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How Engineers Can Help Protect Earth From Worsening Climate Change

Cars That Think

The day reminds us of the need to protect our planet and its ecosystems against the worsening climate crisis. The climate crisis is threatening people across the world, as well as every species of animal and plant life. Climate change is a global societal crisis that is causing devastating consequences.

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California Assemblymembers introduce bill phasing out gasoline-fueled small off-road engines

Green Car Congress

AB 1346 would require new sales of SORE to be zero-emission by 2024 or whenever the California Air Resources Board (CARB) determines is feasible, whichever is later. Today, operating the best-selling gas-powered commercial leaf blower for one hour emits air pollutants comparable to driving a 2017 Toyota Camry from Los Angeles to Denver.

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NREL researchers point toward building energy efficiency instead of long-term storage

Green Car Congress

Further, the researchers separated the country into five climate zones, ranging from the hot and humid (Tampa, Florida) to the very cold (International Falls, Minnesota). The other zones encompassed the cities of New York, El Paso, and Denver. They also determined that oversizing renewable capacities by a factor of 1.4

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Researchers use IPCC AR5 models to forecast 10% drop in Colorado River flow in next few decades

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The study makes uses new simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Five, to be assessed in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Report Five (AR 5) due out next fall, to estimate seasonal changes in precipitation, evaporation, water runoff and soil moisture in the near future, 2021-2040.

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ICCT assesses factors driving EV market in US cities

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Consumers in California markets and Salt Lake City were offered both consumer purchase incentives and carpool lane access, and those in Denver and Seattle had substantial purchase incentives. Ten of the top 12 major metropolitan areas with the highest electric vehicle uptake offered consumer incentives typically worth $2,000 to $5,000.

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University of Texas at Austin study measuring methane emissions released from natural gas production

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Pioneer Natural Resources Company, Shell, Southwestern Energy, Talisman Energy, USA, and XTO Energy, an ExxonMobil subsidiary. —David Allen, the principal investigator and director of the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Center for Energy and Environmental Resources.

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Study finds methane leaks from three large US natural gas fields in line with EPA estimates

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If leak rates are too high, natural gas does not compare favorably with one alternative, coal, in terms of climate impact. It is good news that our atmospheric measurements are close to the EPA estimates. Where leak rates are low, the comparison favors natural gas. —co-author Joost de Gouw, a CIRES scientist who also works at NOAA.

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