Volume 13 Issue 7
April 4, 2022 – April 10, 2022
Riti Bhandarkar ‘23 | Zihan Lin ‘23 | Sunay Joshi ‘24 | Freddy Hernandez ‘25 | Michael Tsai ‘25 | Jackson Lichtenberger ‘25 | Wilder Crosier ‘25

Biden Will Tap Oil Reserve, Hoping to Push Gasoline Prices Down

March 30, 2022 | The New York Times | Clifford Krauss and Michael D. Shear

President Biden announced Thursday that he would be releasing one million barrels of oil a day for 180 days from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the latest step in the administration's efforts to tamp down high gas prices. The decision is not expected to be a complete solution to the energy crisis stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, since Russia was exporting roughly three million barrels a day beforehand, but it is expected to help. Energy experts say that oil prices will continue to remain high given the uncertainty of the war if no similarly large price-reduction plans as this are put into effect.   - JL

Methane-Eating Bacteria Convert Potent Greenhouse Gas Into Usable Fuel

March 22, 2022 | SciTechDaily | Northwestern University 

Methanotrophic bacteria is known for its ability to convert the potent greenhouse gas methane into usable fuels. Yet, little has been revealed about the underlying mechanisms. To unravel this mystery, a team of Northwestern University researchers delved into the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion from methane to methanol called methane monooxygenase. Understanding the structure of the enzyme, the transport of methane and methanol to and away from the active, and the role of copper in the reaction will enable bioengineering designs for scaling up the process. More information can be found in their paper published in Science: “Recovery of particulate methane monooxygenase structure and activity in a lipid bilayer.” -ZL 

Can we stop wind turbine blades ending up in landfill?

March 29, 2022 | Financial Times | Esan Swan

Wind power, the fourth largest source of energy in the U.S., is clean and reliable– but it has a recycling problem. After a wind turbine’s 20-to-30-year lifespan, most of its materials can be repurposed for other applications. Until recently, however, the blades, made up of a blend of carbon fiber, epoxy resin, and glass, could not be recycled. Last year, the German-Spanish manufacturer Siemens Gamesa launched a new blade made with a resin that can be separated from the other materials, allowing them to be recycled into boats or cars. The innovation brings us one step closer to zero-waste, zero-emissions energy production. -AC

Global wind and solar growth on track to meet climate targets

March 30, 2022 | Reuters

Independent climate think tank Ember, released a report on Wednesday that claimed renewable energy generation is on track to limit global warming to 1.5 C, using data at the end of 2021. According to the report, global solar power production increased by 23% and wind power also grew by 14%. Solar and wind power accounted for 10.3% of total global energy production, up from 9.3% in 2020. The growth was unequally distributed, however. The Netherlands, Australia, and Vietnam had the fastest growing renewable energy sectors, quickly switching about 10% of their energy production from natural gas to renewable sources. However, coal-fired power plants also increased growth significantly, expanding by 9% to accommodate 59% of the total rise in energy demand. - AJ

Green Growth 50: Learning From Companies Boosting Profits While Cutting Emissions

Nov 6th, 2021 | Forbes | Isabel Contreras and Christopher Helman

Forbes’ Green Growth 50 list is suggesting a watershed moment for private companies in cutting emissions. A major player, eBay, ranked no.11 on the list has emphasized its company’s business model on a circular economy. In addition to finding a new home for your childhood toys, the company has strived to cut down its emissions from its data centers. For the past five years, it has achieved the goal of cutting emissions by thirty percent. This is further echoed by the no.1 company Aptar, a precision medicine biotech company, which is able to achieve “80% disposal avoidance,” a significant feat in an industry defined by medical waste. Additionally, an echoing sentiment among the executives is that the sustainability efforts are consumer-driven instead of incentivized by governments. -MT

Climate Change is making pollen season even worse across the country

March 29th, 2022 | The Washington Post | Kasha Patel

Pollen allergies, for those who already have it bad, have only intensified. According to allergen practitioner Stanley Fineman, pollen season has appeared to begin earlier and come stronger over these past four decades. Lately, he has prescribed his patients with allergies to begin medication as early as Valentines Day. The cause for this? Climate change, and the increase in pollen concentrations will only get worse. Atmospheric scientist Allison Steiner, along with other scientists, agree the rise in global temperatures only drives an earlier growing season. Although different areas of the world will experience their own specific severity of pollen, these circumstances ultimately affect all those with allergies to some degree. A 200% increase in total pollen is expected by the end of the century in the United States, according to Steiner at the most extreme case. This only showcases the importance of climate policy, for these consequences are migatable. For now, Steiner and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration plan on producing a pollen forecast model to assist and advise patients. -FH

Environmental Groups Pressure Bitcoin Community to Lower Energy Use

March 29, 2022 | The Wall Street Journal | Paul Vigna

Environmental groups are advocating for changes to the code underlying Bitcoin. Advocates 

believe that the high amounts of energy required to verify transactions on the blockchain are contributing too much to climate change, and that the Bitcoin network should scrap this “proof of work” mechanism. A group of 250 companies support this transition via the Crypto Climate Accord. It is estimated that the Bitcoin network uses over 134 terawatt hours of energy per year, more than the entire country of Norway. Making the transition away from the current mechanism will be a challenge, as the open-source code can only be changed with the agreement of almost all users on the network. - SJ