North America is no stranger to wildfires. As of August 15, 2024, 29,917 fires this year have burned more than 5.2 million acres, according to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. While this year’s number of wildfires is below the annual average of 35,691, the yearly acres burned is above the average of 3.8 million acres of the past 10 years.

While wildfires are a naturally occurring phenomenon, their frequency is heavily influenced by climate change, especially on the west coast of the United States. Wildfire risk increases depending on a number of factors, including temperature, soil moisture, and the presence of trees, shrubs, and other fuel. Additionally, climate change dries out organic matter or “fuel” in forests, resulting in a doubling of the number of large fires between 1984 and 2015 in the western United States. As climate change creates warmer and drier weather conditions, wildfires will likely become more frequent; studies show that an average annual warming of one degree celsius would increase the median burned area per year by as much as 600 percent in some types of forests. 

Ultimately, as temperatures warm globally and drier conditions ravage the country, these fires will spread farther and become harder and harder to extinguish. 

As the planet warms, many have turned to ancient methods to mitigate the effects of climate change. Notably, Dr. Adams borrows the concept of “good” fires from Native American cultural fires practices, where low intensity fires are lit to heal the surrounding ecosystem. In order to positively change the public’s relationship with fire, fire agencies in California and Native American tribes have started using this term. Generally, “good” or cultural fires not only restore degraded soils and decrease vegetation or fuel overgrowth, but also deepen the spiritual ties people have to the land they inhabit. Specifically, good fire increases organic matter, keeps soil surfaces vegetated through the regrowth of plants, and encourages biodiversity. 

In California, many ecosystems rely on fire for its regenerative powers. Dr. Adams notes that fire connects to water, soil health, and the health of animals and surrounding areas. It can also mitigate invasive species growth and eliminate harmful pests that are killing a lot of trees, making them more susceptible to catching fire and starting larger forest fires. As a result, fire promotes many benefits for ecosystem health.

Dr. Adams writes that as a member of the N’dee San Carlos Apache Tribe, she maintains a sacred attachment to the land, and believes that humans and the Earth are relatives. Subsequently, as siblings, humans and the land must help each other survive. Following these teachings around our relationship to more-than-human sibling and reciprocity, “good” fire participants can achieve “futurity” (intergenerational exchanges) that will safeguard future protection of the environment and human communities. Listening to these Native American Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) could lead the way to developing a more sustainable relationship to the planet and, in doing so, mitigate the effects of climate change.

The concept of “good” fire stems from Indigenous Matriarchal Ecology. Many Native American tribes are matriarchal, such as the Cherokee and the Navajo. Applying traditionally “matriarchal” values such as care, tenderness, and love to environmental conservation could be an effective climate change solution. Inclusivity and the centering of Indigenous women’s knowledge can also allow opportunities to enhance plant and soil health, remediation, and rematriation of the quality of our plant and soilscapes to provide a prosperous support structure that enables ecosystems to thrive.

By practicing Indigenous Matriarchal Ecology, cultural fire participants can collectively start seeing the Earth as a Mother: one who gives life and receives it in return. This is why Dr. Adams and her colleagues focus on the role the soil can play in the fight against climate change through the practice of Matriarchal Ecology. Dr. Adams writes that applying a soil health approach to ecology in tandem with cultural fires can play an important role in climate mitigation by storing carbon and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. By restoring degraded soils and adopting soil conservation practices, such as cultural fire and Indigenous Matriarchal Ecologies, “good” fire practitioners can enhance the Earth’s carbon sequestration capacity and build resilience to climate change. Furthermore, these soil improvements on formerly mined and degraded lands could make soilscapes more resilient to erosion and desertification, while maintaining vital ecosystem services. And hopefully, these practitioners can inspire others, non-Native and Native alike, to develop a better understanding of and relationships with the planet.

Indigenous Matriarchal Ecologies can highlight the positive effects of cultural fire on environmentally degraded soils, while simultaneously building native plant and soil resilience toward climate and cultural futurity that all communities can enjoy.

Dr. Melinda Adams is a member of the N’dee San Carlos Apache Tribe and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Atmospheric Science at the University of Kansas. A cultural fire practitioner and scholar, her research focuses on the revitalization of cultural fire with Tribes in California and more recently with Tribes in the Midwest. Her work with Indigenous communities combines environmental science, environmental policy, and Indigenous studies methodologies.

• Center for Climate and Energy Solutions: Wildfires and Climate Change
• California Native Plant Society: Native Plants and Climate Change: Indigenous Perspectives 

• UC Davis: Melinda Adams: Flame Keeper
• Climate Designers: Podcast: Deep Dive with Dr Melinda Adams: Solastalgia & Soliphilia 

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/regenerating-our-ecosystems-with-good-fire-with-dr-melinda-adams/.

