial chemicals commonly found in air conditioners and refrigerators, insulating foams and pharmaceutical inhalers.
   2. Related: Senate passes Kigali amendment to curb hydrofluorocarbons – The Washington Post
9. Denmark becomes first country to pledge ‘loss and damage’ finance (climatechangenews.com)
   1. The Nordic nation committed 100 million DKK ($13m) to build resilience and help climate victims recover during a ministerial meeting on the sideline of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday
   2. Related: Denmark first U.N. member to pay for ‘loss and damage’ from climate change – The Washington Post (F)
10. Schools are harnessing solar power in record numbers | Grist
    1. Solar arrays offer cost savings and educational opportunities.
11. Solar power constituted half of all global capacity additions last year, followed by wind: BloombergNEF | Utility Dive
    1. At 182 GW, solar power facilities accounted for half of all global capacity additions last year, with wind additions making up a quarter of new capacity and fossil-fuel additions contributing 14%, BloombergNEF said in a report released Wednesday.However, coal-fired power production jumped an unprecedented 8.5% in 2021 to a record 9,600 TWh, helping increase global power sector carbon dioxide emissions by 7% from the year before, the research firm said in its Power Transition Trends report.
12. Sweden restricts international oil and gas filnance to deliver on climate commitment – Oil Change International (priceofoil.org)
    1. Sweden restricts international oil and gas finance to deliver on climate commitment
13. California could ban sales of new diesel big rigs by 2040 – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
    1. Saying they had a “moral obligation,” California regulators could soon ban the sale of diesel big rigs by 2040, ending a long reliance on the polluting vehicles that are the backbone of the American economy.
14. Biden plans floating platforms to expand wind power off shores of Oregon, other states – OPB
    1. The Biden administration on Thursday announced plans to develop floating platforms in the deep ocean for wind towers that could power millions of homes and vastly expand offshore wind in the United States.
15. Oregon, Washington push for ‘green hydrogen’ energy – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | Mail Tribune
    1. Oregon and Washington have teamed up to go after billions of federal dollars to make the Northwest a hub of green hydrogen energy.
16. The world’s first Tesla solar neighborhood is becoming reality (electrek.co)
    1. The world’s first Tesla solar neighborhood is becoming a reality in Austin, where Tesla is deploying solar roofs and Powerwall in a brand-new development.
17. Australian Indigenous island community halts $3.6bn gas drilling | Energy News | Al Jazeera
    1. Australia’s Federal Court has ruled in favour of an Indigenous group’s challenge against a drilling permit for Santos Ltd’s Barossa gas development, in what the Santos company called a “disappointing” setback for the $3.6bn project.
18. Renewable Energy Jobs Hit 12.7 Million Globally (irena.org)
    1. Worldwide renewable energy employment reached 12.7 million last year, a jump of 700,000 new jobs in one year despite the lingering effects of COVID-19 and the growing energy crisis, according to a new report.
19. EU proposes windfall tax on energy companies | CNN Business
    1. The European Union wants to raise €140 billion ($140 billion) by tapping the windfall profits of some energy companies to help households and businesses pay eye-watering gas and electricity bills.
20. Cheap Chinese hydrogen electrolysers ‘likely to become popular worldwide during 2025-30’: BNEF | Recharge (rechargenews.com)
    1. Chinese electrolysers that are up to four times cheaper than Western equivalents will become popular around the world in the second half of this decade, according to a new report by analyst BloombergNEF (BNEF).
21. Federal Court Rules Enbridge Trespassed on Indigenous Land to Build Line 5 Pipeline | Democracy Now!
    1. In Wisconsin, a federal judge has ruled in favor of an Indigenous tribe on the south shore of Lake Superior after it challenged construction of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline. Judge William Conley found the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians acted within its rights when it revoked permission in 2013 for the pipeline to cross tribal territory. The judge ruled the company is trespassing and must pay damages.
22. How to make sure there’s electric car equity | Grist *
    1. Advocates for low-income communities and people of color have long argued that if electric cars are necessary for American roads and the health of the planet, then they should be accessible to all Americans, not just the ones with disposable income.
23. Hertz places massive order of 175,000 electric vehicles with GM (electrek.co)
    1. After its massive order of Tesla vehicles, Hertz now announces another huge order of electric vehicles, this time for 175,000 EVs from GM.
24. Ideanomics tests first wireless 500 kW electric truck charger (electrek.co) *
    1. Ideanomics passed a considerable milestone Wednesday as the company announced it successfully tested WAVE’s 500kW ultra-fast wireless charger, a first of its kind that can charge class 8 electric trucks in under 15 minutes.
25. EV market share doubled in the Southeast this year (electrek.co)
    1. If you see more electric vehicles across the southern United States, it’s not just you. According to the annual Transportation Electrification in the Southeast report, EV market share in the region doubled from last year with Tesla and Hyundai leading the way. And, perhaps more important, the industry’s growth is bringing new jobs to the region.
26. New Jersey sets US’s highest offshore wind target | Windpower Monthly *
    1. New Jersey has set a new offshore wind goal of 11GW by 2040 – the highest state target in the US.
27. Solar panels launched into space may soon send power back to Earth (electrek.co)
    1. LONGi Green Energy, the world’s largest solar company, is going to launch solar panels into space to test whether they can successfully work in orbit and transmit power back to Earth. *
28. Microsoft, Planet and Nature Conservancy Debut Renewables Watch Software – Solar Industry (solarindustrymag.com) *
    1. Microsoft Corp., Planet Labs PBC and The Nature Conservancy are launching the Global Renewables Watch (GRW), a living atlas intended to map and measure all utility-scale solar and wind installations on Earth using artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite imagery, allowing users to evaluate clean energy transition progress and track trends over time.
29. Terra-Gen closes $1billion loans for phase two of Edwards Sanborn (energy-storage.news) *
    1. Developer Terra-Gen has closed US$969 million in project financing for the second phase of Edwards Sanborn Solar-plus-Storage facility in California, which will bring it to 3,291MWh of energy storage capacity.
30. 6 clean energy companies that are ramping up US… | Canary Media
    1. The Inflation Reduction Act provides billions of dollars in tax credits and loans, helping to spur investment in domestic production.
31. A “Supercharge” Of Renewable Energy Development Is Taking Place Around Us – CleanTechnica *
    1. Cost reductions are expected to provide certainty to investors in renewable energy projects and continue to accelerate an already robust transition.
32. 24% Of New Car Sales Now Electric In The Netherlands! – CleanTechnica
    1. The Dutch auto market has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel, growing 9% year over year (YoY) in August, while the Dutch plugin vehicle (PEV) market has continued to grow, last month by 20% YoY. That’s mostly thanks to pure electrics (24% of all new vehicle sales), which grew 30% year over year (YoY) last month. Plugin hybrids (PHEVs) also remained positive in August, if only by 1%, by registering 2,296 units, or 10% share.
33. Norway’s $1.2 Trillion Investment Fund Sets 2050 Net Zero Target – The New York Times (nytimes.com)*
    1. It’s the first time that the $1.2 trillion fund has set a date by which companies it invests in should be at “net zero,” meaning they either emit no carbon or offset their emissions by removing equivalent amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. The 2050 target aligns the fund, which has stakes in over 9,000 companies around the world, with BlackRock and many other large asset managers.

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