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Here is what happened in Glasgow after the underwhelming conclusion of COP26

2021-11-15T14:38:00-05:00

The ending of this year’s COP26 conference has left many architects to ponder how effective the mostly non-representative group of negotiators were in addressing the skepticism and high expectations coming into the meeting that is meant to address what is undoubtedly the greatest moral issue of our time.

The conference concluded on Saturday with a resounding sense of discord, despite a historic pact signed by 197 countries to close the conference. Here’s a look at some of the highlights and tangible changes that came out of the two-week meeting in Glasgow.

Coal

Coal was the biggest hangup at the conference by far, with the final language of the deal constituting what British Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared a “death knell” for the industry. Although more than 40 countries agreed to end their own domestic production of coal, India, with help from China and Iran, singularly stalled the pact until an 11th-hour deal changed the text from “phase out” to the more ambiguous “phase dow...

Power companies take the pledge to deliver carbon-free electricity — one fossil-fueled plant at a time

2019-08-02T14:02:00-04:00

New Jersey's largest and oldest power company is pledging to deliver carbon-free electricity to fight climate change. To get there, the power company is shutting down its coal plants, betting big on offshore wind and working hard to keep its existing nuclear plant alive. PSEG said it won't build or acquire any new fossil-fueled power plants, including those running on dirt-cheap natural gas.

Announced in July, one of the oldest power companies in the U.S. is taking the next step towards addressing their involvement in battling climate change. The New Jersey power company PSEG has used fossil fuels to power their plants for the last 116 years. As the oldest power company in America, their initiatives to make changes addressing their plants' carbon emissions is a big step.

According to CNN, "To get there, the power company is shutting down its coal plants, betting big on offshore wind and working hard to keep its existing nuclear plant alive. PSEG said it won't build or acquire any new fossil-fueled power plants, including those running on dirt-cheap natural gas."

PSEG is not the only company to address these issues on climate change. Companies like Xcel Energy, formerly a coal-first company, is making moves to provide zero-carbon electricity by the year 2050. Although the Trump administration has made efforts to save the coal industry by promoting fossil fuels and cutti...

What will become of retired coal-fired power plants? A new "playbook" outlines a plan

2019-07-05T18:35:00-04:00

Nearly 300 coal-fired power plants have been "retired" since 2010, according to the Sierra Club. It's a trend that continues despite President Trump's support for coal. That has left many communities worried that those now-idled places will simply be mothballed.

In an NPR segment, which aired in May, Jeff Brady discusses the Department of Community and Economic Development's plans to reuse and redevelop retired coal plants. Plans of action are listed in a "playbook" that outlines the attributes of listed coal plants and the pros and cons of each site. Through these assessments, it will help the Department realize what types of business would be an appropriate fit to relocate there. With the increased number of coal plants shutting down opportunities for coal cities will change for the better thanks to plans of introducing new businesses to the area by promoting these unused sites.

Examples of the playbook in action are happening now in the small Pennsylvania town of Shamokin Dam. The coal-fired plant in town provided power for over six-decades before it was shut down in 2014. However, with the Department's new plans for redevelopment, the once forgotten site is teeming with activity. In the segment Brady shares, "Environmental groups cheer...

Renewable energy production overtakes coal nationwide

2019-06-26T11:33:00-04:00

America's coal industry has already been left in the dust by natural gas. Now it's under immense pressure from the renewable energy boom. The renewable energy sector had slightly more installed capacity than coal in April, according to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report.

Surging renewable energy production capabilities have finally overtopped coal-fired power production in the United States in recent months, a historic first. The milestone is the latest development in a decade-long slide for coal-fired energy production, which peaked in 2008.

CNN reports that coal consumption has fallen 39% since then, while energy generated from solar, wind, and other renewable sources has climbed ever higher. Energy production capabilities from renewable sources now slightly exceed those of coal, a discrepancy that is expected to continue to climb. No new coal-fired power plants were put online last year, for example, while renewable energy potentials soared during the same period. Despite the shift, renewable energy production is not expected to overtake coal-generated power production on an annual basis for a few years.

The writing is on the wall, though. Jeff McDermott, a managing partner at clean energy investment bank Greentech Capital Advisors, told CNN, "C...

US solar energy is blooming in Trump states

2017-10-13T14:03:00-04:00

The 10 fastest-growing U.S. solar markets between the second quarters of 2016 and 2017 were Western, Midwestern or Southern states that voted for Trump, with Alabama and Mississippi topping the list. And solar firms are ramping up investments in these regions, signaling their faith that key renewable energy incentives will remain in place for years to come.

Despite Trump's disbelief in solar power, the sector is booming in his partisan states. The growth of clean energy, particularly in the regions that showed overwhelming support for Trump, greatly undermines the president's goal of boosting the coal industry.

Britain's last deep-pit coal mine closes — the end of the industrial revolution?

2015-12-18T12:25:00-05:00

The last deep-pit coal mine in the U.K. plans to shut its doors here next week, heralding the end of a centuries-old industry that helped fuel the industrial revolution and build the British Empire. The shutdown [...] represents a victory for advocates of reducing carbon emissions after world leaders gathered in Paris to discuss how to combat global warming, with coal in the cross hairs. It also reflects a glut of energy on world markets, from crude oil to natural gas and coal itself.

Beijing's latest "airpocalypse" is bad enough for city to issue first ever red alert

2015-12-08T18:34:00-05:00

A red alert should go into effect if there is a prediction that the air quality index will stay above 200 for more than 72 hours. The United States government rates above 200 as “very unhealthy,” and 301 to 500 as “hazardous.” At 7 p.m. Monday, the Beijing municipal reading was 253. [...] At international climate change talks, including the ones now underway in Paris, Chinese officials have promised to curb coal use in order to address both air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions.

NIMBYs go to court over "modern" home; Zaha gets an apology; global warming rages on: News Round-Up for August 25, 2014

2014-09-02T20:07:00-04:00

Friday, August 29:

MIT's MindRider helmet draws mental maps as you bike: The prototype is currently being used to create a mental-map and guidebook for NYC, and an upcoming Kickstarter campaign will attempt to fund the project for commercial sale.
In Beirut, a grassroots push for more grass: Lebanon's fifteen-year civil war made much of Beirut's green space inaccessible or dysfunctional. The Beirut Green Project is trying to bring at least a modicum of green space back to the city's residents.

Thursday, August 28:

Norwegian artists plan to open art academy in North Korea: Nothing's final yet, but the school is committed to its disbelief in sanctions or boycotts on art.
Alvar Aalto gets a close look from Google's Cultural Institute: Google's cameras go inside the famous Finnish architects studio, as well as a selection of his works, for a curated photo-exhibition.

Wednesday, August 27:

China considering drastic ban on coal: Chinese news outlets claim that work is underway to ban coal in Bei...

China considering drastic ban on coal

2014-08-27T13:30:00-04:00

State-owned news outlets reported this month that the government would ban the use of coal in Beijing and other urban areas by 2020 in an effort to reduce the noxious air pollution that chokes many cities. [...] But [President Xi Jinping] and other officials have provided few details — and, indeed, have sent conflicting, even disturbing, signals about their plans. Some measures China is considering could actually exacerbate climate change.

China to Ban Coal Use by 2020

2014-08-06T13:17:00-04:00

China has announced plans to ban the use of coal in its smog-plagued capital by the end of 2020, as the country fights deadly levels of pollution, especially in major cities. Beijing's Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau posted the plan on its website on Monday, saying the city would instead prioritize electricity and natural gas for heating. The Chinese central government recently listed environmental protection as one of the top criteria by which leaders will be judged.