Top news and views about Environment and Cleantech for 21 Mar 2017
Beijing shuts down its last coal-fired power plant as part of bid to clear air
The last coal-fired power plant in Beijing stopped operating on Saturday with the shutdown of its last remaining generators, Xinhua reported.
The historic moment was recorded by cameras as an operator in a blue uniform pressed a red stop button for the fourth steam-turbine array.
With that, Beijing became the first city in China to rely entirely on cleaner energy sources such as natural gas and wind farms for its electricity generation, according to the state news agency.
The capital has long pledged to improve air quality by reducing the use of coal, which produces fine particles when burned that are crucial to the formation of smog.
Full story at http://bit.ly/2nEYKGQ
Earth just had its second-warmest February on record
As the saying goes: Another month, another disconcerting report from top U.S. climate agencies.
Last month was Earth's second-hottest February on record since at least 1880, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently reported.
At the same time, the extent of sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctica hit record monthly lows.
In February 2017, the average global temperature was 1.76 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average of 53.9 degrees, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information said late last week.
Full story at http://on.mash.to/2nEYM1q
Republican green groups seek to temper Trump on climate change
President Donald Trump's outspoken doubts about climate change and his administration's efforts to roll back regulation to combat it have stirred a sleepy faction in U.S. politics: the Republican environmental movement.
The various groups represent conservatives, Catholics and the younger generation of Republicans who, unlike Trump, not only recognize the science of climate change but want to see their party wrest the initiative from Democrats and lead efforts to combat global warming.
Conservative green groups such as ConservAmerica and republicEn, along with politically neutral religious groups such as Catholic Climate Covenant and bipartisan groups such as the Citizens Climate Lobby, have ramped up efforts to recruit more congressional Republicans to work on addressing climate change since Trump's election.
Conservative environmental advocates promote what they call "free enterprise" solutions to climate change, like a carbon tax. That stands in contrast to the approach of liberal environmentalists under former President Barack Obama, who backed bans on certain kinds of oil drilling and regulations aimed at discouraging petroleum use.
Full story at http://reut.rs/2nEYMhW
Trump administration's 'anti-scientific statements' alarm ex-energy secretary
The former energy secretary Ernest Moniz said on Sunday that he finds “anti-scientific statements” coming from the Trump administration “disturbing”, warning that they disregard dangers to the US and undermine its democracy.
In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, Moniz discussed statements made by Donald Trump and his cabinet appointees dismissing the evidence and dangers of climate change.
“Some of the statements being made about the science, I might say by non-scientists, are really disturbing,” he said, “because, as I said, the evidence is clearly there for taking prudent steps.”
The nuclear physicist, who was appointed energy secretary by Barack Obama in 2013, noted that this was “not just me” but rather 97% of climate scientists around the world who agree that humans have driven global warming since the industrial revolution.
Full story at http://bit.ly/2nEYLdS
Prepared by @SydesJokes
Original post from: http://CrowdifyClub.com/SydesJokes