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- #6. ⛽️ CO2 & CH4 break records | 🔐 Energy security driving clean energy | 🔌 EV sales reach 18% in CA
#6. ⛽️ CO2 & CH4 break records | 🔐 Energy security driving clean energy | 🔌 EV sales reach 18% in CA
🌡 CLIMATE CHANGE
The three worst greenhouse gases responsible for warming the planet, CO2, CH4, and NOx, peaked in 2021 breaking all prior records to reach 415.7 ppm, 1908 ppm, and 334.5 ppm respectively, or 149%, 262%, and 124% of their pre-industrial levels. CO2 is primarily the result of burning fossil fuels; the recent CH4 spike is theorized to come from “biogenic sources” such as wetlands and rice paddies; and NOx comes from fertilizers and burning biomass.
According to UN climate experts, current promises by countries around the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions do not yet offer any “credible pathway” to limiting global temperature increase to 1.5°C (2.7°F) which would require a 45% reduction in global emissions. The current trend is therefore projecting a 2.4°C to 2.6°C global temperature rise by the end of the century.
Some 96% of the world’s population are now impacted directly by climate change, with 200 million people experiencing temperatures on any given day made more likely by climate change. Small island nations suffered the most, while Lagos, Mexico City, and Singapore were the most heavily impacted large cities.
🔋 CLEAN ENERGY
Arthur Burton founded AMB Renewable Energy, Inc. in 2019 to provide opportunities for underprivileged teens and young adults in disinvested communities while helping to reduce exposure to pollution. His company installs solar panels and EV chargers and hires primarily school dropouts and other high-risk young people to do the work.
Between the rapid growth of EVs and the ongoing war against Ukraine, projections now anticipate the demand for fossil fuels to peak within a few decades. Countries around the world are focusing on clean energy alternatives with new policies leading to $2 trillion in investment per year by 2030, a 50% increase from today.
Energy security — both practically, economically, and otherwise — is the leading driver in transitioning away from a fossil fuel economy according to IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. Despite the aforementioned $2T investment in clean energy around the world, a further doubling will be required by 2030 in order to reach net-zero by 2050.
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🚗 AUTONOMOUS & ELECTRIC VEHICLES
This article offers a deep primer on all things AV, including the various SAE levels of autonomy; the various implementations currently on the road for public use; and the potential future applications of commercial autonomous trucking and all the challenges of getting there, not just technologically, but from social policy perspectives regarding the potential risks to truck drivers’ professions.
Lotus, with a reputation for building small, lightweight sports cars, just unveiled its first all-electric SUV that it says is the “world’s fastest dual-motor electric SUV.” The top model boasts a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) run of 2.95 seconds. (Tesla’s Model X Plaid achieves the same speed about half a second quicker, but it’s a three-motor setup.) The Eletre is equipped with a 112kWh battery pack that gives it up to 600 km (373 mi) of estimated range, putting it squarely in line with Tesla and other comparable competitors. Also making its debut is Lotus Hyper OS, the new in-car software handling all onboard systems. Availability starts in Europe in 2024 with pricing starting in the mid-$90,000 range.
Tesla’s 2/3 market share of the EV market in the US has helped boost California’s EV car sales to 18% of all new car sales. While not the staggering 80% of EV market share enjoyed in Norway which heavily subsidized EVs, 18% today is likely to be around 25% by this time next year, and increasing faster each subsequent year.
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