Month: January 2025
Climate Change’s Rodent Problem
You do smell a rat.
Climate change emerged as a driving factor behind urban rat swarms, the researchers report today in Science Advances. As temperatures rise, they conclude, and people flock to urban areas and convert formerly “green” spaces into neighborhoods and shopping centers, they created a perfect storm for rat populations to explode. And the city that’s fared the worst over the past decade? Washington, D.C.
“This study provides an impressive bird’s-eye view of global trends in rat populations,” says Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal, a neuroscientist at Tel Aviv University who was not involved with the work. And the news isn’t good, adds Jason Munshi-South, an urban ecologist and evolutionary biologist at Drexel University. “There are likely dozens if not hundreds of cities around the world that have increasing urban rat populations.”
Smart, cooperative, and resilient, rats have coevolved with humans for millennia and have fine-tuned their ability to take advantage of garbage, debris piles, sewers, and small postage stamp–size plots of soil along sidewalks for food and nesting. The animals can transmit disease, spoil food and animal feed supplies—costing the United States $27 billion per year—and cause mental anguish in city dwellers. “Like the proverbial ‘canary in the mine’ our ‘rats in the city’ provide an indication of human welfare,” Bartal says.
Continue reading “Climate Change’s Rodent Problem”ABC News: No, the Sun is Not Causing Warming
ABC’s Ginger Zee explains solar cycles.
Another related bogus meme is that we’re about to go into another ice age due to solar cycles. I spoke to a scientist who knows better.
The Disinformation Campaign Against Clean Energy: Peter Sinclair Interviewed
I was interviewed on the “Left of Lansing” podcast –
my slot starts at 15:39.
I discussed a recent disinformation kerfuffle that I covered here and here.
What’s happening is Michigan is very much like what is happening throughout the Midwest, and the world. I think I pretty much laid out what I’m seeing.
As energy transition squeezes fossil fuels, they are squealing.
Important not to be dismayed or distracted.
Trump Policies could Sabotage Disaster Recovery in Red States
Donald Trump’s mass deportations and threats against federal disaster relief could decimate efforts to rebuild after wildfires and floods in multiple states, including some that backed the newly inaugurated president.
Thousands and thousands of homes have been destroyed or damaged across the U.S. by climate-fueled disasters in California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas, and in each state recovery depends on restoration or resilience workers who travel from place to place cleaning up and rebuilding in hazardous conditions, reported The Guardian.
“Like farm workers in the fields, immigrants are indispensable to fire, flood and hurricane recovery in the US. There is absolutely no rebuilding without them,” said Saket Soni, director of Resilience Force, a labor organization with nearly 4,000 members.
“Mass deportations would completely upend the ongoing recovery in Florida, Louisiana and North Carolina from last year’s hurricanes, it would stall the rebuilding of LA after fires,” Soni added. “At this point, anyone anywhere is at risk of having their home impacted by a climate disaster. So everyone needs these skilled workers.”
The disaster industry is growing as extreme weather events increase in frequency and intensity, but Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown could decimate the resilience workforce made up of tens of thousands of mostly skilled, foreign-born workers from all over the world, and labor shortages could also disrupt the construction, food and hospitality industries.
“The deportations plan is so out of touch with the reality of the victims, who without immigrants will continue to spend months, maybe years in hotels living out of pocket,” Soni said. “Recovery often makes the poor even poorer and getting back into your home is the key safeguard against spiraling inequality.”
“We’re headed for a moment where there’ll be a reckoning between such political ploys and reality,” Soni added, “and at some point this will become a moral question rather than a political one.”
MSN:
“Mass deportations would completely upend the ongoing recovery in Florida, Louisiana and North Carolina from last year’s hurricanes, it would stall the rebuilding of LA after fires,” Soni added. “At this point, anyone anywhere is at risk of having their home impacted by a climate disaster. So everyone needs these skilled workers.”
The disaster industry is growing as extreme weather events increase in frequency and intensity, but Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown could decimate the resilience workforce made up of tens of thousands of mostly skilled, foreign-born workers from all over the world, and labor shortages could also disrupt the construction, food and hospitality industries.
