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GoGreenNation news

Beryl power outages one week later (July 15, 2024)

News Feed
Monday, July 15, 2024

Houston Matters begins at 9 a.m. CT on 88.7FM or listen online. Join the discussion at 713-440-8870, talk@houstonmatters.org or @HoustonMatters. On Monday’s show: More than two million customers who lost power during Beryl last week now have their electricity and air conditioning back. But a few hundred thousand still don't. We have the very latest on recovery efforts after Hurricane Beryl, from CenterPoint Energy's efforts to restore power, to how the storm has created challenges for area hospitals and exacerbated health issues over the last week, to how the storm might affect the local economy. Also this hour: Houston environmental researcher and attorney Jim Blackburn shares some of lessons we need to learn from Hurricane Beryl. And we remember longtime Houston columnist Ken Hoffman, who died Sunday. Then, veterinarian Dr. Lori Teller joins us to discuss how pets navigated the storm and days since and to field listener questions. And Bleav in Astros podcast co-host Jeff Balke talks with us about the Astros at the All-Star break, how this season could, for some, have reverberations from post-Harvey 2017. Audio from today’s show will be available after 11 a.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, Stitcher and other apps.

On Monday's show: We have the very latest on recovery efforts after Hurricane Beryl, from CenterPoint Energy’s efforts to restore power, to how the storm has created challenges for area hospitals and exacerbated health issues over the last week, to how the storm might affect the local economy.

The Houston Matters logo on a white background Houston Matters begins at 9 a.m. CT on 88.7FM or listen online. Join the discussion at 713-440-8870, talk@houstonmatters.org or @HoustonMatters.

On Monday’s show: More than two million customers who lost power during Beryl last week now have their electricity and air conditioning back. But a few hundred thousand still don't. We have the very latest on recovery efforts after Hurricane Beryl, from CenterPoint Energy's efforts to restore power, to how the storm has created challenges for area hospitals and exacerbated health issues over the last week, to how the storm might affect the local economy.

Also this hour: Houston environmental researcher and attorney Jim Blackburn shares some of lessons we need to learn from Hurricane Beryl.

And we remember longtime Houston columnist Ken Hoffman, who died Sunday.

Then, veterinarian Dr. Lori Teller joins us to discuss how pets navigated the storm and days since and to field listener questions.

And Bleav in Astros podcast co-host Jeff Balke talks with us about the Astros at the All-Star break, how this season could, for some, have reverberations from post-Harvey 2017.

Audio from today’s show will be available after 11 a.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, Stitcher and other apps.

Read the full story here.
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Related News

Scientists Watch Fungi Evolve in Real Time, Thanks to a Marriage Proposal in a Cheese Cave

A new study pinpoints a disruption in a gene that made a beloved blue cheese's rind go from green to white

