QUICK NEWS, November 16: CLIMATE SENTIMENTS SHIFTING; ELECTRIC VEHICLES PROVE CLEANEST ON WHEELS; MAINE OCEAN WIND GETS $3.7MIL BOOST
CLIMATE SENTIMENTS SHIFTING Are The Pope And Faith Communities Changing The Climate Change Conversation?
Marshall Shepherd, November 16, 2015 (Forbes)
“…[A] unique study design of within-subject surveys of a nationally representative sample of American adults conducted in the Spring, prior to the release of the Pope’s encyclical Laudato Si’, and again in the Fall, after the Pope’s visit to the United States [shows more Americans and more American Catholics are worried about global warming than six months ago and more believe it will have significant impacts on human beings. Some of these changes in Americans’ and American Catholics’ views can be attributed to the Pope’s teachings, as 17 percent of Americans and 35 percent of Catholics say his position on global warming influenced their own views of the issue]…[I]t is important to caution that [The Francis Effect: How Pope Francis Changed The Conversation About Global Warming ] has not been peer reviewed…We will indeed be further analyzing the data for publication in academic journals, and at least one dissertation is already planned. The Pope’s efforts on behalf of the climate created a wonderful natural experiment…” click here for more
ELECTRIC VEHICLES PROVE CLEANEST ON WHEELS Electric vehicles beat gasoline cars in cradle-to-grave emissions study
Jerry Hirsch, November 12, 2015 (LA Times)
“Cradle-to-grave analysis finds driving an electric car…creates less greenhouse gas emissions than even the most efficient gasoline vehicle…A car running on electricity -- even when power plant emissions are considered -- produces pollution equivalent to a theoretical conventional car with fuel economy of 87 miles per gallon, according to…[Cleaner Cars from Cradle to Grave How Electric Cars Beat Gasoline Cars on Lifetime Global Warming Emissions. The Union of Concerned Scientists] tallied all the greenhouse gas emissions from every aspect of auto manufacturing and operations and found that electric vehicles beat their gasoline counterparts in every region of the U.S…They did best -- putting out the pollution of a gas vehicle that gets 135 mpg -- in upstate New York, which is rich with renewable energy resources…Electric cars offered the least pollution reduction -- the equivalent of a 35 to 36 mpg car -- in the central U.S., states such as Colorado, Kansas and Missouri, because so much of the electricity in that region comes from fossil fuels such as coal…” click here for more
MAINE OCEAN WIND GETS $3.7MIL BOOST Maine pilot project receives $3.7 million award, reviving vision for offshore wind farm; The money will help finance further development of floating turbines that could lead to a lucrative clean-energy industry in the state.
Tux Turkel, November 16, 2015 (Portland Press Herald)
“An experimental offshore wind turbine being developed by a University of Maine-led consortium has won a $3.7 million federal award [from the Department of Energy for the Maine Aqua Ventus project]…reviving ambitions that the state could be the home of a floating, deep-water wind farm and a new clean-energy industry…[Demonstration projects in New Jersey, Virginia, and Oregon won $47 million grants when] Maine got $3 million to continue engineering and design work…[but the three others have] been unable to secure a power purchase agreement, and each has had trouble with cost and/or regulatory issues [so Aqua Ventus gets] $3.7 million to help overcome remaining barriers…In elevating the status of Maine Aqua Ventus, the Energy Department’s action may put Maine back in the [offshore wind] game…The project won a 20-year power-purchase agreement from the Maine Public Utilities Commission. An average Central Maine Power Co. home customer would pay an additional 73 cents a month, or $8.70 in the first year…” click here for more
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