Climate Good News
Around the world people are taking the initiative to mitigate climate change.
Here are some good news briefs compiled and summarized by Jayne Freudenberger, climate committee chair, League of Women Voters of Bellingham-Whatcom County.
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The Big Surprise: Off Shore Wind Turbines Offer Climate Hope to the Undersea Environment
In the Atlantic, about 27 miles off the Virginia Beach coast, schools of fish congregate around what looks like a large cylinder covered in algae. Mussels glom onto the structure. Even the occasional sea turtle or giant ocean sunfish pays a visit.
The source of this bustling underwater scene is somewhat unlikely — a wind turbine …
Mussels, algae, mahi, seabass, baitfish and more circle the structure or set up shop directly on it … Holes in the turbine to release pressure and allow water to ebb and flow, have also led to marine life passing through or residing inside.”
For years we have heard all about the bad effects of wind turbines—mostly that they kill birds , but with newly designed blades that kill rate has gone down and now we find the pole holding the turbine up is a miraculous nursery for other species.
Amazingly, researchers have found that an entire metric ton of mussels can grow on the foundation of a single one! This biological richness trickles up to boost the entire ecosystem; wind parks in the North Sea are thought to have aided the comeback of the local gray seal population. Both cod and lobster have been found to be breeding successfully in North Sea wind farms as well, even preferring it to turbine-less areas.
Offshore wind farms are rapidly adopting fascinating new technologies to be even better “good neighbors” to wildlife. One standard is the “bubble curtain,” blowing thick layers of bubbles around offshore wind turbine work sites to prevent loud noises from disturbing whales and other wildlife, and there’s a lot of innovation this space.
Vineyard Wind, the under-construction 800 MW offshore wind farm off the southeastern coast of Virginia is using American- made bubble curtain technology to minimize undersea noise and avoid disruption to wildlife when it installs its turbines’ “monopile” foundations. This was the first time an American company provided bubble curtain technology to an American offshore wind farm, a heartening sign for the development of that domestic industry.
The under-construction Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is also using a double layer of bubble curtains, as well as a “Protected Species Observers “ whose warnings halt construction if a vulnerable creature swims into the work area. All of this work will only be occurring from May through October period in both 2024 and 2025 to avoid the North Atlantic right whale migration over the winter. When complete in 2026, it will generate enough electricity for 660,000 homes
The burgeoning American offshore wind industry isn’t just a source of vitally needed clean electrons to de-carbonize the grid, it’s projects have overwhelmingly positive environmental impacts and are built with extraordinary care and sensitivity. But most people haven’t even heard this story – and offshore wind needs all the friends it can get to survive turbulent political times.
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Climate Action Now, Your Daily Dose of Climate Hope 8/6/24
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A New Way to Use Land Banks
Can a land bank help find a more sustainable use for property in Sumas?
Land banks are finding new ways to address how their communities respond to extreme weather events, like stronger storms, extreme heat, and frequent flooding.
Some land banks have begun strategically acquiring properties for the purposes of holding, rather than redeveloping. Several land banks identified heightened climate risks in the communities they serve, especially within the past several years. Flooding emerged as a common concern among many land banks particularly in neighborhoods already susceptible to stormwater inundation.
Strategic acquisition of risk-prone properties is a constructive tool to protect residents and reduce the long-term damage of frequent climate impact in their communities. By taking ownership of risk-prone properties, land banks can prevent future harm while coordinating with local governments on long-term solutions.
Roughly 85 percent of land bank inventory is vacant, structure- free lots. But a parcel’s highest and best use is not always residential or commercial redevelopment. Many land banks view the vacant land in their locality as a valuable resource to support greening initiatives that improve climate resilience and community well being. Land banks are earmarking their existing inventory by assembling vacant land, often in partnership with local governments and nonprofits. With this strategy, land banks can support large-scale sustainable land reuse initiatives like trails, parks, and green infrastructure.
In Erie, Pennsylvania, the redevelopment authority and land bank prioritized lots they already owned or proactively acquired lots in high stages of deterioration, and re-imagined them into the Erie East Bayfront Greenway Trail. The trail will connect the neighborhood through pocket parks, trees, paths and bike lanes.
In Mahoning County, Ohio, while reserving land for commercial use, the land bank set aside a quadrant of the footprint for the Youngstown State University’s Legacy Forests program, reserved solely for tree planting. The initiative plants one tree for every freshman student, creating micro forests to reduce flooding and erosion while engaging the community in climate action. Greening assemblage shows how land banks can use their inventories not only to support redevelopment, but also to invest in healthier, more resilient communities for future generations.
Long-term success depends on land banks being active allies, working closely with local organizations and residents to identify shared goals, community needs and resilience objectives They can adapt their tools to prioritize the environmental needs of their communities, including minimizing climate risks by supporting sustainable construction or using energy efficient materials for green building. By centering climate resilience in their work, land banks can help communities re-imagine vacant land as assets that strengthen neighborhoods and further climate resistance by adapting their tools to prioritize the environment.
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Center for Community Progress, by Bibi Macias, Sept. 25: How Using Land Banks Can Help Build Climate Resistance
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Used EVs Are a Bargain Right Now — and Buyers Are Noticing
New electric vehicle (EV) sales may be falling, but used models are more plentiful and cheaper than they’ve ever been. That’s a big opportunity as gas prices surge.
Chad Shepard has warm feelings about the all-electric Honda Prologue he bought recently. Unlike his first EV, a BMW i3, the SUV is big enough for his two teenage sons and his 80-pound sheepdog. Its 300- mile range is plenty to get him to the homes across the San Francisco Bay Area that he appraises for a living.
But perhaps, the best thing about his new EV is the price he paid: $30,000, well below the sticker price for a new model. “And because it was only a year old, I still had a full 100,000- mile warranty,” he said, which included coverage for its most valuable component — the battery.
Across the U.S., people like Shepard are finding that used EVs are more attractively priced than ever — and are snapping the cars up as a result. It’s a welcome development in what has otherwise been a tough year for an industry that’s key to combating climate change.
With the oil shock created by the war in Iran, used EVs are likely to become even more attractive to shoppers. Nationally, gas prices have surged to over $4 per gallon on average; in California, the country’s EV capital, they’re nearing $6. Unlike new EVs, used versions have mostly reached priced parity with gas powered cars, according to new data from Cox Automotive — making the preowned versions the cheapest way for people to ditch increasingly costly-to-fuel gas cars in the near term.
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Goodnewsletter: “Used EVs are a bargain right now” by Jeff St. John: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/electric-vehicles/used-evs-are-bargain-buyersnoticing?
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