Scientists Watch Fungi Evolve in Real Time, Thanks to a Marriage Proposal in a Cheese Cave A new study pinpoints a disruption in a gene that made a beloved blue cheese’s rind go from green to white Sara Hashemi - Daily Correspondent October 10, 2025 3:27 p.m. The mold growing on batches of Bayley Hazen Blue cheese changed from green to white between 2016 and the present day. Benjamin Wolfe In 2016, Benjamin Wolfe, a microbiome scientist at Tufts University, was scheming. He’d convinced his former advisor, Rachel Dutton, to drive with him to Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Vermont, to collect samples of a cheese called Bayley Hazen Blue. But the visit was about more than the sweet, creamy dairy product: It was a ruse so that Dutton’s boyfriend could propose at the farm, where they had first met. The surprise proposal went ahead as planned, and the biologist got his samples—scrapes from the cheese wheels’ rinds. He stored them in a freezer in his lab for years. “I’m notorious for not throwing samples away just in case we might need them,” he says in a statement. The cheese collected in 2016 was coated in a “very avocado-limey-green color,” Wolfe recalls to Elizabeth Preston at the New York Times. But a few years later, when graduate student Nicolas Louw went to pick up new samples at the farm, the rinds of the newer cheeses were completely white. The recipe hadn’t changed. Neither had the caves where the farm ages its blue cheese. Perhaps the mold had changed instead, the scientists surmised. “This was really exciting, because we thought it could be an example of evolution happening right before our eyes,” Wolfe says in the statement. “Microbes evolve. We know that from antibiotic resistance evolution [and] pathogen evolution, but we don’t usually see it happening at a specific place over time in a natural setting.” Did you know? A fungus among us According to a report from the American Academy of Microbiology, “Cheese is one of the few foods we eat that contains extraordinarily high numbers of living, metabolizing microbes.” Fungi are just the start—cheeses gain their flavors and textures from yeast (a type of fungus) and other microbes, like bacteria. Genetic analysis revealed the cheese rinds’ color change happened because of a disruption in ALB1, a gene involved in the production of melanin, which is known for its role in protection from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In humans, melanin produces eye color as well as hair and skin pigmentation. In cheeses, melanin affects the appearance of the rind. It makes sense that fungi growing in a cave would shed a gene designed to produce melanin as it evolved, since it doesn’t need protection from ultraviolet light, Louw explains in the statement. The phenomenon, known as “relaxed selection,” is common in species that experience the removal of an environmental stressor. “By breaking that pathway and going from green to white, the fungi are essentially saving energy to invest in other things for survival and growth,” Louw says. The findings, published in the journal Current Biology last month, are a “perfect example of evolution in action,” Sam O’Donnell, a fungal genomicist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who wasn’t involved in the work, tells the New York Times. Understanding how the Penicillium solitum fungi in the cheese evolve can also have other benefits. In the statement, the researchers say the work could be used to help prevent lung infections caused by other molds in the same family—or even help bolster global food security. “Around 20 percent of staple crops are lost pre-harvest due to fungal rot, and an additional 20 percent are lost to fungi post-harvest,” Louw says in the statement. “That includes the moldy bread in your pantry and rotting fruit on market shelves.” Being able to manage mold could help solve that issue. Next, Wolfe and his team will explore making new types of cheese with different tastes and textures based on their findings. They’ve already collaborated with the farm on a fresh brie with the white mold and found it tastes “nuttier and less funky,” Wolfe says in the statement. The cheeses will continue to be refined on the farm. “Seeing wild molds evolve right before our eyes over a period of a few years helps us think that we can develop a robust domestication process, to create new genetic diversity and tap into that for cheesemaking,” Wolfe adds. As for Dutton? She said yes. “We are very grateful to [her husband] for his elaborate marriage proposal,” the researchers note in the acknowledgments section of their paper. “It is because of his marriage proposal that the 2016 samples were collected.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Energy
Food
Science