A 2022 IPCC report found that direct GHG emissions from the transport sector accounted for 23% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019. Road vehicles accounted for 70% of direct transport emissions, while 1%, 11%, and 12% of emissions came from rail, shipping, and aviation, respectively. 

As the mounting effects of climate change continue to be felt worldwide, the aviation industry is pioneering a method to reduce its contributions. Namely, it is focusing on efforts to curtail condensation trails – or contrails – which are fluffy, white cloud formations that sometimes appear as airplanes fly through the cold, humid, and icy parts of the atmosphere. Because they are a combination of soot, water vapor, and particulate matter (such as NOx), when aircrafts pass through these areas, they form cirrus clouds that absorb the radiation escaping from the surface, and, in turn, trap the heat. 

This phenomenon could account for around 35% of aviation’s total contribution to climate change — that’s about 1 to 2% of overall global warming! Together, these contrails roughly triple the total global warming impact of aviation compared to CO2 alone. Therefore, it is imperative that the aviation industry find solutions to reduce the production of contrails. 

One method of reducing contrails consists of replacing traditional fuels with biofuels made from plant or animal biomass, waste, sugars and ethanol (corn). Sustainable jet fuels can produce 50%-70% fewer contrails according to research conducted by NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Jets using alternative fuels release fewer soot particles, thereby creating fewer ice crystal formations, which ultimately reduces contrail production by extension. Though biofuels may initially form larger crystals, they fall more quickly and melt in the warmer air below.

The second method involves developing electric or hydrogen-powered commercial aircrafts. Hydrogen is an attractive alternative to traditional aircrafts because it can be burned without emitting CO2 and is widely available. These aircrafts would either burn liquid hydrogen directly into their engines, or use gaseous hydrogen in a fuel cell system. With fuel cells, the hydrogen creates an electrochemical reaction that produces electricity to charge the aircraft's batteries while in flight. 

A third method involves redirecting flights to avoid contrail-inducing zones. Between 2% and 10% of all flights create around 80% of the contrails, so researchers have started developing predictive models that would allow airlines to identify and avoid contrail regions similarly to how they plan to avoid turbulence. The cost is predicted to be $0.5/ ton of CO2 equivalent. Furthermore, only minor adjustments to the routes of a small fraction of airplane flights is required, making predictive models highly attractive and cost effective. 

While biofuels have great potential, they come with their own set of challenges. First is the issue of land use and its effects on agriculture. Producing three billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel would require between 8 and 11 million acres of corn or 35 and 50 million acres of soybeans, depending on crop yields. This could impact food production and cost. Shifting to corn or soybean based fuels has also been found to produce significant adverse emissions impacts. Lastly, it’s unclear whether sustainable fuels can meet the world’s growing demand for aerial transportation.   

While hydrogen is attractive, it has lower energy density than fossil fuels, meaning that a higher onboard fuel storage volume is needed to cover the same distance as current fossil fuel-powered aircrafts. In addition, H2-powered large passenger planes would require significant changes to aircraft design, making it less cost effective in the short term when RD&D costs are considered (development of fuel cell technology and liquid hydrogen tanks, aircraft research, hydrogen infrastructure, fleet output, etc). Industry experts anticipate that it will take 10 to 15 years to make these important advancements. 

Lastly, contrail prediction models rely on a variety of input data, including flight trajectories, aircraft and engine parameters, fuel characteristics, and weather data. However, the availability and accuracy of some of these data inputs is still a challenge, as no standardization exists. 

Matteo Mirolo is Head of Policy and Strategy, Contrails at Breakthrough Energy, an organization founded by Bill Gates to spur innovation in clean energy and address climate change. Prior to that he was sustainable aviation policy manager at Transport & Environment (clean transport advocacy group). Mirolo is also a member of the sustainability advisory panel at Air New Zealand. 

• IPCC Sixth Assessment Report: Transport
• The contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018
• Biofuels
• NASA-DLR Study Finds Sustainable Aviation Fuel Can Reduce Contrails
• Hydrogen could power the next-gen aircraft of tomorrow
• Land-Use Impacts of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge
• How much biofuel would we need to decarbonise aviation?
• Hydrogen-powered aviation

• Aviation Contrails 
• The missing policies on aviation emissions 

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/eliminating-contrails-to-increase-aircraft-sustainability-with-matteo-mirolo/.

What is COF 999?

UC Berkeley chemistry professor Dr. Omar Yaghi recently led a study which has the potential to be revolutionary in reducing the quantity of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere. “Covalent organic framework number 999,” or COF 999, is a yellow, powder-like material that has billions of tiny holes. Inside of these holes, researchers in Dr. Yaghi’s lab have installed molecular units that can seek out carbon dioxide, enabling the substance to suck in and capture the carbon dioxide. COF 999 has a huge capacity for absorbing emissions; half a pound of the powder can absorb as much carbon dioxide as a tree captures in a year.

