“Racial justice and climate justice are inextricably linked. Communities of color are disproportionately harmed by racial injustice and climate injustice,” said Rev. Vernon Walker, a program director at Massachusetts-based nonprofit Communities Responding to Extreme Weather. “We certainly do need more investment in climate resiliency in environmental justice communities as extreme weather is a threat to people and infrastructure, and I am delighted that this report mentions that.”
CLEAN ENERGY
Must Be Equitable
Climate planning is a chance for Boston to undo history of inequities. Over the next three decades, Boston is expected to pass policies and invest billions to transition to a clean energy economy — and a new report argues this is also an opportunity to advance racial equity. The assessment, produced by the Boston Green Ribbon Commission and Embrace Boston racial justice group, details the history of environmental injustice in the city and outlined ways to undo those harms. It notes low-income neighborhoods and communities of color have less green space, which makes them hotter, as well as lower access to healthcare and higher utility costs compared to their incomes. The report suggests targeting resiliency investments towards historically marginalized communities. (Boston Globe $)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Affordable
Rusting batteries could power the grid for cheap. A new type of battery based on rusting is looking to displace lithium-ion batteries as a new way to affordably shore up the grid and store renewable energy. Iron-air flow batteries use cheap, abundant materials to charge and discharge power by forming and separating iron oxides (better known as rust). One manufacturer is building a $760 million iron-air flow battery plant with the hopes of producing grid batteries that can store power for just one-seventh the cost of traditional lithium-ion batteries. While commercial deployment is still a few years away, the company expects their batteries to get cheaper and cheaper as operations scale up. (Bloomberg $)
Lithium prices are falling, good news for EVs. After two years of rapidly rising prices, lithium is down more than 30 percent this year. This is good news for automakers, EV buyers, and other clean energy customers who were hit by a 7 percent jump in battery costs last year. The price drop comes as global demand for EVs has taken a slight dip, though it typically takes months for changes in commodity prices to impact auto markets. EV sales comprised 10 percent of new U.S. car sales last year, and companies like Tesla and Ford have cut prices on some of their EV models to attract buyers and gain a competitive advantage. (Wall Street Journal $)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Replacing Fossil Fuels
Clean energy is rapidly phasing out coal. While U.S. coal power hit its peak just 15 years ago in 2007, research shows that the energy sector is quickly moving away from coal power. 40 percent of current coal-fired capacity is set to close by 2030, thanks in large part to the rise of renewable energy and its rapidly falling costs. It’s now cheaper to replace 99 percent of coal plants with solar and wind farms according to a report this year from Energy Innovation. Analysts say this transition is happening much faster than expected, especially considering that coal did not rebound when gas prices jumped in 2022, but still warned the U.S. needs to move even faster to stay in line with Paris Agreement goals. (Grist)
California says heavy duty vehicles need to start going electric. California has set a new standard requiring half of all heavy duty trucks be all-electric by 2035 as part of its plan to clean up the transportation sector, the largest source of U.S. climate pollution. The policy comes on the heels of last year’s new rule requiring all passenger vehicles sold in the state be zero-emissions by 2035. Now that the Biden administration has granted permission for California to go above and beyond federal requirements, six other states are also set to adopt California’s standards. While analysts say the target is highly ambitious, California’s influence as the world’s fifth-largest economy could help rapidly shift the market. (New York Times $)
Energy Department has a new offshore wind strategy. The Department’s new plan aims to focus on lowering costs, developing a domestic supply chain, accelerating floating offshore wind, and developing transmission solutions to support offshore wind power. The strategy notes that the U.S. has over 4,200 gigawatts of technical offshore wind power potential — enough to power the country more than three times over. They note that reaching the Biden administration’s goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 would create over 77,000 jobs, draw $12 billion in investment, and create 5 to 10 new manufacturing plants. (Utility Dive)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Challenging
Texas is fighting to protect fossil fuels. A spate of bills proposed in the Texas Legislature are designed to halt climate and environmental progress while preserving fossil fuel dominance. One bill would impose fees for filing environmental complaints, another would allow state laws around oil and gas development to supersede federal regulations, and another set of bills would cut support for renewables while artificially boosting fossil gas power. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said these bills are a priority for him this legislative session, though advocates hope these bills will die on the House floor as other similar efforts have in recent years. The legislative moves come despite the fact that Texas has seen incredible growth in wind, solar, and battery installations in recent years and is poised to continue that trajectory — unless the Legislature gets its way. (Gizmodo)
