Summary
Good news in today’s edition: China is to increase its wind power capacity by 22% in 2016 (in the Power section). Also, beware of bamboo: its ability to store carbon is called into question. And finally, I can’t resist: Trump even gets climate denial wrong!
Quote of the day
“We should not have a candidate who doesn’t believe in modern science to be leading our country.”
Leonardo DiCaprio, in the AFP’s story DiCaprio criticises climate change deniers running for president
Lead stories
Media giants Sky and Bloomberg join RE100 clean power campaign
By Madeleine Cuff – BusinessGreen
Two of the world’s largest media firms have pledged to get all their electricity from renewable sources as part of the RE100 initiative, which encourages businesses to source 100 per cent renewable power.
http://bit.ly/1Mobo47
DiCaprio criticises climate change deniers running for president
AFP
Fresh from his Oscar-winning role in “The Revenant,” Leonardo DiCaprio suggested Wednesday that his upcoming documentary on climate change could help raise awareness about a phenomenon that some US presidential candidates reject.
http://bit.ly/1pKrRWv
Trump Even Gets Climate Denial Wrong
By Joe Romme – Think Progress
When it comes to climate science, Donald Trump doesn’t even know what he doesn’t know. But when it comes to classical rhetoric — what Plato called “the art of winning the soul by discourse” — Trump is a master.
http://bit.ly/1MEYLwb
Meteorologists overwhelmingly conclude climate change is real and human-caused
By Jason Samenow – The Washington Post
Earth has witnessed its warmest two years on record, 2015 and 2014, over the last two years. At the same time, peer-reviewed studies have piled up demonstrating man’s influence on our climate.
http://wapo.st/1T8ayty
Bamboo’s Ability to Store Carbon Called Into Question
By Brian Clark Howard – National Geographic
For years people have promoted bamboo as an eco-friendly material for everything from countertops to chopsticks. The fast-growing plant has been thought to store up carbon from the atmosphere as it grows, trapping the greenhouse gas.
http://bit.ly/1S9scbM
Events
Navigating the American Carbon World (NACW) 2016
Climate Action Reserve
May 4-6, 2016
San Diego, California
http://goo.gl/Ah5s1I
CARBON EXPO 2016
Global Carbon Market Fair and Conference
May 25-27, 2016
Cologne
http://jlne.ws/1mg8bqR
Cleantech Innovate Scotland
June 9, 2016
http://jlne.ws/1mg6nOG
Carbon
Volkswagen gets new deadline for deal with EPA
By Timothy Cama – The Hill
A federal judge has given Volkswagen four more weeks to hash out a deal with regulators to fix its diesel emissions problem with 600,000 vehicles.
http://bit.ly/22IJTq4
PAF first auction named carbon deal of the year
By Scott Cantor – The World Bank
When you think of online auctions, what products come to mind? Perhaps electronics, collectibles or concert tickets, but it’s unlikely that you think of climate finance.
http://bit.ly/1LKxSMu
Natural gas / coal
Global coal and gas investment falls to less than half that in clean energy
By Fiona Harvey – The Guardian
Global investment in coal and gas-fired power generation plants fell to less than half that in renewable energy generation last year, in a record year for clean energy.
http://bit.ly/1q4AHhB
How long can the UK’s coal industry survive?
By Karl Mathiesen – The Guardian
At 3pm on Thursday, the turbines of Scotland’s last coal power station at Longannet will spin for the last time.
http://bit.ly/1PtSUtG
The end of coal: good riddance or dangerous gamble?
By Paul Younger – The Conversation
Scotland has become the first part of the UK to stop burning coal to supply electricity following the closure of Longannet, its largest power station, on March 24.
http://bit.ly/25nNM5R
Power
U.K. Sees No Power `Black Hole’ If EDF Scraps Nuclear Plan
By Alex Morales – Bloomberg News
The U.K. won’t struggle to keep the lights on if Electricite de France SA decides not to proceed with its 18 billion-pound ($25 billion) plan to build a new nuclear-power plant at Hinkley Point in southwest England, Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said.
http://bloom.bg/1RoSJnQ
China To Increase Wind Power Capacity By 22% In 2016
By Joshua S Hill – Clean Technica
China is planning to increase total wind power capacity by 22% this year, reiterating the government’s plans to keep renewable energy development high.
http://bit.ly/1SjY14f
EIA: Wind, solar and natural gas make most new electrical generation in 2015
By Herman K. Trabish – Utility Dive
Wind, natural gas and solar made up the main sources of new United States electrical generation in 2015, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
http://bit.ly/1UP1MRm
New solar towers, cubes offer 20X more power, researchers say
By Lucas Mearian – Computer World
Researchers at MIT have discovered a method of optimizing solar energy collection by arranging photovoltaic (PV) panels on a tower or in a cube shape.
http://bit.ly/1SjYlzJ
Solar Is a Booming Business, but It’s Still Not Generating Much of Our Power
MIT Technology Review
The solar industry is growing fast. Led by China, the United States, and Japan, the world will install nearly 65 gigawatts of new solar generating capacity this year—up from 54 gigawatts in 2015 and four times the amount installed in 2010.
http://bit.ly/22INtQT
Blow for Scottish tidal power
By Erikka Askeland – The Press and Journal
Another blow has been dealt to tidal power in Scotland. Renewable energy developer Atlantis has dropped its plan to develop a tidal project near Kylerhea in Skye.
http://bit.ly/1UdZjBc
Clean tech
The Toyota Prius Prime’s high-tech interior has a ‘budget Tesla’ feel
By Chris Ziegler and Sean O’Kane – The Verge
Even though the new Prius is just a few months old, Toyota has already made major changes to the interior of the new plug-in version, the awesomely named Prius Prime.
http://bit.ly/22yA7dm
Microsoft Tackles Big Problem with Fuel Cell-Powered Data Centers
By Yevgeniy Sverslik – Data Center Knowledge
Fuel cells are an attractive alternative energy source for data centers, whose number and energy consumption continue growing at a fast pace, as people consume more and more digital services.
http://bit.ly/1UL3fJI
Water
World Water Day brings a gush of initiatives, investments
By Barbara Grady – GreenBiz.com
On the United Nations’ World Water Day on Tuesday, no less than 150 companies and NGOs announced new initiatives towards enhancing water quality, conservation and management at a White House Water Summit.
http://bit.ly/1pKrxal
Maybe stop selling the ocean?
By John D. Sutter – CNN
The climate change activists marched into the Superdome — that sports arena turned nightmare after Hurricane Katrina — and demanded an end to the auction.
http://cnn.it/1pKslf7