The carbon dioxide problem

The quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached an all-time high, with a global average in 2023 of 419.3 parts per million. This immense amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere comes from a number of human sources, the most common of which is the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas for energy. Carbon dioxide is the most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, and contributes significantly to global warming and other environmental issues, including ocean acidification.

Applying COF 999 

In an interview with Forbes, Dr. Yaghi described the way he sees COF 999 being implemented as a solution. The powder can be made into pellets or a coating, and then integrated into facilities where flue gas –the gas that is released from industrial processes –is released. “This flue gas would pass through the material and because it just plucks out CO2, it cleans CO2 from that flue before it reaches the atmosphere.” According to the San Francisco Standard, Dr. Yaghi says that the powder “requires no energy, shows no signs of degradation even after 100 uses, and is made from inexpensive, commercially available materials.”  Another benefit is that the material only needs to be heated to 50 or 60 degrees Celsius, rather than to 120 like many other traditional materials necessary for carbon capture.

In order to see significant change in the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide concentration, we will need to couple preventing carbon dioxide emissions with direct air capture, which COF 999 can also do. According to Zihui Zhou, a UC Berkeley graduate student who worked in Dr. Yaghi’s lab says, “Currently, the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is more than 420 ppm, but that will increase to maybe 500 or 550 before we fully develop and employ flue gas capture. So if we want to decrease the concentration and go back to maybe 400 or 300 ppm, we have to use direct air capture.” It will take time, however, for scientists to be able to use COF 999 effectively. This is because the powder has not been tested in real-life scenarios, and therefore the costs and risks from the powder are largely unknown; for example, the powder might restrict air flow through filters when applied, reducing the practicality of the powder.  

About our guest

Dr. Omar Yaghi is a professor of chemistry at the University of California Berkeley, and the Founding Director of the Berkeley Global Science Institute, whose mission is to build centers of research in developing countries and provide opportunities for young scholars to discover and learn. He is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences as well as the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. 

Resources

• Climate.gov: Climate Change: Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
• Forbes: This Powder Could Be A Gamechanger For Capturing CO2
• The San Francisco Standard: The new solution to climate change? A yellow powder you can hold in your fingers
• UC Berkeley News: Capturing carbon from the air just got easier
• Smithsonian Magazine: This New, Yellow Powder Quickly Pulls Carbon Dioxide From the Air, and Researchers Say ‘There’s Nothing Like It’

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/cof-999-carbon-capture-with-dr-omar-yaghi/

Methane (CH4) (the primary component of “natural gas”) is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide.

Around 60% of global methane emissions come from human activities in three main sectors: energy production (oil, gas, and coal), agriculture (livestock and rice), and waste (landfill and waste water). Energy production accounts for about 35% of anthropogenic methane emissions, agriculture accounts for about 40%, and waste accounts for about 20%. 

Methane leaks from fossil fuel production, landfills, and livestock include emissions that are described as “super emitter events,” which have devastating ecological effects. While methane has a much shorter atmospheric lifetime than CO2 (around 12 years compared with one hundred years or more for CO2), it is a significantly more potent greenhouse gas, trapping eighty times more heat than CO2 over a 20 year period, which exacerbates the effects of climate change on our planet. Methane also negatively affects air quality because it is an ingredient in the formation of ground level (tropospheric) ozone, a dangerous air pollutant. Thus, monitoring methane leaks and formulating preventative methods is crucial to preserving the health of both the planet and all those who occupy it.

The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) has undertaken many initiatives to mitigate methane leaks. In October 2021, UNEP launched the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO), which catalogs emissions for the three largest methane-emitting sectors in a public database, providing governments and companies access to empirically verified methane emissions. This data can be used to build efficient policies to address large methane leakages. 

In 2022, the UNEP launched the International Methane Alert and Response System, or MARS through its IMEO program, the first ever satellite-based detection system that notifies governments of major methane leaks from their fossil fuel infrastructure. IMEO breaks down satellite detection in four essential steps:  

1. IMEO uses global mapping satellites to identify very large methane plumes.
2. The emissions information is shared with governments and companies. Important information includes detailed information on their location, size, potential sources, and operators of the relevant facilities.
3. It is up to notified stakeholders to determine how best to respond to the notified emissions.
4. IMEO continues to track methane leakages around the world, repeating the process when large methane plumes are detected. Data and analyses are made public 45 to 75 days post detection on the MARS data portal.

While developing satellite technology has helped, Dr. Aganaba argues for greater collaboration between different levels of government and greater transparency. While many governments and companies have agreed to methane emission reduction pledges, they are rarely legally binding.  

