Tech Mogul's Climate Plan "Colonize Mars," Prado meets COP25 & Jaguar EV Kills It
A newsletter for people serious about the low carbon economy.
(photo credit: Dr. Marshall Shepherd)
Issue No. 5
Welcome back from the holiday! Last week our top two articles were Netflix “Binge” Watching Makes Carbon Emissions Worse and Billionaire Bloomberg Buys 'Climate Change' on Google.
My name is Walter McLeod, and I’m glad you’ve joined our community. We hope to hear from you as we navigate this weekly journey through the good, bad and ugly of carbon and climate. You can ping me anytime at mcleodwl@carboncreed.com.
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GOVERNMENTS
COP25: WWF and Prado Museum use Art to show
Climate Change
As political leaders and diplomats meet at the COP25 climate change summit in the Spanish capital, Madrid, conservation group WWF and the Prado Museum have joined forces to raise the alarm about the impact of climate change. BBC
Wait Until President Trump Hears About the EU Carbon Border Tax
The climate crisis and trade conflicts are two of the world’s biggest challenges and they might be about to collide in theEuropean CommissionEU’s green deal.TheEUhas been toying with the idea of a so-called “carbon border tax,” which would penalize imports from countries that don’t meet the same environmental standards and prevent “carbon leakage,” a tactic to offshore regulated operations to avoid paying carbon taxes. Bloomberg
INSIGHTS
What Colonizing Mars Says About Our Attitudes on Climate Change
Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are obsessed with it. Whether or not humans will colonize Mars in the near future is no longer a matter of debate. But should we really be spending money and resources on space exploration when we haven’t adequately addressed our own terrestrial climate problems? Quartz
Why you Should Talk about Climate Change – Even if You Disagree
The majority of Americans accept human-caused climate change as reality. National surveysreport 70% of the country thinks this way. The catch: Only 3 in 10 Americans actually talk about climate change. Christian Science Monitor
CLEANTECH
Lithium Battery Prices Plummet as Global Markets
Ramp Up
The BNEF 2019 Battery Price Survey reports that lithium battery prices, which were above $1,100 per kilowatt-hour in 2010, have fallen 87% in real terms to $156/kWh in 2019. By 2023, average prices will be close to $100/kWh.
This price is seen as the point where electric vehicles (EV) will start to reach price parity with internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE). BNEF
(Illustration showing a Rolls-Royce small modular reactor location. Source: Rolls-Royce)
Rolls-Royce Touts Nuclear Reactors as Key to Clean
Jet Fuel
Rolls-Royce Holdings is pitching nuclear reactors as the most effective way of powering the production of carbon-neutral synthetic aviation fuel without draining global electricity grids. Rolls say synthetics and biofuels are likely to become the mainstay of aviation in coming decades. Bloomberg
CORPORATE CITIZENS
I-PACE Accounts for Over 12% of Jaguar Sales Globally
Jaguar I-PACE electric car sales increased by 9.1% year-over-year, to 1,309. But more importantly, while overall Jaguar sales have decreased by 23% year-over-year (to 10,606), the I-PACE share went up to 12.3%, one of the highest this year. Inside EVs
BP to Supply Renewable Energy to Amazon's Europe
Data Centers
BP will begin supplying Amazon Web Services (AWS) with renewable energy from more than 170 megawatts of new wind and solar projects in Sweden and Spain starting in 2021.
The world's top oil and gas companies are under pressure from environmental groups as well as institutional investors to fall in line with targets set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement to limit global warming. NY Times
RESOURCES
The Keeling Curve a daily record of global atmospheric CO2 concentration.
Congressional Policy Tracker a summary of current federal energy legislation.
Click Clean your favorite apps and tech company clean power rankings.
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Curated by Walter McLeod, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Carbon Creed and Managing Partner with Eco Capitol Energy.