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  1. Politics and Policy

Busy? Try the speed read.

Providing further insight into common perceptions about the costs of Fossil Fuels:

  • 1. “Rising energy costs demand more fossil fuel production"
  • 2. “Fewer regulations would lower fuel costs"
  • 3. “Weaning ourselves off fossil fuels is impractical"

What are the inherent costs of delaying our transition from conventional energy sources? Relying on fossil fuels as our primary energy source isn't sustainable and inevitably just drives prices up even further as sources become more scare.

The US Government spent $1 trillion in subsidising fossil fuels which ultimately hinders our progress to transition to cleaner energy sources, and relaxing corporate regulation comes at great risk to our environment as seen in the fracking industry.

However, our approach to everyday living and the small changes and decisions we make now can have huge impact and help drive off our reliance on fossil fuels as our primary energy source.

Dig deeper —> 7 min

  1. Transport and Mobility

What to know We have seen greater adoption of electric cars in recent years as the technology has advanced and costs reduce, but how has this progressed for heavy duty trucks within the US? The opportunity arises when medium to heavy duty vehicles account for 26% of GHG emissions in the transport sector. This is clearly recognised by major truck manufacturers like Daimler, Freightliner, Volvo, Toyota, Schneider and Tesla all in the race to be market leaders.

There are about 4,000 electric trucks on the road, with the expectation of increasing to 48,000 by 2025. However, the rate of adoption is still met with its challenges like limited range, lack of working charging stations and high upfront costs.

Dig deeper —> 13 min

  1. Business

What to know E-commerce is booming, but many online stores are far from eco-friendly. However, sustainable e-commerce is possible, and embracing sustainability can help businesses outperform their competitors over the next few years.

Five key reasons

  • Consumers prefer to buy sustainable products if it means they are more consumer conscious
  • Buying sustainably can be more cost effective and save you money
  • Whilst Ecommerce is getting greener as consumers demand more sustainable methods there is still lots of room for improvement
  • Businesses can benefit from adopting more sustainable methods
  • Going green can equip your business for future green initiatives and regulations

Dig deeper —> 9 min

  1. Business

What to know Sustainable investing allows you to implement your core values while increasing your profits. ETFs, Index Funds, and Roboadvisors are a good place to start.

Four main approaches

  • Exclusionary screening - avoiding investment in companies or sectors that do not align with investor values.
  • ESG integration - rating companies based on their implementation of Environmental, Social and Governance principles.
  • Thematic investing - focusing investments according to interest in specific themes, for example clean energy.
  • Impact investing - investing in companies or funds with the intention of generating impact alongside a financial return.

Bottom line -- Sustainable investing not only offers you a way to invest according to your values, but it also provides good financial performance and potential risk mitigation.

Dig deeper —> 5 min

  1. Energy and Environment

The scoop Pesticides promote large-scale agriculture, yet damage environmental and human health…

Risks for humans

  • At least 200,000 deaths each year.
  • Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s diseases
  • Hormone disruption, developmental disorders, sterility
  • Loss of: memory, motor skills, vision and coordination
  • Asthma, allergies, hypersensitivity

Environmental risks Traces of pesticides are found in the air, soil, and water (thus spreading far and harming wildlife including: pollinators, amphibians, birds, fish, and invertebrates). Bee colony collapse and reproductive issues are highly concerning.

What can be done? A “systemic denial fueled by the pesticide and agroindustry” keep pesticides on the market. Luckily, the UN proposes international guidelines on regulating pesticides, while promoting agroecology: a practice which combines science and local knowledge to create community-based, agricultural systems.

The UN finds that Agroecology can “feed the entire world population and ensure that they are adequately nourished.” Using agroecology, the world could be fed, and we could drop the risks that pesticides inflict!

What can I do?

  • Research your local Congressman’s stance on Pesticide Bans. Vote!
  • Grow a garden. You’ll help pollinators and enjoy pesticide-free produce.
  • Helpful resources…
    • Watch Neonicotinoids: The New DDT? free 
    • Watch: Circle of Poison
    • Read Silent Spring

Dig deeper → 3 min

  1. Energy and Environment

Big picture Solar PV and onshore wind (for new-build generation) is now cheaper for 2/3 of the global population, including the US and China.

Downsides of solar-wind Critics of widespread wind & solar point to its over-hyped environmental prowess and inefficiency.