Dr. Aganaba offers the following challenges and solutions. First, we need greater momentum at the federal level to get local and state actors to participate in satellite-based climate data collection. Second, there needs to be a standardization of data monitoring, collection, interpretation, and distribution in order for information to be verified and shared effectively, as this will enable better enforcement methods and compliance. Third, once what Dr. Aganaba refers to as a “national geospatial data infrastructure” is established, the international community must amend the space charters that dictate the current international geospatial data infrastructure. Dr. Aganaba stresses that this legal framework is crucial both to safeguard the environmental integrity of outer space and ensure that the mistakes made on earth are not repeated, both in terms of environmental exploitation and power sharing between developed and developing nations.  

Satellite data is not a panacea. Satellites can sometimes mistake clouds or other natural phenomena for methane leaks. These readings are not always reliable as they can be obstructed by clouds, dense forests, or snow, and do not provide information about how much methane is being leaked in a specific location. They do, however, provide a great deal of useful data and much greater transparency.  

Dr. Timiebi Aganaba is an assistant professor at the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University, where she founded the ASU Space Governance Lab. She is also the Senior Global Futures Scientist at Global Futures Scientists and Scholars. Dr. Aganaba specializes in international environmental law, international space law and policy, geoengineering, and satellite technology. 

• Aganaba-Jeanty, Timiebi & Huggings, Anna. Transnational Environmental Law, 2019  

“Satellite Measurement of GHG Emissions: Prospects for Enhancing Transparency and Answerability under International Law”, Transnational Environmental Law 2019  

• UNEP. 2022

How secretive methane leaks are driving climate change

• UNEP. 2023

Satellite Data to Methane Action: UNEP’s Methane Alert and Response System

• Clark, Aaron. Bloomberg, 2023.

The Climate Sleuth Uncovering Methane Leaks for the United Nations

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/locating-methane-leaks-with-satellites-with-dr-timiebi-aganaba/.

The Benefits of Recycling Wind Turbines

While wind energy is renewable and non-polluting, the wind turbines themselves can create pollution problems. Now, scientists are creating wind turbines that can be made with less energy, but also create less waste because they can be recycled. This, of course, reduces impacts on the waste stream and provides a sustainable alternative to current wind turbines that are often extremely hard to recycle. Moreover, the new material requires less energy to create and mold into the desired output, subsequently reducing associated greenhouse gas emissions.

Making Wind Turbines with Recyclable Resin

Not surprisingly, even renewable energy resources also have environmental costs. For instance, when the life of a wind turbine ends (after about 20 years), it ends up in landfills. Moreover, as more wind farms are built and older turbines are taken out of usage, the waste burden is significant. Most resins also used in wind turbines require many nonrenewable resources and a lot of energy to produce. In addition, they do not easily degrade.

This is why researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) started developing turbines from recyclable resin. They call the resin PECAN, and it is created with “bio-derivable resources” like sugars as opposed to the type of resin that has traditionally been used, which is not bio-derived and extremely hard to upcycle. Specifically, when the wind blades are unusable they are shredded to be used as “concrete filling”, which never biodegrades, while turbines made of recyclable resin can chemically break down within 6 hours.

Benefits of Recyclable Resin 

Not only can PECAN withstand harsh weather, but it does not deform over time. Additionally, once the resin undergoes a chemical process called “methanolysis” it only takes 6 hours for the original carbon and glass to be recovered to be recycled. Moreover, the catalyst to harden the resin is also recovered and this means that it is possible for it to be used again (creating a circular waste stream). Moreover, PECAN produces “40% less greenhouse gas emissions and 30% less energy to make”.

Challenges of Implementation 

There is a general lack of awareness of solutions like PECAN which strive to make our waste stream more circular, and without that awareness, it would not be able to make the large positive impact that it is capable of making. This is also one of the reasons why right now, wind turbines made out of recyclable resin proves to be more expensive, as there is not enough of a demand for it yet.

Ryan Clarke believes that creating wind turbines from naturally occurring resources like sugars can be extremely helpful in waste reduction. Additionally, he emphasizes that larger deployment of this technology and increased awareness can lead to major cost savings in the long run. 

About Our Guest

Ryan Clarke studied materials science and became a postdoctoral researcher for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where he was the study’s lead author. Now, he works at Hexion Inc. as a R&D material scientist.

Resources

• reNews, NREL Develops Recyclable Resin for Wind Blades
• ENERGY THEORY, NREL Develops Wind Turbine Blades From Recyclable Resin
• Environment + Energy Leader, NREL’s Breakthrough in Renewable, Recyclable Wind Energy

Further Reading

• Research Gate, A Recyclable Epoxy for Composite Wind Turbine Blades
• NEW ATLAS, Fast-Dissolving Bio Resin Could Drive Recycling of Wind Turbine Blades

For a transcript, please visit: https://climatebreak.org/recyclable-resin-for-wind-turbines-with-ryan-clarke/ 

What is Chaos Wheat?