“The deportations plan is so out of touch with the reality of the victims, who without immigrants will continue to spend months, maybe years in hotels living out of pocket,” Soni said. “Recovery often makes the poor even poorer and getting back into your home is the key safeguard against spiraling inequality.”
“We’re headed for a moment where there’ll be a reckoning between such political ploys and reality,” Soni added, “and at some point this will become a moral question rather than a political one.”
California Could Enable Citizens to Sue Oil Companies for Disaster Damages
Boom.
I said years ago that as climate liabilities increase, a collision of insurance companies and energy companies would be inevitable. Recent disasters that strain the resources of states and giant corporations leave lawmakers looking for solutions.
Oil and gas companies would be liable for damages caused by climate change -related disasters in California under legislation introduced Monday by two Democratic lawmakers.
The proposal claims that the oil industry intentionally deceived the public about the risks of fossil fuels on climate change that now have intensified storms and wildfiresand caused billions of dollars in damage in California. Such disasters have also driven the state insurance market to a crisis where companies are raising rates, limiting coverage or pulling out completely from regions susceptible to wildfires and other natural disasters, supporters of the bill said.
Under state law, utility companies are liable for damages if their equipment starts a wildfire. The same idea should apply to oil and gas companies, said Robert Herrell, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California, “for their massive contribution to these fires driven by climate change.”
The bill aims to alleviate the financial burdens on victims of such disasters and insurance companies by allowing them to sue the oil industry to recoup their losses. It would also allow the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan, created by the state as a last resort for homeowners who couldn’t find insurance, to do the same so it doesn’t become insolvent.
Continue reading “California Could Enable Citizens to Sue Oil Companies for Disaster Damages”Trump Tariffs would Tear US Gas Supplies Apart
If Stupid really did burn we could power the world on Trump’s emissions.
Even now, most people probably don’t realize that we I ly in the Midwest via pipelines. Further, we import about 3 Trillion cubic feet (Tcf) per year of natural gas, again, mostly in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, while exporting about 1 Tcf/yr to the Canadian Northeast.
President Trump is suggesting that he might impose 25% tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S., possibly including oil and gas, which could have some serious negative consequences particularly for gas consumers. Obviously, it is not clear if he will actually do so or if the threats are posturing to influence other negotiations, and conceivably he might implement tariffs but exclude oil and gas. But even then, Canada might retaliate with export fees on energy exports.
First, it is obvious that the tariffs on natural gas would mean an increase in prices of about $0.75/Mcf assuming the border price of $3/Mcf. The figure below shows the historical import price for pipeline gas and what an additional 25% would look like. Admittedly, for residential customers, where the import price is only a fraction of the delivered price, these tariffs could add only 5 to 10%, depending on location, season, and distribution costs. Not major, but not trivial.
THE AUTHOR FROM EIA DATA.
Denmark Allocates Billions to Defend Greenland
How is this real? and how is it that presumably (big presumption) rational Republicans do not revolt and leave their party in protest?
The vast majority of Greenland residents do not want their island to become part of the United States, as envisaged by President Trump, according to a poll published Wednesday. Mr. Trump, who returned to the White House in late January, has signaled that he wants the Arctic island — which is believed to hold large untapped mineral and oil reserves — to become part of the United States and has suggested the possible use of force or tariffs to annex the autonomous Danish territory.
When asked if they wanted to become part of the United States, 85% of Greenlanders said no, according to the poll published in the Danish Berlingske and Greenland’s Sermitsiaq dailies.
6% of those polled said they were in favor and 9% were undecided, according to the poll conducted by the Verian agency.
“It’s the first poll that asked a representative section of Greenland’s population and I think this is very important,” Kasper Moller Hansen, a political science professor at the University of Copenhagen, told AFP. “I think this poll shows very clearly that they do not want to be American.”
Denmark said on Monday it would spend 14.6 billion Danish crowns ($2.05 billion) boosting its military presence in the Arctic, following renewed, opens new tab interest by U.S. President Donald Trump in controlling Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
This month, Trump said Greenland is vital to U.S. security and Denmark must give up control of the strategically important Arctic island.
