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Yale Environment 360
Global Power Sector Emissions Headed for Decline
The power sector is the biggest source of emissions globally, but the rapid growth of wind, solar, and nuclear are now pushing its emissions into decline, analysts say. Coal power likely peaked in 2023, as did power sector emissions, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency, which mirrors other recent analysis.
Natural Hydrogen: A Potential Clean Energy Source Beneath Our Feet
A remote community of mud huts and corrugated iron roofs in the arid savannah of West Africa could be a trailblazer for a new form of carbon-free energy. The residents of Bourakebougou in Mali are the only people in the world who get their electricity by burning natural hydrogen. First identified bubbling from the depths through a village water well in 1987, the gas contains no carbon and, when burned, produces only water.
Russia’s War Has Left a Huge Gap in Climate Research
Since war broke out in Ukraine, Western scientists have lost access to information from Russian research stations, leaving a critical data gap in the rapidly warming Arctic. A new analysis investigated the effect of losing Russian data. For the study, scientists looked at 60 field stations belonging to an Arctic research network, including 17 Russian stations, which were barred from the network after war broke out.
At Solar Farms Planted with Native Vegetation, Insects Flourish
To reach its climate goals, the U.S. will need to build solar arrays on some 15,000 square miles of land, an area larger than Maryland. Growing native plants at these sites could give a much-needed boost to imperiled insects, a new study finds. For the research, scientists at the Argonne...
On YouTube, a Shift from Denying Science to Dismissing Solutions
An analysis of thousands of YouTube videos posted over the last five years finds a decline in videos that outright deny climate change but an uptick in those that impugn the credibility of scientists or question the practicality of shifting to renewable energy,. “Scientists have won the battle to inform...
Rethinking Monarchs: Does the Beloved Butterfly Need Our Help?
To help the monarch butterfly, Texas writer Charlie Scudder decided to home-rear its caterpillars. Checking the milkweed in his garden one August evening he spotted two of the flamboyant black, white, and yellow-striped creatures. After naming them Pancho and Lefty after the Townes Van Zandt song, he moved them into a mesh butterfly cage. He checked on them several times a day, cleaning out their copious caterpillar poop, waiting with great anticipation to see them attach to the wall of the cage to form their chrysalises and eventually emerge as black and orange adult butterflies festooned with white spots.
Ten Curious New Plants and Fungi Recorded in 2023
As the planet warms and extinctions mount, researchers are racing to catalog the vast array of life before it disappears. This year, researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, cataloged 89 new species of plant and fungi that spanned the breadth of the Earth, from the rocky edges of Antarctica to a dormant volcano in Indonesia.
Global EV Sales Headed for New High in 2024
Analysts project another record year for sales of electric vehicles, driven largely by surging demand in China, the biggest market for battery-powered cars. Global sales of plug-in cars are expected to grow by 21 percent this year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Analysts project sales will total 16.7 million worldwide, including 1.9 million plug-in cars sold in the U.S., 3.4 million in Europe, and 9.7 million in China.
When Species Names Are Offensive, Should They Be Changed?
A few years ago, Tim Hammer realized suddenly that his research was haunted by a very unpleasant ghost. Hammer is a botanist. He was just beginning a postdoctoral position at the University of Adelaide, working on the taxonomy of Hibbertia, a genus of plants commonly known as guinea flowers. Hammer found that the genus was even more diverse than scientists had previously understood, and soon he was working on descriptions of dozens of new species.
U.K. Fossil Power Falls to Lowest Level Since 1957
The U.K. is drawing less power from natural gas and coal than it has at any point in the last 66 years. Last year, fossil fuels supplied 33 percent of British electricity, while renewables provided 43 percent, according to an analysis from CarbonBrief. Nuclear power and imported electricity accounted for most of the remaining supply.
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Yale Environment 360 is an online magazine offering opinion, analysis, reporting, and debate on global environmental issues.
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