Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Brazil are analyzing the creation of a lithium cartel of sorts in charge of expanding South America’s processing capacity, turning more of their mined lithium into batteries and tapping into the electric vehicles (EVs) manufacturing sector.
The group would emulate similar schemes, such as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), in terms of coordinating production flows, pricing and good practices, representatives of the Argentinean delegation said at the annual PDAC Convention, held this week in Toronto, Canada.
More good news, except for haters of EVs or battery storage: prices of battery materials like lithium carbonate and cobalt are way down. As for cobalt, innovation already eliminated it from some battery designs. Haters have gone silent on these prices. credit: @colinmckerrachepic.twitter.com/z4eCw2RRAw
Lithium, the common ingredient in almost all electric-car batteries, has become so precious that it is often called white gold. But something surprising has happened recently: The metal’s price has fallen, helping to make electric vehicles more affordable.
Since January, the price of lithium has dropped nearly 20 percent, according to Benchmark Minerals, even as sales of electric vehicles have soared. Cobalt, another important battery material, has fallen by more than half. Copper, essential to electric motors and batteries, has slipped about 18 percent, even though U.S. mines and copper-rich countries like Peru are struggling to increase production.
The sharp moves have confounded many analysts who predicted that prices would stay high, or even climb, slowing the transition to cleaner forms of transportation, an essential component of efforts to limit climate change.
The same groups who have been mobilized and weaponized against solar and wind energy are now being directed to stop the buildout of EV and battery manufacturers across the US. These are not organic “grassroots” groups, but part of a larger, highly coordinated campaign. The tactics include mobilizing large numbers of agrieved right wing true believers to show up at normally sedate planning commission and local board meetings to intimidate local officials considering clean energy projects.
Logic and consistency are not a part of the rationale. For years, far right activists have argued that clean energy projects are “built in China” and therefore should not be allowed. Now that new incentives are attracting Chinese investors to partner with US companies to build in the US, fired up, facebook-mobilized mobs are being directed to oppose those as well.
A new ” battery belt” is emerging in the United States as automakers from around the globe race to meet the overwhelming demand for fully electric, zero-emission vehicles. With limited production ability, planned investments to ensure the US has an adequate supply of critical EV battery components exceeds $40 billion.
One of Michigan’s largest economic development announcements in 2022 originated in Mecosta County, where the Big Rapids area learned it had been chosen by Gotion Inc. for a $2.36 billion electric vehicle battery factory.
Screenshot from anti-wind, anti-solar facebook page in Montcalm County, MI – urges readers to join protests against battery facility in neighboring county.
Today, that factory remains in line for almost $1.1 billion in state funding in the form of $907 million in tax breaks plus $175 million from the $1.6 billion Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) fund for large-scale Michigan business projects, according to Green Charter Township. Originally planned to be built in adjoining townships, Gotion recently reduced its initial footprint to just Green Charter.
The project is starting to attract greater attention from residents and legislators statewide, who question both the state incentives and whether the U.S. subsidiary of private Gotion High-Tech Inc.’s Chinese ownership has ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is accelerating its influence over Chinese businesses.
The issue also is attracting far-right political figures — including Tudor Dixon, the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial candidate who spoke on a Fox News program about it. She asserted the company would have a CCP arm on-site when the factory is built, which the U.S.-based subsidiary denies.
This comes as local residents are seeking more information on how the battery project may impact roads, infrastructure and other aspects of their community, Green Charter Township Supervisor Jim Chapman told Bridge Michigan this week.
The two channels of inquiry (from local residents and outside groups) collided as the township planned to host a public meeting at Ferris State University this Wednesday, April 5. The event was recently moved to an online format amid what Chapman said were concerns that the meeting would be disrupted.
All of this is happening, he said, as “we’re not even sure if Gotion is coming (here).”
Chapman spoke with Paula Gardner, Bridge’s business editor, about why the event was moved online and what local officials feared. Here are excerpts from the conversation.
There is no universe where the United States remains a global technological leader without upgrading our decrepit, approaching-developing-world-statis electric grid. So, why not restore it with renewables in mind? And while I’m asking, can we also incentivize microgrids, more rooftop generation, and community solar?
What I learned:
Battery storage already capable of providing 7-8 percent of California’s electricity – equal to the output of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant. Rooftop solar is not even close to enough to cover our grid needs – but it can be a significant fraction. 20 percent estimated here.
100 percent water/wind/solar possible – some discussion over costs. As always, Mark Jacobson of Stanford is on the leading edge of the all-renewable camp. Mark draws a lot of criticism, but his modeling from 15 years ago was closer to what we see today than most of the naysayers.
Below, researchers Amol Phadke and Jonathan Koomey talk about strategies to firm the grid on the way to full renewables. (Koomey is a Stanford lecturer, and Phadke was a lead author of a key paper on “90 Percent Renewables by 2035”.
