Henry Harrell"s Blog: December 26 Green Energy News

Headline News:

“After A Rough Year, Farmers And Congress Are Talking About Climate Solutions” • The Midwest floods of 2019 revealed another benefit of sustainable agriculture: fields farmed with conservation practices recovered faster from flooding. Farmers saw the difference, and now they are taking their new knowledge to congress. [InsideClimate News]

No-till field with cover crops on the left, conventional farming on the right (Rob Myers | University of Missouri)

“As Fracking Companies Face Bankruptcy, US Regulators Enable Firms to Duck Cleanup Costs” • In over their heads with debt, US shale oil and gas firms are now moving from a boom in fracking to a boom in bankruptcies. This trend could put the US taxpayers on the hook for paying to shut them down properly and clean up the drilling sites. [EcoWatch]
“Statistic Of The Decade: The Massive Deforestation Of The Amazon” • The Royal Statistical Society’s International Statistic of the Decade is meant to capture the zeitgeist of this decade. On December 23, the winner was announced: There were 8.4 million soccer fields of land deforested in the Amazon basin over the past decade. [Down To Earth Magazine]
“The Fracking Industry’s Methane Problem Is A Climate Problem” • While CO₂ gets a bad rap when it comes to climate change, about 40% of global warming actually can be attributed to the powerful greenhouse gas methane, according to the 2013 IPCC report. A new report links increasing amounts of methane in the atmosphere with fracking. [NationofChange]
“Colorado Springs Utilities Joining Energy Pact That Will Save Millions, Increase Renewables” • Colorado Springs Utilities this spring will join a power provider pact that is expected to save millions of dollars annually, help reduce customers’ bills, and increase use of renewable energy. The pact will reduce the curtailment of renewables. [Colorado Springs Gazette]

Henry Harrell"s Blog