Wheat varieties that are resilient to climate change are sometimes referred to as "chaos wheat." An initiative of King Arthur Baking Company–an emerging leader in the creation of chaos wheat–and Washington State University's Breadlab is aiming to create wheat blends, such as King Arthur's Regeneratively-Grown Climate Blend Flour, composed of unique wheat varieties bred for resilience against the unpredictable effects of climate change, including fluctuating temperatures and varying water levels. These wheat varieties are cultivated using regenerative agricultural practices that enhance soil health and biodiversity.

Chaos Wheat as Climate Solution

By focusing on breeding wheat that can withstand extreme weather conditions, the initiative seeks to ensure consistent crop yields despite environmental unpredictability. Additionally, the use of regenerative agriculture practices contributes to carbon sequestration, improved soil health, and increased biodiversity, all of which play a role in mitigating climate change. 

To create the special, “Climate Blend” flour out of chaos wheat, researchers use practices like “cover cropping and crop rotations, minimizing inputs, no/limited tillage, and affordability and accessibility of crops.” The chaos wheat collaboration with Washington State University’s Breadlab, aims to increase biodiversity, promote carbon sequestration by improving soil health, and build resilient farm ecosystems as a whole.

In the late 1800s, white bread was extremely popular due to its low cost of production at enormous scale. However, this quickly became detrimental to the environment because it led to monoculture, which reduces genetic biodiversity.  In fact, large scale bread production “emits more greenhouse gases than Russia, Brazil, and Germany combined”.

Benefits of Chaos Wheat

Chaos wheat increases genetic diversity and reduces risk of diseases and increases “resistance to drought, pests, and volatile weather, while requiring less water, fertilizer and agrochemical.” Part of the potential advantage of chaos wheat is the plants’ improved ability to deal with “‘ chaotic events.’” Currently, however, it is more expensive in comparison to standard whole wheat, “$2.98, compared with $1.12”.

The inspiration for this blend came from ancient strategies that farmers employed, for example a “mix of different species and varieties known as maslins” which are “plants [that] compete less with one another for soil resources and are diverse”. Essentially, if “they can offer 2 to 3 percent higher yields, they will be our greatest asset to increasing yields and crop resilience.”

Challenges of Implementation

Potential critiques or drawbacks of this solution include the challenges associated with transitioning farmers to regenerative practices, which may require significant changes in traditional farming methods and could involve initial financial investments. Moreover, as regenerative agriculture is currently unregulated and lacks standardized certification, defining and implementing consistent practices can be complex. Ensuring that these new wheat varieties are economically viable for farmers and acceptable to consumers in terms of taste and baking quality also presents potential challenges

There is also a tension between large scale efforts, including the King Arthur Baking Company initiative, and more local initiatives that might be “developing more sustainable and climate-resilient products” and which “keep our dollars in the local food economy” but “invest[s] in a more sustainable and resilient food economy”. This is often a difficult tradeoff.

Robin Morgan believes that chaos wheat is a  game-changer in agriculture and in the face of climate change as it reduces wheat’s vulnerability to extreme weather conditions. This means that the crops can grow in more locations and with reduced soil disruption. Moreover, he emphasizes that it increases health benefits by providing more fiber to consumers.

About Our Guest

Robin Morgan moved to Washington state to pursue a PhD at the WSU Breadlab in order to develop a perennial grain crop. He has experience ranging from the chromosomal to the field level as well as studying the history of wheat. 

Resources

• King Arthur Baking: What is regenerative agriculture, and why is it so important? 
• Washington Post: Why ‘chaos wheat’ may be the future of bread
• WSU Breadlab: About Us
• Fresh Farm: Local Grains: A Delicious, Climate-Friendly Choice

For a transcript, please visit: https://climatebreak.org/chaos-wheat-with-robin-morgan/

The Rise in EV Adoption

The US electric vehicle (EV) market is expected to reach a revenue of $95.9 billion this year, with a projected annual growth rate of 12.61% over the course of the next four years. By 2035, California and twelve other states are planning to achieve 100% zero-emission new vehicle sales, calling upon local governments to assist in the EV transition to ensure equitable access to this new technology. For homeowners who have the ability to power up in their own garage, making the transition to EVs is relatively easy; however, for renters and those living in larger metropolitan areas, access to charging infrastructure remains a significant challenge. Although EV adoption is on the rise, urban areas are under constraint as they do not have sufficient charging infrastructure to keep up with heightening demand. High building density, limited capacity of the electricity grid, and insufficient funding and staffing are posing challenges for city governments across the country. Brooklyn-based startup, It’s Electric, is working on one possible solution to this problem through the installation of curbside charging, powered from buildings on the adjacent property rather than directly from the utility grid. 

