News Round-up: Stuff that caught my attention this week
A collection of things I heard or read while slurping coffee, couching, driving, running, and raking leaves recently....
Three Things you Need to Know about COP23 in Bonn, Germany
A bipartisan climate solutions caucus....no, seriously
They have something I love they call the "noah's ark rule": you can join the caucus but you must bring someone from the other party (i.e. if you are a Republican you must bring a Democrat with you).
"The Climate Solutions Caucus is a bipartisan group in the US House of Representatives which will explore policy options that address the impacts, causes, and challenges of our changing climate. The caucus was founded in February of 2016 by two south-Florida representatives Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) and Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), who serve as co-chairs of the caucus."
Tesla truck rocks down to....Electric Avenue (but is this really better?)
WalMart and J.B. Hunt have already submitted their order for the new trucks that boast a 500 mile range and reduced operating costs of 20% per mile. According to TechCrunch, it looks pretty good on paper:
"The Tesla Semi will go 0 to 60 mph in just 5 seconds, which is incredibly fast compared to a diesel truck. It can go 0 to 60 mph towing 80,000 lbs, its max tow load, in just 20 seconds. It can go 65 mph up a 5 percent grade, which is way better than the 45 mph max that a diesel competitor can do. And for range, it can go 500 miles at highway speed, and less than 80 percent trips are at 250 miles. It also has a better drag coefficient than a super car thanks to its extremely aerodynamic design."
Of course, if you are charging it from a grid powered by fossil fuels and when you factor in the amount of energy and materials to build the trucks, dispose of the batteries, and recycle/dispose of the body and parts down the road.....we need to do the math before we declare any kind of victory.
CDP says companies putting internal price on water
Colgate and Nestle and others are following the trend of putting an internal price on carbon by putting on one water. The assumption (supported by science and experience) is that water scarcity will continue to put pressure on water resources and therefore prices. To prepare for this, CDP suggests that forward-looking companies are artificially increasing internal prices on water in order to spot inefficiencies and risks.
Dow and University of Michigan Collaborate on Business Education for Sustainability
"Sustainability leaders of tomorrow must navigate complex systems and collaborate across disciplines to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Are we as a society prepared?If the University of Michigan Dow Sustainability Fellows Program has anything to say about this question, the answer is yes. Started in 2012, this groundbreaking approach to education brings together students from across the university to solve local-global scale sustainability challenges in partnership with others in academia and practice....To date, nearly 300 students have received fellowships, and 360 have been supported through project grants."