Hundreds of thousands of Florida property owners face requirements to buy flood insurance under a precedent-setting bill approved Wednesday by the state Legislature. It’s the first mandate of its kind in the country.
The requirement applies to properties across the state, regardless of whether they are in high-risk flood zones and will cost some homeowners thousands of dollars a year.
The bill was approved two months after Hurricane Ian caused catastrophic damage in parts of Florida where almost no one has flood coverage (Climatewire, Oct. 1). Supporters say the requirement could protect people whose homes are damaged by storms from financial ruin because flood coverage is generally not included in standard homeowners’ insurance policies.
“It’s probably a good idea to mandate people to have flood insurance,” said Paul Handerhan, president of the Florida-based Federal Association for Insurance Reform, a consumer advocacy nonprofit. “It seems like that’s the only mechanism that really drives adoption.”
The requirement comes as federal lawmakers and officials are struggling to get more homeowners across the country to buy flood insurance and protect themselves financially against climate change.
Federal law requires people to have flood insurance on property inside a flood zone if it’s secured by a federally backed mortgage.
Yet many people flout that requirement, and less than 4 percent of households nationwide have flood coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program, which is run by FEMA and is the main provider of U.S. flood coverage.
In Florida, the nation’s most flood-prone state, 19 percent of households have flood insurance. That’s the second-highest rate in the U.S. after Louisiana. Even so, 7 million households in the state don’t have flood coverage.
The Florida flood-insurance requirement was included in an expansive bill approved by the state Legislature during a special session this week to revive the state’s crumbling insurance sector.
Dozens of local insurers have gone bankrupt this year or ceased covering property damage amid mounting losses. That’s forced hundreds of thousands of Floridians to buy policies through the state-run insurer of last resort, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., while making Florida the most expensive state in the country for property coverage, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Climatewire, June 22).
The Florida home insurance market is in crisis, and Hurricane Ian has only made things worse.
Over the past year, many insurers and the reinsurers who back their policies have announced they are either scaling back their business or discontinuing their coverage in Florida entirely. An increasing number of Florida insurers have also fallen into insolvency.
File this under Free Market discovers climate anxiety. For those that don’t trust those pesky, dishonest scientists on the impacts of climate change, here’s someone you know you can believe – a real estate salesman.
Enterprising South Carolina real estate developer has a YouTube informing potential homeowners of the challenges of moving to Florida. Surprise – Myrtle Beach is your better option.
Hundreds of thousands of Florida property owners face requirements to buy flood insurance under a precedent-setting bill approved Wednesday by the state Legislature. It’s the first mandate of its kind in the country.
The requirement applies to properties across the state, regardless of whether they are in high-risk flood zones and will cost some homeowners thousands of dollars a year.
The bill was approved two months after Hurricane Ian caused catastrophic damage in parts of Florida where almost no one has flood coverage (Climatewire, Oct. 1). Supporters say the requirement could protect people whose homes are damaged by storms from financial ruin because flood coverage is generally not included in standard homeowners’ insurance policies.
“It’s probably a good idea to mandate people to have flood insurance,” said Paul Handerhan, president of the Florida-based Federal Association for Insurance Reform, a consumer advocacy nonprofit. “It seems like that’s the only mechanism that really drives adoption.”
The requirement comes as federal lawmakers and officials are struggling to get more homeowners across the country to buy flood insurance and protect themselves financially against climate change.
Federal law requires people to have flood insurance on property inside a flood zone if it’s secured by a federally backed mortgage.
Yet many people flout that requirement, and less than 4 percent of households nationwide have flood coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program, which is run by FEMA and is the main provider of U.S. flood coverage.
In Florida, the nation’s most flood-prone state, 19 percent of households have flood insurance. That’s the second-highest rate in the U.S. after Louisiana. Even so, 7 million households in the state don’t have flood coverage.
The Florida flood-insurance requirement was included in an expansive bill approved by the state Legislature during a special session this week to revive the state’s crumbling insurance sector.
Dozens of local insurers have gone bankrupt this year or ceased covering property damage amid mounting losses. That’s forced hundreds of thousands of Floridians to buy policies through the state-run insurer of last resort, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., while making Florida the most expensive state in the country for property coverage, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Climatewire, June 22).
The Florida home insurance market is in crisis, and Hurricane Ian has only made things worse.
Over the past year, many insurers and the reinsurers who back their policies have announced they are either scaling back their business or discontinuing their coverage in Florida entirely. An increasing number of Florida insurers have also fallen into insolvency.
Above, I tried with no success to isolate the interview clip with Greta Thunberg, the second tweet above. Worth a watch if you have not seen, for Greta’s humorous take on her massive troll following.
Speaking of which, new developments in the ongoing detention and trial of misogynist, climate denier, and accuses sex-slaver Andrew Tate. If you’ve not been following, background here.
Divisive online influencer and self-described misogynist Andrew Tate and his brother have been moved to house arrest while they are investigated for alleged human trafficking and rape after a Romanian court overturned a prosecutors’ request to keep them in police custody until late April.