Building EV Charging Accessibility

Curbside charging works by minimizing the distance consumers need to travel to fuel their EV, thereby increasing accessibility of charging infrastructure. Many dense-urban areas have been referred to as “charging deserts,” due to their lack of accessible EV charging infrastructure, making the transition in these areas particularly challenging. Instead of the mainstream route in which charging infrastructure is developed through utility connections (which can be a 12 to 18 month process), startups like It’s Electric partner with property owners, acquire the relevant permits, and install and maintain a charger powered by the building’s electrical supply. Property owners can thus use untapped electricity supplies, allowing for installation without extensive infrastructure development or direct connections, providing property owners with passive revenue. Instead of working directly with electric utilities to install their chargers, It’s Electric partners with municipalities and building owners directly. Further, the parking space will be maintained by the city, so the property owner doesn’t need to worry about managing and maintaining the parking spot.

Benefits of Curbside Charging

Curbside charging provides immense promise for city governments in transitioning towards more equitable access of EV charging infrastructure. For lower-income communities – particularly those without access to private driveways, garages, or who reside in multifamily housing – publicly accessible EV charging can help reduce barriers to participation in the ongoing shift to electric vehicles. As curbside charging is still in the beginning stages of development, policymakers can incorporate community members in decision-making. Thus, EV charging can be largely community-driven, incorporating opinions from local residents to make the transition fit the needs of the community. In dense urban areas, curbside charging can assist in reducing pollution and GHG emissions, particularly in high-emissions neighborhoods. Other strategies to keep in mind include providing discounts and cost reduction measures for lower income drivers as well as strategies like car share, mobility hubs, and colocation with other transportation services to improve accessibility. 

Drawbacks

Without addressing lower-income communities and those living in rental properties, EV charging can exacerbate current socioeconomic disparities and push marginalized communities out of the growing market. Thus, in tackling this transition, focus must be placed on targeted communities that lack the necessary resources to successfully adopt EVs. It’s Electric has noted that there is more demand than they can meet right now, which represents the urgent call for this transition to occur. It’s Electric is currently integrating Level 2 chargers into city infrastructure, rather than the faster direct current (DC) chargers that can power one’s vehicle in 15-30 minutes. Because DC chargers take up significant amounts of space, require more infrastructure to develop, and utilize more electricity, it is not yet feasible to implement these in urban areas. Unfortunately, that leads to slower charging times and potentially limits an area’s charging capacity. Another drawback of curbside charging in large cities can be attributed to limited sidewalk space and thus heightened demand for the few available units. Amidst these potential challenges, It’s Electric has successfully resolved problems such as grid capacity and design by providing affordable, easy to install, and compact charging stations. By working collectively with policymakers, urban planners, transportation specialists, and community members, companies like It’s Electric have begun to make curbside charging a reality.

Who is Tiya Gordon?

Tiya Gordon, co-founder of It’s Electric, is transforming the way we approach EV charging by reimagining how publicly accessible chargers are integrated into public spaces. Tiya holds 20 years experience in design, leadership, and operations across a range of disciplines for some of the country’s top firms and institutions. She is now venturing to spend the next 20 years building companies that use design to wage war against the Climate Crisis.

For a transcript, please visit: https://climatebreak.org/curbside-charging-increases-ev-accessibility-with-tiya-gordon/

In cold winter months, many people have to rely on fossil gas to heat their homes and power cookstoves. Yet all-electric appliances, including heat pumps to heat homes, are quickly becoming a cheaper alternative over the long term, though they often entail higher upfront costs compared to gas appliances.

In Chicago, the switch from natural gas to electricity is moving forward, but it is also revealing unintended challenges for low-income residents that are applicable to the broader energy transition. In the historic city core, many older buildings lack weatherproofing and insulation against extreme winter cold. Climate and health impacts, and the high price of burning fossil fuels for heat, provide ample reasons to switch from fossil gas to electricity. But as high-income people are doing so, they leave some of the most vulnerable people behind. As a result, Chicago is now pioneering an effort to support lower-income residents making the transition to all-electric heating.

Gas heating is powered by natural gas, which is mainly composed of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. From a climate perspective, methane’s ability to trap heat in the atmosphere is 84 times greater over a 20-year period than carbon dioxide, making it the second most important contributor to climate change. And, because it lasts for 10 to 15 years in the atmosphere, while CO2 lasts 100 years or more, reducing methane emissions will rid the atmosphere of a potent greenhouse gas much more quickly. One-third of human-caused methane emissions come from the energy sector, and a large portion of methane use comes from waste such as leaks and venting. From a health perspective, a byproduct of natural gas called nitrogen dioxide is known to reduce lung function, and cooking with natural gas stoves has been linked to childhood asthma. Natural gas’s climate impacts and more immediate respiratory impacts may pose a health risk in homes that can be reduced by a switch over to electric heating.

