This opinion piece highlights the importance of recognizing and addressing the hidden costs of global warming and other increasing climate hazards. This includes understanding the health and socio-economic impacts of excess heat, rather than extreme heat, and how heat-related data is underreported. The author also discusses racial disparities and environmental losses in this in this Guest Essay by R.
America's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, South Fork Wind, is officially open 35 miles off the coast of Montauk Point, New York. It can generate 132 megawatts of offshore wind energy to power more than 70,000 homes. Offshore wind remains a key strategy in transitioning to a carbon-free energy system with the Biden administration looking to use offshore wind energy to power 10 million homes by 2030. While this long-awaited project is an example of success, wind farm developers still face many obstacles.
According to a new study recently published in Nature, the oil and gas industry may be emitting about three-times the amount of methane than government estimates show. Methane is among the greenhouse gasses heating the planet, and is far more potent than carbon dioxide. Researchers, from Stanford University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and other organizations, estimate an average of 2.95% of gas the industry produces leaks into the air as methane--nearly three times EPA estimates.
Energy researchers and modelers projected expected greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions associated with the Inflation Reduction Act when it was passed into law in 2022. They predicted by 2030 there would be 37-42% reduction from 2005 GHG levels. 18 months after the law’s passage, some of the same researchers issued an updated report on progress in the transportation and electric power sectors to see if their projections are still on track.