  1. Capacity factors and values: The sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow.
    • The capacity factor of renewables are lower than that of coal, gas and nuclear, who have a capacity factor of 85-90 percent. Onshore wind units place 40 percent capacity, whereas solar facilities use 30 percent or less.
    • Capacity values are “the ability to reliably meet demand.” Using capacity values as a metric, the price of wind & solar spikes due to the unreliability during peak demand and necessary back-ups on stand-by to ensure contingent power. As reliability and capacity values go ↑, the price of renewables will go ↓
    • If widely adopted, renewables would cost higher on average. Less efficient geographic regions need to build solar and wind infrastructure, reducing economies of scale.
    • The Institute for Energy Research estimates that wind power is about twice as expensive as conventional gas-fired power, and that solar power is almost three times as expensive (relative to its capacity value).
    • Capacity factors/values summarized: wind & solar is cheaper in 2/3 of the world, but when you factor in reliability and contingency, it is still more costly.
  2. Environmental cost: It's better than oil, it's serious. Let's talk about it.
    • Heavy land use: The Green New Deal would require over 100 million acres to power America at the same capacity as oil & gas. That’s larger than the state of California. With all that space needed, it would inevitably spill into ecologically sensitive areas.
    • Production and disposal: We would probably import metals for the wind turbines and solar panels from China. Even with tariffs, it makes more economic sense. As much as 78 million metric tons worldwide by 2050 will come from solar panel waste.
    • Impact on wildlife: hundreds of thousands of birds die every year at the hands of wind turbines.
    • Weak regulation: Wind energy development, for example, has voluntary, non-mandatory federal guidelines (even during the Obama years). Assuming that wind energy companies would behave better than their fossil fuel predecessors and willingly regulate themselves is a mistake.
  3. Reliability: Frequent backups still use fossil fuels.
    • When wind and solar can't produce enough electricity, fossil fuels are used as backups.
    • The problem? Based on today's reliability of renewables, the climate impact of a GND-sized solar-wind market would be near net-zero.

Bottom line We can now say wind & solar are cheaper (at face value) than oil & gas (in most of the world). But that's just the first step. If we want to continue the shift away from fossil fuels, we still need better solutions.

  1. Politics and Policy

Busy? Try the speed read.

Providing further insight into common perceptions about the costs of Fossil Fuels:

  • 1. “Rising energy costs demand more fossil fuel production"
  • 2. “Fewer regulations would lower fuel costs"
  • 3. “Weaning ourselves off fossil fuels is impractical"

What are the inherent costs of delaying our transition from conventional energy sources? Relying on fossil fuels as our primary energy source isn't sustainable and inevitably just drives prices up even further as sources become more scare.

The US Government spent $1 trillion in subsidising fossil fuels which ultimately hinders our progress to transition to cleaner energy sources, and relaxing corporate regulation comes at great risk to our environment as seen in the fracking industry.

However, our approach to everyday living and the small changes and decisions we make now can have huge impact and help drive off our reliance on fossil fuels as our primary energy source.

Dig deeper —> 7 min

  1. Transport and Mobility

What to know We have seen greater adoption of electric cars in recent years as the technology has advanced and costs reduce, but how has this progressed for heavy duty trucks within the US? The opportunity arises when medium to heavy duty vehicles account for 26% of GHG emissions in the transport sector. This is clearly recognised by major truck manufacturers like Daimler, Freightliner, Volvo, Toyota, Schneider and Tesla all in the race to be market leaders.

There are about 4,000 electric trucks on the road, with the expectation of increasing to 48,000 by 2025. However, the rate of adoption is still met with its challenges like limited range, lack of working charging stations and high upfront costs.

Dig deeper —> 13 min

  1. Business

What to know E-commerce is booming, but many online stores are far from eco-friendly. However, sustainable e-commerce is possible, and embracing sustainability can help businesses outperform their competitors over the next few years.

Five key reasons

  • Consumers prefer to buy sustainable products if it means they are more consumer conscious
  • Buying sustainably can be more cost effective and save you money
  • Whilst Ecommerce is getting greener as consumers demand more sustainable methods there is still lots of room for improvement
  • Businesses can benefit from adopting more sustainable methods
  • Going green can equip your business for future green initiatives and regulations

Dig deeper —> 9 min

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     Featured

0 K

Hectares of mangroves lost every year

0 K

Tons of plastic on ocean's surface

0 B

Humans able to make a difference

Become an SR Contributor!

Are you a writer? Share your story with the Sustainable Review community.





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