State approves Zenith Energy’s air quality permit

The DEQ found Zenith was in compliance with state law, had met all applicable rules and regulations and had submitted a complete permit application, including an updated land-use credential issued by the city of Portland.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued Zenith Energy’s air quality permit, allowing the controversial company to continue storing and loading crude oil and renewable fuels at a hub in Northwest Portland. State regulators issued the permit on Thursday after evaluating more than 800 written and 60 verbal comments, many of them opposing the permit. Zenith needed the permit approval to continue operations at the Critical Energy Infrastructure hub on the Willamette River. The Houston-based Zenith’s presence in Portland has attracted fierce backlash in recent years from environmental activists and some city residents concerned with the company’s myriad violations and the potential for fuel spills and explosions in the event of a large earthquake in the region. Zenith is one of 11 fuel companies at the hub.Lisa Ball, an air quality permit manager with DEQ, said the agency issued the permit because it found Zenith was in compliance with state law, had met all applicable rules and regulations and had submitted a complete permit application, including an updated land-use credential issued by the city of Portland. The new permit requires less frequent state inspections and company reporting requirements than Zenith’s previous permit, Ball said, though the department retains the authority to inspect the company as needed or in the case of violations. Ball said the new permit is also more stringent than Zenith’s previous permit because it prohibits crude oil storage and loading starting in October 2027 and includes stricter emission standards. It requires Zenith to reduce by 80% the amount of emitted volatile organic compounds, known as VOCs, a group of air pollutants that can cause irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, damage to the liver, kidney and central nervous system and, in some cases, cause cancer. It also adds PM 2.5 and greenhouse gases – chiefly carbon dioxide – to the company’s regulated pollutants. PM 2.5 are tiny particles that are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream. “This permit is more protective of human health and the environment,” Ball said.Environmental groups have disputed that characterization and said their own analysis – submitted as part of the public comments on the permit application – shows Zenith will not meet the emissions limits in the newly granted permit. “DEQ chose to accept Zenith’s mathematical sleight of hand despite expert analysis showing real-world pollution will be much worse,” said Audrey Leonard, an attorney with Columbia Riverkeeper, a Hood River-based environmental group focused on protecting the river. “The public knows better – Zenith’s expansion of so-called renewable fuels will result in more harm to our rivers, air and communities.” A previous analysis of Zenith’s draft air quality permit application by The Oregonian/OregonLive showed the permit, if approved, was not likely to lead to substantial emission reductions because Zenith is currently emitting far below the cap of its previous permit limits. The analysis also found the permit would likely pave the way for Zenith to significantly expand the amount of fuel it stores in Portland because renewable fuels such as renewable diesel or renewable naphta produce less pollution, allowing the company to store more of them without going over the permit limits. Zenith officials praised the permit approval and said the company’s transition to renewable fuel storage would ensure Oregon has the supply it needs to meet its carbon reduction goals. “The infrastructure investments being made during this transition will also ensure our terminal continues to operate at the highest standards of safety. We look forward to supporting regional leaders in creating a lower-carbon future,” Zenith’s chief commercial officer Grady Reamer said in a statement. In the meantime, Portland is still in the midst of an investigation into the potential violations of Zenith Energy’s franchise agreement, including whether Zenith violated the law when it constructed and used new pipes at an additional dock on the river – without reporting it to authorities – to load renewable and fossil fuels. City officials have said the investigation would likely conclude by the end of the year. Also ongoing: a legal challenge over the city’s land-use approval for Zenith, filed by environmental groups with the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals. Portland officials have had a complex relationship with the company. The city denied Zenith’s land-use credential in 2001 and defended the decision in court before reversing course and approving it with the condition that Zenith transition to renewable fuels and secure a new air permit with more stringent emission limits. In February, despite mounting opposition from local activists, city staff once again approved a land-use credential for Zenith.The approval came after DEQ last year found Zenith had been using the McCall dock and pipes to load and unload fuels without authorization. As part of the sanctions, DEQ officials required Zenith to seek a new land-use approval before continuing its air quality permit process.DEQ officials said they would reevaluate Zenith’s air permit if the legal case or city investigation led to any changes to the status of the land-use approval – such as if the city revoked it or the state land use panel invalidated it.The newly issued air permit is valid for five years. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Energy
Land Use
CO2

Renewables have now passed coal globally – and growth is fastest in countries like Bhutan and Nepal

Even as clean energy progress slows in the US and EU, developing nations such as Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives are surging ahead.

