Greener Industrial Chemicals, EV Fleet Challenges And Tesla’s Record Deliveries

This week’s Present Local weather, which each and every Saturday brings you the newest information in regards to the enterprise of sustainability. Signal as much as get it in your inbox each week.

In the Nineteen Seventies, decreased manufacturing of oil led to a stagnating economic system and surging inflation as a result of greater gasoline costs. These results had been amplified within the early a part of that decade when the OPEC nations agreed to chop manufacturing each to boost costs and in response to the Nixon Administration’s assist for Israel and its resolution to weaken the greenback by coming off the gold customary. The impression of this made the Nineteen Seventies a tumultuous time each economically and socially. Right now historical past threatens to repeat itself as OPEC+ nations earlier this week pledged to chop their manufacturing targets, leaving the Biden Administration scrambling. (Although, as my colleague Chris Helman factors out–OPEC hasn’t been hitting its manufacturing targets anyway, so it’s not clear whether or not this announcement really means something for the supply of oil. However then, oil value will increase within the late Nineteen Seventies had been pushed extra by panic spurred by the Iranian Revolution than precise manufacturing shortfalls. Notion issues…)

Whereas it’s true that the US continues to be power unbiased – it exports extra power than it imports – that’s partly as a result of its export of liquid pure gasoline. Plus the fungible nature of the world oil markets mixed with America’s love affair with inner combustion engines implies that our politics may be held hostage to the curiosity of authoritarian nations. On this case, OPEC’s transfer appears to be tied to the U.S. and Europe’s assist of Ukraine in its struggle for freedom in opposition to Russia. Perhaps it’s time to take a lesson from considered one of our neighbors to the south, the Dominican Republic, which is responding to greater costs in fossil fuels by taking steps to cut back its reliance on them. They see this as a profit not solely geopolitically, by taking themselves out of counting on different international locations, but additionally as a lift for its tourism business by clearing the skies of air pollution.

The Huge Learn

This Fossil-Fueled Powered Chemical Producer Is Shifting To A Greener Path

With a Louisiana megaproject full, Sasol CEO Fleetwood Grobler is reducing danger and emissions at South Africa’s power chief. It gained’t be simple, however inexperienced hydrogen would possibly assist.

Learn extra right here.

Discoveries And Improvements

Researchers have developed a synthetic enzyme that may assist cut up hydrogen from water molecules, probably enabling a extra sustainable option to produce it for power manufacturing.

Retrofitting present, typically growing old, generators can produce double-digit will increase in hydropower technology with out constructing any new dams.

Battery producers are transferring in direction of phosphates as a less expensive various to cobalt conventionally utilized in lithium-ion batteries.

Droughts in California and different elements of the Southwest are exacerbating the unfold of Valley fever, an infectious fungal illness.