QUICK NEWS, June 11: New Energy Is The Only Fix; New Energy Is Where The Jobs Are

New Energy Is The Only Fix There Is No Quick Fix for Climate Change; A plan to turn carbon dioxide into liquid fuel sounds great in theory, but poses a number of problems.

Adam McGibbon, June 11. 2018 (New Republic)

“…[One reason for the growing obsession with the geoengineering techno-fixes for climate change is the understandable worry many have] about how long Earth will remain inhabitable… [But another reason] is that many of us don’t want to have to make the challenging sacrifices—personal, political, and economic—to address the problem…The hope that science will ride to the rescue is driven by a total faith in technological progress, and there are many such examples to comfort us…[But geoengineering] projects are fraught with unintended consequences. Scientists don’t know how spraying clouds with sea water would affect precipitation, potentially devastating the food systems. Dumping iron filings in the ocean would have unknown effects for marine life. Injecting aerosols into the atmosphere could cause droughts. Meddling with climatic systems we don’t understand, in the service of solving global warming, could just make the crisis worse…

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The political impact could prove fatal, too. If society believes that geoengineering solutions are right around the corner, it takes the pressure off of implementing proven solutions, like transitioning away from a fossil fuel economy…The solutions don’t need to be invented; they already exist. The world must sharply cut carbon emissions, keep fossil fuels in the ground, decarbonize the economy, and pursue aggressive reforestation and peatland restoration—nature’s geoengineering…There is no quick fix…” click here for more

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New Energy Is Where The Jobs Are The energy sector is driving job growth, but not where you think; Energy efficiency and utility investments in grid modernization are growing sector employment.

Robert Walton, June 7, 2018 (Utility Dive)

“Wind, gas and storage jobs are all increasing in the energy sector, but the fastest employment growth…[is coming from energy efficiency, according to a new analysis] four energy-focused sectors of the U.S. economy…The traditional energy and energy efficiency sectors, which employ about 6.5 million Americans, saw a 2% increase in jobs in 2017, or about 133,000 new positions…with growth focused on the advanced energy sector…

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…[The solar sector lost 24,000 jobs — about 6% of the workforce — as the industry installed about 30% less in 2017 than it had the year before…Growth in the traditional energy and efficiency sectors made up 7% of all jobs created in the United States last year…More than half of those employed by the sector last year, about 1.1 million, worked in traditional coal, oil or gas positions, the report found. The other, almost 800,000 workers, were employed in jobs related to low-carbon emission generation technologies, including renewables, nuclear and advanced/low-emission natural gas…” click here for more

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