Commuters pass a new solar array in the Maldives. Ishara S. Kodikara/GettyFor the first time, renewables have toppled coal as the world’s leading source of electricity, in keeping with International Energy Agency projections for this historic shift. But progress is uneven. The shift away from fossil fuels has slowed in the United States and the European Union – but accelerated sharply in developing nations. China attracts headlines for the sheer scale of its shift. But many smaller nations are now taking up clean energy, electric vehicles and battery storage at remarkable speed, driven by governments, businesses and individuals. Importantly, these moves often aren’t about climate change. Reasons range from cutting dependence on expensive fossil fuels and international market volatility to reducing reliance on unreliable power grids to finding ways to boost livelihoods. Pakistan’s enormous solar boom is partly a response to spiking power prices and grid unreliability. Meanwhile Pacific nations see clean energy as a way to slash the crippling cost of importing diesel and expand electricity access. My research has given me insight into the paths four countries in South Asia have taken to seize the benefits of clean technology, each shaped by unique pressures and opportunities. All are moving rapidly, blending necessity with ambition. Their stories show the clean energy path isn’t one-size-fits-all. Bhutan: from hydropower giant to diversified energy The landlocked Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has long relied on hydroelectricity. But the country faces a persistent challenge: seasonal variability. Most of Bhutan’s plants are run-of-the-river, meaning they don’t have large dams. As a result, power generation drops sharply during dry winter months when river flows are low, particularly between January and April. At the same time, rapid industrialisation has driven up demand for power, outstripping winter capacity. Climate change is expected to worsen this variability. During these months, Bhutan shifts from its role as clean-energy exporter to an importer, buying electricity from India. But imports aren’t a long-term solution. To secure reliable supply year-round, Bhutan’s government is diversifying energy sources. To that end, up to 300 megawatts of solar is expected to be installed, potentially as soon as next year. Bhutan’s first utility-scale solar farm is under construction. Over time, Bhutan will blend hydro with solar, wind and biomass to create a more balanced clean energy mix. Bhutan has long relied on hydroelectricity. But authorities are moving to find new sources of power as demand surges and river flows become less reliable. Kuni Takahashi/Getty Nepal: electric cars in Kathmandu Nepal has long imported all its petrol from India. But when India launched an unofficial blockade in 2015, vital supplies and fuel tankers stopped coming. Fuel prices surged. People queued for days at petrol stations, while black-market prices soared and public transport collapsed. Households, already enduring many hours of daily blackouts, faced even worse conditions. The crisis exposed Nepal’s deep vulnerability. The mountainous nation makes its own electricity, largely through hydropower. But it had to import petrol. In 2018, authorities launched an ambitious program to shift to electric vehicles and free the nation from dependence on imports. Electric vehicles would charge on domestic hydropower and reduce Kathmandu’s well-known air pollution. The plan called for electric vehicles to reach 90% share of new commuter vehicle sales (including popular two-wheelers) by 2030. This year, the electric vehicle share for new four-wheel vehicles reached 76%, jumping rapidly in just the past year. Exemptions and incentives have supported this growth. As electric vehicles surge, new charging station and maintenance businesses have emerged. It’s not all smooth sailing. A protest movement recently overthrew Nepal’s government, creating uncertainty. Analysts warn stable government policy and infrastructure investment will be essential. Electric vehicles are soaring in popularity in Nepal. Pictured: the opening of an event by Chinese carmaker BYD in Kathmandu in February 2025. Chinese News Service/Getty Sri Lanka: innovation emerging from crisis Between 2022 and 2023, a serious economic crisis hit Sri Lanka. Citizens reeled from severe energy shocks, such as fuel shortages, 12-hour blackouts and punishing electricity price hikes of over 140%. Half a million people were disconnected from the grid as they were unable to pay. The crisis showed how fragile the island nation’s energy system was. Authorities looked for better options. Hydroelectricity has long been a mainstay, but solar and wind are growing rapidly. Sri Lanka runs on about 50% renewables, with hydro the largest contributor by far. By 2030, the goal is to reach 70% renewable energy. While renewables offer cheap power, they have to be coupled with energy storage and new systems to integrate them into the grid. In response, universities, international partners and companies have worked to integrate renewable energy in the grid, developing artificial intelligence-based systems to improve reliability and supply to consumers. For instance, they can reduce voltage fluctuations associated with high uptake of rooftop solar. Importantly, some of these projects have a gender focus, prioritising women-led small enterprises and training for women engineers. The crisis may prove a turning point by exposing vulnerabilities and pushing Sri Lanka to adopt new energy solutions. After a severe energy crisis gripped Sri Lanka, authorities began looking for ways to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels. Pictured: a closed service station in Colombo in late 2022 with a sign warning of no petrol. Ishara S. Kodikara/Getty Maldives: bringing solar to diesel-dependent islands Few countries are more vulnerable to fossil fuel dependence than the Maldives. Spread across 1,000 islands, the nation relies on imported diesel for power generation, with high transport costs and exposure to oil price swings. In 2014, Maldivian authorities launched the Preparing Outer Islands for Sustainable Energy Development project as part of a plan to reach net-zero by 2030. The project focuses on around 160 poorer islands further from the capital, progressively replacing a reliance on diesel generators with solar arrays, battery storage and upgraded power grids. Women’s economic empowerment is a priority, as women-led enterprises run solar systems and utilities train female operations officers. The Maldives government released a 2030 roadmap, which has a welcome focus on the “just energy transition” – ensuring communities benefit equitably. For the Maldives, renewables are more than an environmental choice — they are a lifeline for economic survival and resilience. Lessons from the margins While these energy transitions rarely make global headlines, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives show how smaller economies are finding their own pathways to cleaner, more resilient energy. Their reasons to act stem from different crises, from blockades to economic upheaval. But each nation is working to turn challenge into opportunity. Reihana Mohideen has previously consulted for the POISED project in the Maldives.

