November 16, 2023 - WorldOra Carbon News

A Package of Bold Laws Puts Michigan on a Fast Track to …

The Michigan Senate gave final approval last week to a bundle of clean energy bills, transforming a state at the center of industrial America into a leader in the fight against climate change.

The legislation, which passed both chambers of the Statehouse with narrow Democratic majorities, represents a turnaround for a state that had long blocked policies to curb pollution from the factories that have underpinned its economy for generations.

Support for the legislation, which once would have been unthinkable in such an industrialized state, has grown as Michigan has experienced the economic toll of climate change, Governor Whitmer said. She pointed to increased flooding in Detroit, the spread of toxic algae in the Great Lakes and the decline of the state’s cherry and other fruit crops.

More than half of states already have laws or regulations requiring utilities to switch to clean electricity, but only a handful require the transition to happen at the rapid pace set by the Michigan legislation. For example, under its new law, Michigan would transition to zero-emission climate-friendly electricity sources even faster than California, which for decades has been at the vanguard of state climate action. There is no federal clean power mandate.

The legislation, which passed both chambers of the Statehouse with narrow Democratic majorities, represents a turnaround for a state that had long blocked policies to curb pollution from the factories that have underpinned its economy for generations.

Considering this is the heartland of industry for the entire country this is a paradigm shift which puts Michigan in the forefront of the country’s efforts to cope with climate change.

Policy points:

• The climate legislation would require the state to generate all of its electricity from wind, solar and other carbon-free sources by 2040.

• The legislation would also tighten energy efficiency requirements for electric utilities

• allow more residents to enroll in a rooftop solar energy program

• streamline permits for new wind and solar power.

World's biggest tidal energy 'kite' could power a small town One of the most eye-catching designs to emerge in recent years is a giant metal ‘kite’ which swims underwater against the current, turning its rotor and generating electricity. Power is then sent to the grid via a subsea cable which also acts as the kite’s tether.

The biggest of these kites ever built, known as Dragon 12, is about to be installed off the Faroe Islands. With a wingspan of (you guessed it) 12 metres, the Dragon is expected to generate 1.2MW of clean electricity once operational — enough to power around 1,000 homes. The kite is now being shipped from Sweden to the Faroe Islands for installation.

The kite was first designed by carmaker Saab and then commercialised in 2007 by Swedish startup Minesto, which has been refining the technology ever since. With more than €40mn of funding from the European Regional Development Fund, Minesto claims to be the EU’s largest investment in marine energy to date.

Climate change affects your life in 3 big ways, a new report warns NPR - Climate change causes tens of billions of dollars in economic damage in the United States every year, according to a new assessment. Many survivors of climate-driven disasters, including hurricanes, floods and wildfires, struggle for months or even years to repair their homes or find new stable housing.

Climate change is expensive, deadly and preventable, according to the new National Climate Assessment, the most sweeping, sophisticated federal analysis of climate change compiled to date.

Released every five years, the National Climate Assessment is a congressionally mandated evaluation of the effects of climate change on American life. This new fifth edition paints a picture of a nation simultaneously beset by climate-driven disasters and capable of dramatically reducing emissions of planet-warming gasses in the near future.

This is the first time the assessment includes standalone chapters about climate change's toll on the American economy, as well as the complex social factors driving climate change and the nation's responses. And, unlike past installments, the new assessment draws heavily from social science, including history, sociology, philosophy and Indigenous studies.