As the price of natural gas rises, electricity may become a cheaper option for many Americans. The current structure of utility companies contributes to the high costs that ratepayers are facing. One concept found in utilities is the rate base, which refers to the amount of money and resources a utility company uses to produce and deliver electricity, water, or gas services. Regulators decide whether or not the investments that companies make are considered “prudent” and these expenses are added up to form the rate base, upon which the utilities are allowed to earn a rate so they can profit. This structure means that the costs of large capital investments are paid for by an increase in a rider on ratepayers’ bills, passing the cost burden onto customers.

For electricity here in California, the threat of wildfires caused by powerlines and the high cost of building transmission means that ratepayers face high electricity rates, especially compared to gas. Meanwhile in Chicago, one main reason many residents are switching to electric heating is because of recent price hikes from the major gas utilities supplier. According to Sarah Moskowitz, Executive Director at the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Illinois, a retrofitting effort by the gas utility in Chicago means that customers may be facing unusually high bill riders over fifty dollars, a fixed cost applied even before any gas is used. There is a strong economic incentive in Chicago driving people who can afford to switch over their appliances to electric.

But what about those who cannot afford to move away from gas heating? According to Moskowitz, primarily low-income Black and brown communities face some of the biggest impacts of soaring natural gas prices. In addition, the rate base system which allows costs to be passed onto consumers can further exacerbate the problem. As people with the means to switch away from gas do so, this lowers the number of gas customers across which the utility company can divide its costs. This means that the people who can least afford it will bear a greater portion of the costs, a problem sometimes known as the utility debt spiral. But new legislation and funding are attempting to build a path out.

In an effort to set Illinois on the path to carbon-free and renewable energy, a law that contains interesting pathways for utility justice was passed in 2021. The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CJA) sets ambitious clean energy goals, but does so in a way that prioritizes equity. The bill provides finance for lower-income residents and provides support for energy efficiency and renewable energy workforce development. According to Moskowitz, one particularly climate-justice-focused program is the equitable energy upgrade program, a form of utility bill financing. The law requires major Illinois utilities to file multi-year rate plans, and from these, 40% of the benefits must go toward low-income communities. Exactly how the benefit process will work is being determined. The CJA provides a framework that can be adapted for many other regions. As Chicago takes on the challenge of moving towards renewable electricity in a city with older infrastructure and high heat demand, the city may serve as a case study that other cities can look to when planning for clean energy alongside justice and equity.

Sarah Moskowitz is the Executive Director at the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Illinois, which has represented the interests of utility ratepayers since the 1970s. CUB works to get more consumer-friendly laws passed, runs a utility question & complaint hotline, and organizes consumer education and outreach programs.

• European Commission: Methane Emissions
• Pearce, Johns Hopkins University: Gas Stoves Risks to Our Planet and Health
• EIA,  US Energy Information Administration: Outlook for Natural Gas Price
• Ernst, S&P Global: Understanding Rate Base (Regulatory Research Associates, S&P)
• EPA, Illinois EPA: Climate and Equitable Jobs Act

For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/making-electric-heating-accessible-and-affordable-for-low-income-residents-with-sarah-moskowitz/

Pumped Storage Hydropower as a Climate Solution

Pumped storage hydropower, also known as water batteries, are often used as a means to store excess renewable energy. For example, solar and wind may generate more energy than is needed during certain times of the day and less than what is needed at other times.  As a result, water batteries are extremely useful as a way to store and release energy during peak demand periods or when renewable sources are unavailable (i.e, when the sun is down). This form of energy storage is used in many places across the country, and across the world, including Tennessee, Kentucky, and San Diego. 

Current and Future Use of Pumped Storage Hydropower

In San Diego County, a proposed pumped storage hydropower project would connect a lake to large underground pipes which will “connect this lake to a new reservoir… 1100 feet higher in elevation” so that “when the sun is high in the sky, California’s abundant solar power will pump water into that upper reservoir.” When the sun is down, the water would be released to the lower lake, generating around ”500 megawatts of electricity for up to eight hours” which is “enough to power 130,000 typical homes.”

At Tennessee’s Raccoon Mountain, TVA stores the excess energy as gravitational potential energy and produces about “1700 megawatts of electricity” when in demand during the day. It takes extremely long for these projects to get approved because the investment is “more than 2 billion dollars for a large plant”.  The project consists of three components: a lower reservoir “bounded by a 62 meter high dam” and “replenished as need to make up for evaporation;” an underground powerhouse which is “a 137-meter-long cavern” housing “three pump turbines;” and an upper reservoir which “would be some 600 meters across and bounded by a 53 meter high dam.”