Energy
Business
Crisis

Riccardo Comin, two MIT alumni named 2025 Moore Experimental Physics Investigators

MIT physicist seeks to use award to study magnetoelectric multiferroics that could lead to energy-efficient storage devices.

MIT associate professor of physics Riccardo Comin has been selected as 2025 Experimental Physics Investigator by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Two MIT physics alumni — Gyu-Boong Jo PhD ’10 of Rice University, and Ben Jones PhD ’15 of the University of Texas at Arlington — were also among this year’s cohort of 22 honorees.The prestigious Experimental Physics Investigators (EPI) Initiative recognizes mid-career scientists advancing the frontiers of experimental physics. Each award provides $1.3 million over five years to accelerate breakthroughs and strengthen the experimental physics community.At MIT, Comin investigates magnetoelectric multiferroics by engineering interfaces between two-dimensional materials and three-dimensional oxide thin films. His research aims to overcome long-standing limitations in spin-charge coupling by moving beyond epitaxial constraints, enabling new interfacial phases and coupling mechanisms. In these systems, Comin’s team explores the coexistence and proximity of magnetic and ferroelectric order, with a focus on achieving strong magnetoelectric coupling. This approach opens new pathways for designing tunable multiferroic systems unconstrained by traditional synthesis methods.Comin’s research expands the frontier of multiferroics by demonstrating stacking-controlled magnetoelectric coupling at 2D–3D interfaces. This approach enables exploration of fundamental physics in a versatile materials platform and opens new possibilities for spintronics, sensing, and data storage. By removing constraints of epitaxial growth, Comin’s work lays the foundation for microelectronic and spintronic devices with novel functionalities driven by interfacial control of spin and polarization.Comin’s project, Interfacial MAGnetoElectrics (I-MAGinE), aims to study a new class of artificial magnetoelectric multiferroics at the interfaces between ferroic materials from 2D van der Waals systems and 3D oxide thin films. The team aims to identify and understand novel magnetoelectric effects to demonstrate the viability of stacking-controlled interfacial magnetoelectric coupling. This research could lead to significant contributions in multiferroics, and could pave the way for innovative, energy-efficient storage devices.“This research has the potential to make significant contributions to the field of multiferroics by demonstrating the viability of stacking-controlled interfacial magnetoelectric coupling,” according to Comin’s proposal. “The findings could pave the way for future applications in spintronics, data storage, and sensing. It offers a significant opportunity to explore fundamental physics questions in a novel materials platform, while laying the ground for future technological applications, including microelectronic and spintronic devices with new functionalities.”Comin’s group has extensive experience in researching 2D and 3D ferroic materials and electronically ordered oxide thin films, as well as ultrathin van der Waals magnets, ferroelectrics, and multiferroics. Their lab is equipped with state-of-the-art tools for material synthesis, including bulk crystal growth of van der Waals materials and pulsed laser deposition targets, along with comprehensive fabrication and characterization capabilities. Their expertise in magneto-optical probes and advanced magnetic X-ray techniques promises to enable in-depth studies of electronic and magnetic structures, specifically spin-charge coupling, in order to contribute significantly to understanding spin-charge coupling in magnetochiral materials.The coexistence of ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism in a single material, known as multiferroicity, is rare, and strong spin-charge coupling is even rarer due to fundamental chemical and electronic structure incompatibilities.The few known bulk multiferroics with strong magnetoelectric coupling generally rely on inversion symmetry-breaking spin arrangements, which only emerge at low temperatures, limiting practical applications. While interfacial magnetoelectric multiferroics offer an alternative, achieving efficient spin-charge coupling often requires stringent conditions like epitaxial growth and lattice matching, which limit material combinations. This research proposes to overcome these limitations by using non-epitaxial interfaces of 2D van der Waals materials and 3D oxide thin films.Unique features of this approach include leveraging the versatility of 2D ferroics for seamless transfer onto any substrate, eliminating lattice matching requirements, and exploring new classes of interfacial magnetoelectric effects unconstrained by traditional thin-film synthesis limitations.Launched in 2018, the Moore Foundation’s EPI Initiative cultivates collaborative research environments and provides research support to promote the discovery of new ideas and emphasize community building.“We have seen numerous new connections form and new research directions pursued by both individuals and groups based on conversations at these gatherings,” says Catherine Mader, program officer for the initiative.The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation was established to create positive outcomes for future generations. In pursuit of that vision, it advances scientific discovery, environmental conservation, and the special character of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Energy
Chemicals
Conservation

