Climate Good News
Around the world people are taking the initiative to mitigate climate change. Here are some good news briefs compiled by the Climate Issue group of the LWV of Bellingham/Whatcom.
Cool the Person, Not the Building
Researchers in China say they have now developed a cooling device that, by absorbing heat, brings down skin temperature by 7.3°C. By cooling people instead of entire buildings, it could cut the energy use of standard air-conditioning in half.
Yuekuan Zhou, a sustainable energy and environmental researcher, and her colleagues at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology designed a personal cooling device built on a commercial thermoelectric heat pump. This kind of cooler transfers heat from one side of a material to another. The researchers connected four pipes and a small fan on one side that is used as a heat sink — the fan only moves the air over the device. On the other side, they mounted an aluminum panel that acts as an extremely cold surface that absorbs heat radiation. As proof that it works, the device brought down “artificial skin” by 7.3 degrees C.
Other cooling devices have been made for outdoors, but the beauty of this one is that it is portable and made to be used inside. … This ensures it is always close to people.
Zhou adds that the technology should be viable on a large scale. The thermoelectric structure is available at a remarkably low price and the modules and other pieces are simple and inexpensive. The team is now developing a large-scale cooling device to validate its feasibility.
Cell Reports Physical Science, “A pure radiant cooling device for ‘air conditioning’ without conditioning air” by Xinyao Zheng et al., 2024.
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The Klamath River Runs Free Again
Many of our readers might remember when, several years ago, The LWV sponsored a movie at the Pickford about the Klamath River controversy — the coming together of farmers and tribes to realize they shared the same values was a predicate to this historic moment.
The Yurok Tribe in Northern California are known as the “salmon people.” To them, the salmon are sacred species that are central to their culture, diet and ceremonies. As the story goes, the spirit that created the salmon also created humans, and, without the fish, they would cease to exist.
Manmade dams, warm water, and prolonged droughts have profoundly altered the river and the ecosystems that rely on it, including most importantly, the salmon population.
But now at last, the tribe can celebrate. The largest dam removal project in U.S. history is finally complete, after crews last week demolished the last of the four dams on the Klamath River. It’s a significant win for tribal nations on the Oregon-California border, who, for decades, have fought to restore the river back to its natural state.
The removal of the four hydroelectric dams — Iron Gate Dam, Copco Dams 1 and 2, and JC Boyle Dam — allows the region’s iconic salmon population to swim freely along the Klamath River and its tributaries, which the species have not been able to do for over a century since the dams were built.
Mark Bransom, chief executive officer of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the nonprofit group created to oversee the project, said it was a “celebratory moment,” as his staff members, conservationists, government officials, and tribal members gathered and cheered on the bank of the river near where the largest of the dams, Iron Gate, once stood.
Although monumental, the dam demolition project raised concerns over the years about water quality. Built-up sediments stored behind the dam for over a century, potentially containing high levels of organic material, have been released, transforming the river into muddy brown water and harming some of the wildlife in and around it. But Bransom described it as “short-term pain for long-term gain.” Dam removal is actually an effective climate solution, offering both climate mitigation and adaptation benefits far beyond habitat and ecosystem restoration — it reduces greenhouse gas emissions, restores biodiversity, transports sediment for coastal restoration and more. Up next is ramping up restoration work. Bransom said they plan to put down nearly 16 billion seeds of almost 100 native species across 2,200 acres of land in the Klamath River Basin.
As for the reason the dams were constructed in the first place — electricity — removing them won’t hurt the power supply much, experts say. Even at full capacity, all four dams produced less than 2 percent of PacifiCorp’s energy, according to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation.
And, after more than a century, the fish can now swim freely. Amy Bowers-Cordalis, member and general counsel for the Yurok tribe, said that seeing the river reconnected is really the “ultimate reward.” It meant “the start of the river’s healing process.”
“The largest dam removal project in the U.S. is completed – a major win for Indigenous tribes” by Rachel Ramirez, 9/1/24: https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/01/climate/klamath-dam-salmon/index.html
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image: Megan Lee
Electric school buses
Electric Buses Will Benefit Students’ Health
This year, when millions of students started school with their new backpacks, lunch boxes, and notebooks, they might not have noticed at first that their shiny yellow bus is the best new part of their school experience. For many, their transportation is now electric!
This change is a welcome one. Diesel buses — which comprise the majority of school buses in use today — spew exhaust that has been linked to serious physical and cognitive issues in children.
“Diesel school buses are incredibly polluting, not just for the environment — for air quality — but for children’s health. They are very harmful to children’s respiratory health, lung health, you name it,” says Carolina Chacon, the coalition manager for the Alliance for Electric School Buses. Studies have shown that diesel fumes, one of the most toxic forms of air pollution, are associated with heart and lung conditions such as asthma as well as cognitive performance issues. “The science behind it is really clear that diesel is harmful, period. But for kids, whose lungs and brains are still developing, it is especially bad,” Chacon says.
The EPA Clean School Bus funding is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 and the $5 billion dollar funding, which ends in fiscal year 2026, is being used to replace diesel school buses with either zero-emission buses (electric) or low-emission buses (alternative fuel buses, powered by propane or natural gas). The EPA has done three funding rounds and each time it is inundated with applications. Ninety percent of the requests are for electric buses, and, so far, the $3 billion allocated has resulted in 8,500 clean new school buses.
A total of 16 school districts in Washington state will get a share of the federal dollars in the form of “rebate funding,” dedicated to nixing diesel-powered buses and replacing them with cleaner versions. This year, the money will ultimately pay for 111 clean buses across the state — most will be electric, and some will be powered by propane.
Seattle and Spokane will be getting $7.8 million and $9.1 million respectively in rebate funding to purchase electric buses. Other districts, such as Snohomish and Mount Vernon, will put the money toward the purchase of propane buses. It sounds like a lot of money, but electric buses run about $300,000 each, as opposed to $100,000f for diesel. The cost is worth it for the health benefits.
Our state is also stepping up. In March, Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill establishing a zero-emission transition requirement for the state’s school bus fleet of more than 12,000 buses. The program will prioritize funding for school districts currently using school buses manufactured prior to 2007 — which have higher emissions rates of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change — and to overburdened communities, including communities of color, rural and low-income communities, and those highly impacted by air pollution. This is one of the funding areas that the Climate Commitment Act, which is funded by polluters trying to offset their pollution comes into play … think of your child’s health when you mark your ballot “No” to a repeal of I-2117.
Supporters of the legislation said electric buses can also contribute to students’ improved mental health.
“We’ve heard from school bus drivers about the mental health benefits they’ve seen, how kids are calmer and more relaxed because they don’t have to shout over diesel engines,” Anna Lising, senior climate advisor for the governor’s office, said at a public hearing.
Reasons to be cheerful, “All Aboard the Electric School Bus!” by Hannah Wallace, 9/16/2024: https://reasonstobecheerful.world/all-aboard-the-electric-school-bus/
The Spokesman Review, “Washington school districts are poised to start swapping out their diesel busses for electric under new law” by Lauren Rendahl, April 7, 2024: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/apr/07/washington-school-districts-are-poised-to-start-sw/