All currently operating pumped storage hydropower projects in the U.S. are “open-loop” facilities, meaning the lower reservoir is a natural water source such as a lake or river. This is the case with the San Diego and Racoon Mountain projects. In contrast, “closed-loop” pumped storage is built offstream and operates independently of natural waterways. For example, at a proposed pumped storage facility in Kentucky, an old coal mine is being repurposed to be used as a water battery. This land has “hosted mining for at least 70 years” and this “project would deliver up to 287 megawatts of power for up to 8 hours, giving it more storage in the tank than the biggest lithium battery plants built thus far”. Closed-loop pumped storage is generally viewed more favorably than open-loop systems by many environmental groups, tribes, and modern hydropower developers because it avoids continuous interaction with natural waterways and can reduce impacts on fish and river ecosystems.

Benefits of Water Batteries

Water batteries are incredibly useful for long-duration energy storage and can help balance fluctuations in renewable energy sources like solar and wind by providing power during peak demand periods. For instance, in San Diego, “the San Vincente project would store roughly as much electricity as batteries in 50,000 of Tesla’s long range Model 3 cars” and does not need materials like cobalt and lithium which are not only hard to find but create a lot of e-waste (and side effects with mining). Moreover, these projects fuel the economy and can create an abundance of construction jobs.

Challenges of Implementation

Pumped hydropower requires a lot of land, and flooding impacts habitat, and in some cases areas protected by indigenous tribes. The land and local ecosystem impacts can be very substantial. Moreover, water batteries require significant elevation difference between reservoirs to be effective so there are often geographic limitations to deployment. It can be extremely challenging to find places to build water batteries because they require specific topography as well as impacting the surrounding landscape. On top of this, these “facilities are expensive to build and take years to develop”. However, once they are in full structural integrity, they “store energy for far longer than lithium-ion batteries… and they last for many decades with minimal deterioration.”

Erik Steimle emphasizes that pumped hydropower/water batteries are a great way to generate energy in a more sustainable manner, however, he acknowledges that there are some downfalls of it. For example, pumped hydropower/water batteries must undergo extensive regulatory practices involving federal agencies that other types of energy storage and renewables do not, posing a barrier to widespread accessibility. Another benefit is the durability of this equipment, which can be useful for hundreds of years.

About our guest

Erik Steimle is the Chief Development Officer of Rye Development (tapped by DOE for the Kentucky project) and he is on the board of directors of the National Hydropower Association. Moreover, he has over twenty years of management experience in developing large-infrastructure renewable energy projects (especially in regards to hydropower). 

Resources

• NPR: ‘Water batteries’ could store solar and wind power for when it’s needed
• Canary Media: This Kentucky Coal mine could transform into pumped-hydro grid storage
• Science: How giant ‘water batteries’ could make green power reliable | Science | AAAS
• Stanford University: UnCommon Dialogue

For a transcript, please visit: https://climatebreak.org/water-batteries-with-erik-steimle/. 

The Role of Public Universities in the Fight Against Climate Change

Public universities like UC Berkeley have played a major role in developing climate solutions, from innovation in labs to policy initiatives. In order to create positive change in the climate space, science requires funding, which universities can provide. Further, universities, of course, educate, train, and interact firsthand with people who, in the future, will work in the climate space, putting them in an essential position in terms of climate education. 

How UC Berkeley is Making a Difference

UC Berkeley specifically has made several important contributions across all aspects of climate science, climate education, and climate solutions.  Some examples include Omar Yaghi’s lab and its discovery of a potentially revolutionary approach to carbon capture with COF-999, as well as the EcoBlock project in Fruitvale, Oakland, where Berkeley is helping to retrofit “residential homes to improve resilience, sustainability, and quality of life for all community members.” Further, Berkeley has established over fifty undergraduate courses related to climate issues. These courses and initiatives largely attract students because younger generations have significant firsthand experiences with climate change, including wildfires, heat waves, flooding, and air pollution. 

Why Climate Action from Public Universities is More Important Now than Ever Before

With the current uncertainty of continued federal government funding and support, some climate work may face limitations. Nonetheless, university focus on climate change is increasingly necessary to ensure that future generations of citizens are fully informed and well able to participate in a climate change constrained future. As explained by Bruce Riordan, director of the Berkeley Climate Change Network, “these problems require multiple disciplines,” and Berkeley is well positioned across multiple fields of study, research, and action,  recognizing that climate change requires integration of business, policy, and research and beyond.  

About Our Guest

Bruce Riordan is the Director of the Berkeley Climate Change Network, a collaboration of 300+ faculty and staff at UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley Climate National Laboratory working in the climate change space. The BCCN seeks to accelerate Berkeley’s research, education and service to meet the urgency of the climate crisis by connecting researchers for interdisciplinary projects, helping to raise money for climate research, and building connections between Berkeley academics and off-campus climate leaders across industries.

For a transcript, please visit: https://climatebreak.org/how-public-universities-are-helping-to-fight-climate-change-with-bruce-riordan/.