Green Lights Aug. 30: Top stories this week
Green Lights Aug. 30: Top stories this week
Don't miss a single story from the best of Callaway Climate Insights.
. . . . Welcome back to Green Lights. Here’s our weekly roundup of the best of Callaway Climate Insights. David Callaway surveys the impact of harsh new tariffs on imports of EVs such as Tesla’s from China and the popular BYD models. Plus, check out our reports on renewable energy challenges from Latin America and success stories from Portugal. Have a good Labor Day Weekend, and remember to subscribe.
. . . . A late summer of pain for Tesla TSLA 4.64%↑ amid new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles grew worse this week after Canada joined both the U.S. and Europe to impose harsh new taxes on imports of EVs such as Tesla’s from China and the popular BYD models. For the EV industry as a whole, it’s another hit in a distressing year of slowing sales and declining investment, as governments pull back on subsidies and union complaints about the new models rise, David Callaway writes.
. . . . Not content with simply forecasting that everything is going to be rosy for oil demand for the next quarter century, Exxon XOM 1.94%↑ this week topped up its prediction with a threat that any efforts to cut oil production for climate reasons would lead to an oil shock. But forecasts are generally not worth the paper, uh, computer screens they are written on. Demand numbers over the next few years will tell the story.
. . . . Politics aside, clean energy jobs are here to stay. The battle over the transition to clean energy might be a political hot potato in November’s presidential election, but one thing neither side can dispute is the growth of clean energy jobs in the past several years.
. . . . When we think of renewable success stories in Europe, mostly Scandinavian countries come to mind. But Portugal is right there with Sweden and Denmark, writes Nick Godt from Lisbon. Since ditching coal production three years ago, the country has increasingly relied on its powerful mix of renewable energy, from hydropower to wind energy from the Atlantic Ocean, to plentiful solar (and yes, some Spanish fossil fuel imports). But like most renewable energy stocks, Portuguese energy companies have struggled to convince investors of their transition. That may be about to change.
. . . . Land grabs, climate change, politics and even murder plague Latin America’s hydropower grid, writes Michael Molinski. Global infrastructure companies are turning their eyes to the region to resolve some of the drastic effects brought on by climate change. New, sustainable, efficient hydroelectric projects, if done right and with the support of local communities, could go a long way toward slowing or even reversing the problem.
Warning: Surging seas are coming for us all (BBC)
A real carbon sink: Stashing more CO2 in the ocean could slow climate change (Science News Explores)
Explainer: Why is climate change causing ‘record-shattering’ extreme heat? (Carbon Brief)
Clear message: What the Lobstermen of Maine Tell Us About the Election (The New York Times)
How bad could it be?: Hundreds of Ancient Viruses Discovered Deep Inside Tibetan Glacier (Yale Environment 360)