Following more than a decade of drastic cuts in defence spending, last year Denmark allocated 190 billionDanish crowns ($26 billion) for its military over a 10-year span, part of which has now been allocated to the Arctic.
Denmark, while responsible for Greenland’s security and defence, has limited military capabilities on the vast island, widely regarded as a security black hole.
At present, Denmark’s capacities include four ageing inspection vessels, a Challenger surveillance plane and 12 dog sled patrols, all tasked with monitoring an area four times the size of France.
The deal includes funding three new Arctic navy vessels doubling the number of planned long-range surveillance drones to four, as well as satellite surveillance, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said at a press conference.
Greenland is already part of a power struggle in the Arctic. As its ice melts due to global warming, the battle for its natural resources is also heating up – enormous oil and gas deposits are believed to lie under its seas. Russiaand China have already increased their Arctic mining activities and military presence, and the region may soon offer new shipping routes between the US and Europe.
Survey: Elon Musk Driving Away New EV Buyers
“DealBreaker”.
Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, might be losing the brand its edge in the competitive electric vehicle market, according to new research from Electrifying.com. In the survey, 60% of car buyers now say Musk’s controversial reputation actively puts them off buying a Tesla.
This sentiment spans both current EV owners and those planning to make the switch to electric, with 59% of each group admitting Musk’s influence has become a dealbreaker.
Meanwhile, Chinese EV manufacturers are rapidly gaining traction among UK buyers. The study shows 61% of EV owners and 56% of potential buyers are open to purchasing from a Chinese brand—a significant shift as perceptions of quality and affordability improve.
Ginny Buckley, Chief Executive of Electrifying.com, said: “Tesla has been instrumental in driving EV adoption, but Elon Musk’s personal brand appears to be polarising. Consumers now have more choice than ever, and it’s clear some are turning away from Tesla to explore other options.”
Continue reading “Survey: Elon Musk Driving Away New EV Buyers”AI “DeepSeek” Earthquake Upends Power Forecasts
For much of 2024, we have heard about how the massive demands for electricity from AI and Data Centers was going to upend plans for an energy transition, and mandate massive new spends on fossil gas in particular, but also modular nuclear.
Those of us with a long view of the energy demand roller coaster have expressed some caution on the predictions.
If the new breathless predictions were wrong, well, this wouldn’t be the first time. Electricity projections in the 60s and early 70s were giving gimongous numbers for demand later in the century, which proved to be grossly in error, as energy efficiency, sparked by the oil embargoes of the 70s, took off.
It now seems possible that new technology is again about to make innovation much more efficient.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta assembled four war rooms of engineers to determine how a Chinese hedge fund managed to release an AI game-changer that may already rival its own technology, The Information reported.
DeepSeek, an AI startup backed by hedge fund High-Flyer Capital Management, this month released a version of its AI chatbot, R1, that it says can perform just as well as competing models such as ChatGPT at a fraction of the cost.
- Shares of some independent power producers fell sharply Monday amid a broader selloff in technology and AI infrastructure stocks. Shares in companies with significant nuclear and gas generation fleets in unregulated markets were particularly hard-hit, with Vistra Corp. falling by more than 28%, Talen Energy more than 21% and Constellation Energy more than 21%.
- The rout came days after Chinese AI startup DeepSeek released two high-performing AI models that may have cost 45 times less to train than leading-edge products from U.S. companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, technology investor and entrepreneur Jeffrey Emanuel said in a Saturday blog post. By Monday, DeepSeek’s AI assistant had surpassed OpenAI’s ChatGPT as Apple’s most-downloaded free app.
- DeepSeek’s success “calls into question the significant electric demand projections for the U.S. [as] AI represents ~75% of overall U.S. demand forecasts through 2030-35 in most projections,” investment bank Jefferies’ power and utilities research team said in a Monday note.
Continue reading “AI “DeepSeek” Earthquake Upends Power Forecasts”