Month: September 2022

7000 Flee Fire in California

Fires rake Northern California, while in Death Valley, visitors come to see “what 125° F feels like”.

Of course, for may of the rest of us, if we just sit tight, we’ll probably find out.

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Tracking US Droughts Since 2000

French Nuclear Reactors to Restart (Fingers crossed Knock on wood)

Summarizing France 24 report.

32 (out of 56!) of France’s “reliable 24-7” nuclear reactors have been shut most of the (record hot)
summer, due to corrosion problems, “maintainence”, and drought (they need water to cool themselves).
With Russia squeezing gas supplies, power prices skyrocketing, French government (meaning taxpayers)
will “absorb” some of that increase.
2022 power prices were 85 euros per MWH. Now over 1000 Euros / MWh.
High gas prices will bleed over into the US and rest of the world.

Meanwhile, wind and sunlight remain free, can’t be blocked, and need little to no water, as always


We have a choice.

Before the Inflation Reduction Act, and its promise of 380 Billion in funding for an energy transition – Europe inaugurated its own energy transition initiative with 300 plus dollars.
Try to imagine the boost that renewable industries are going to see in the coming decade.

ABC News:

The European Union’s executive arm moved Wednesday to jump-start plans for the 27-nation bloc to abandon Russian energy amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, proposing a nearly 300 billion-euro ($315 billion) package that includes more efficient use of fuels and faster rollout of renewable power.

The European Commission’s investment initiative is meant to help the 27 EU countries start weaning themselves off Russian fossil fuels this year. The goal is to deprive Russia, the EU’s main supplier of oil, natural gas and coal, of tens of billions in revenue and strengthen EU climate policies.

“We are taking our ambition to yet another level to make sure that we become independent from Russian fossil fuels as quickly as possible,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels when announcing the package, dubbed REPowerEU.

Weed Fire Explodes in California

Whoah this looks way too much like last year’s fire in Boulder. (see below)

Wild/Urban interface is a dangerous place to be in a 1200 year drought.

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