Tate, his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects have been in police detention since December 29. Prosecutors are investigating them for suspected human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
Accompanied by their Romanian lawyers, the brothers – who deny all charges brought against them – were released at approximately midnight [21:00 GMT] on Friday from the police central arrest premises in Bucharest. The two female suspects were also released.
“We see the court decision as legal, thorough and correct,” Tate’s lawyer Eugen Vidineac told reporters on Friday.
He said the brothers were forbidden from contacting witnesses and leaving the house without approval from authorities.
A study published last year collected attitudes about climate change from 10,000 people across the world, aged 16-25.
In the survey, 59% of youth and young adults said they were very or extremely worried about climate change and more than 45% said their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily life and functioning.
“So, they know that the world is going to get to be a harder, darker, scarier place,” said Schwartz. “And imagining themselves in that world feels really scary for them.”
The study also revealed how climate change makes young people feel. In all countries surveyed, nearly 62% said they were anxious about climate change. About 67% said they were sad and afraid.
For years, Saudi Arabia has pressed the United States to help it develop a nuclear energy program, as Saudi leaders look beyond oil to power their country.
But talks about a nuclear partnership have dragged on, largely because the Saudi government refuses to agree to conditions that are intended to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons or helping other nations do so, according to officials with knowledge of the discussions.
Frustrated Saudi officials are now exploring options to work with other countries, including China, Russia or a U.S. ally.
At the same time, they are renewing a push with the United States — their preferred partner — by offering to try to normalize relations with Israel in exchange for U.S. cooperation on building nuclear reactors and other guarantees.
New details of the Saudi efforts provide a window into the recent difficulties and distrust between Washington and Riyadh, and into the foreign policy that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pursuing: greater independence from the United States as he expands partnerships with other world powers, including China.
Some analysts say that is part of a strategy to pressure Washington to work with the Saudi government on its own terms; others say the prince sees an emerging multipolar world in which the United States plays a less dominant role. Saudi Arabia also agreed in March to a diplomatic rapprochement with Iran after China acted as broker.
New details of the Saudi efforts provide a window into the recent difficulties and distrust between Washington and Riyadh, and into the foreign policy that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pursuing: greater independence from the United States as he expands partnerships with other world powers, including China.
Some analysts say that is part of a strategy to pressure Washington to work with the Saudi government on its own terms; others say the prince sees an emerging multipolar world in which the United States plays a less dominant role. Saudi Arabia also agreed in March to a diplomatic rapprochement with Iran after China acted as broker.
The Saudi nuclear efforts raise a specter of proliferation that makes some American officials nervous: Prince Mohammed, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, has said that Saudi Arabia will develop nuclear weapons if Iran does. Any civilian nuclear program has dual-use elements that could aid a country in producing weapons-grade material.
But Prince Mohammed also believes he has the right to exploit the kingdom’s potentially vast uranium deposits for both energy and export. That would create a new revenue source for the kingdom and could give Saudi Arabia greater geopolitical heft. China is already working with Saudi Arabia on uranium prospecting.
Speaking at a conference in Riyadh in January, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the energy minister, said that plans to enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel — including for export — were even “more important” than proposed reactors in Saudi Arabia. The energy ministry said in a statement that the bidding process for two reactors involves “several technology vendors” and that it expected to receive proposals soon.
The United States requires countries to meet high standards of nonproliferation before cooperating on a nuclear program, including in some cases banning uranium enrichment and fuel reprocessing in their territory. The details are enshrined in a 123 agreement, which the State Department negotiates with advice from the Energy Department. The pact must be reviewed by Congress, which can block it.
Saudi officials have refused to commit to the restrictions, which would undermine their goal of enriching and selling uranium.
A long-suppressed FBI report on Saudi Arabia’s connections to the 9/11 plot has revealed that Saudi religious officials stationed in the United States had more significant connections to two of the hijackers than has been previously known.
Above from MidwestStormChasing on Youtube. Description:
The first SPC issued “High Risk” (level 5/5) in over 2 years brought multiple strong-to-violent tornadoes to eastern Iowa on March 31st, 2023. This video includes footage from 2 or possibly 3 of those tornadoes, all spawned by the same parent supercell, as well as an intercept of a tornado-warned QLCS south of Iowa City, which brought large hail and high winds, along with torrential rain.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Unrelenting tornadoes that tore through parts of the South and Midwest killed at least 10 people, shredded homes and shopping centers, and collapsed a theater roof during a heavy metal concert in Illinois.
Emergency responders across the region counted the dead and surveyed the damage Saturday morning after tornadoes touched down into the night, part of a sprawling storm system that also brought wildfires to the southern Plains and blizzard conditions to the Upper Midwest.
The dead included four in the small town of Wynne, Arkansas, Cross County Coroner Eli Long told KAIT-TV. Other deaths were reported in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana and the Little Rock area.