New England’s final coal plant shuts down years ahead of schedule

Even as the federal government attempts to prop up the waning coal industry, New England’s last coal-fired power plant has ceased operations three years ahead of its planned retirement date. The closure of the New Hampshire facility paves the way for its owner to press ahead with an initiative to transform the site…

Additionally, solar power production accelerated from 2010 on, lowering demand on the grid during the day and creating more evening peaks. Coal plants take longer to ramp up production than other sources, and are therefore less economical for these shorter bursts of demand, Dolan said. In recent years, Merrimack operated only a few weeks annually. In 2024, the plant generated just 0.22% of the region’s electricity. It wasn’t making enough money to justify continued operations, observers said. The closure ​“is emblematic of the transition that has been occurring in the generation fleet in New England for many years,” Dolan said. ​“The combination of all those factors has meant that coal facilities are no longer economic in this market.” Granite Shore Power, the plant’s owner, first announced its intention to shutter Merrimack in March 2024, following years of protests and legal wrangling by environmental advocates. The company pledged to cease coal-fired operations by 2028 to settle a lawsuit claiming that the facility was in violation of the federal Clean Water Act. The agreement included another commitment to shut down the company’s Schiller plant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, by the end of 2025; this smaller plant can burn coal but hasn’t done so since 2020. At the time, the company outlined a proposal to repurpose the 400-acre Merrimack site, just outside Concord, for clean energy projects, taking advantage of existing electric infrastructure to connect a 120-megawatt combined solar and battery storage system to the grid. It is not yet clear whether changes in federal renewable energy policies will affect this vision. In a statement announcing the Merrimack closure, Granite Shore Power was less specific about its plans than it had been, saying, ​“We continue to consider all opportunities for redevelopment” of the site, but declining to follow up with more detail. Still, advocates are looking ahead with optimism. “This is progress — there’s no doubt the math is there,” Corkery said. ​“It is never over until it is over, but I am very hopeful.”

Energy
Water

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Precarious

An independent art film, Precarious is a haunting evocation of the aftermath of the explosion at Chernobyl, 25 years on. Accompanied by testimony from a group of unseen veterans of the disaster, Precarious bears witness to both the folly and resilience of humans and to nature's fragility.

Crisis
Pollution
Energy

Backyard

Following stories about the effects of fracking in Pennsylvania, Colorado, North Dakota, and Montana, an eerie similarity emerges despite the vast differences in geography, personal histories, and different stages of hydro-fracking development that involves increasingly difficult methods of fossil fuel extraction at increasing costs to the people and the environment. Interspersed throughout these human stories are animated illustrations of the bigger “puzzle picture” of which each story is only one small piece.

Resources
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Fracking the System: Colorado's Oil and Gas Wars

Fracking the System is a political thriller documentary from the front lines of climate justice activism in Colorado. When a fracking mega-site gets moved from a White neighborhood to a BIPOC neighborhood, a concerned mother fights to try and stop it. This feature film is an investigative exposé about the harms of fracking, the lengths to which the government is complicit with industrial pollution, and the nefarious tactics that the oil and gas industry uses to undermine democratic elections.

Activism
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A Low Carbon Future for China’s Furnace Cities

China’s economic development and rapid urbanization has led to a dramatic rise in energy consumption due to excessive heating and air-conditioning causing carbon emissions of immense proportions. China’s government has set the ambitious target of reducing CO2 emissions by 40–45% by 2020 against the 2005 baseline. A UK/China-funded team working on how to solve the problem in some of the most extreme climate regions in China. The team discovers groundbreaking solutions using computational-fluid-dynamics simulations.

CO2
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Climate

100 Short Stories

100 Short Stories is a collage ranging from the serious to the humorous. This original and engaging documentary tackles opinions regarding governance, public policy, and questions what are sound ideas socially, environmentally and culturally in today’s society. It’s about predatory Capitalism, renewable energy, stopping the frakers, and contemporary life in Atlantic Canada. Created by Neal Livingston, a well-known Nova Scotian documentary filmmaker and artist – as well as renewable energy practitioner, developer and policy advocate – who calls the film partly autobiographical.

Culture
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Documentary

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