Volume 12 Issue 2
November 8, 2021 – November 14, 2021
Zihan Lin ‘23 | Joe Kawalec ‘21 | Riti Bhandarkar ‘23 | Wilder Crosier '25 | Andrew Ji '25
World Leaders Vow to Cut Methane Emissions
November 2, 2021 | The Wall Street Journal | Timothy Puko and Katy Stech Ferek
In Glasgow, countries are teaming up to cut down on methane emissions, which trap far more heat than CO2. Over 100 countries have signed the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to cut 30% of emissions by 2030. President Biden announced an increase in US regulation of the oil and natural gas industry, which generates 30% of methane emissions, through EPA regulation of methane wells. The EPA will monitor leaks and intentional venting, and estimates a 74% reduction in emissions by 2030. - SJ
Countries pledge to quit coal - but the U.S., China and India are missing
November 4, 2021 | CNBC | Chloe Taylor
At COP26, twenty-eight new nations have joined the international alliance to phase out coal by the 2040s, including Poland, Ukraine, Vietnam, Chile, and Singapore, joining members such as the U.K., Germany, and New Zealand. However, the group still lacks the world’s largest polluters: China, India, and the U.S.. In order to achieve a net zero emissions world by 2050, however, new investments in coal plants must be stopped immediately, according to a May report from the IEA. “The end of coal is in sight,” said Alok Sharma, a U.K. lawmaker and the COP26 president. - AJ
U.S. Air Force Base To Be First To Deploy New Nuclear ‘Microreactor’ - Soon Every Town Could Have One
November 1, 2021 | Forbes | James Conca
The Ellison Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska has been chosen to receive the branch’s first nuclear microreactor. Currently the base gets its energy from its own coal-fired power plant which burns 800 tons of coal per day. The new reactor, which is set to be operational by 2027, will supply roughly a third of the base's energy needs. The military is interested in microreactors because they are sources of clean energy and can provide power to remote bases without relying on the grid, which can undergo outages and attacks. In addition to this project, the US Department of Defense is working on Project Pele, which plans to create mobile nuclear reactors. The US military has been concerned with climate change for a long time, and their moves to accelerate the world into the nuclear age are promising for the future of sustainable energy production. –WC