Climate Change

Atmospheric rivers, filaments of intense moisture transport in the atmosphere, can now be automatically detected in satellite observations. Image: NOAA

Detecting Atmospheric Rivers with Satellite Observations

A novel method includes new algorithm to glean important information about atmospheric rivers from satellite observations The Science                                  Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are filaments of intense moisture transport in the atmosphere. These weather systems drive a large fraction of the extreme precipitation events over coastal regions. Detecting ARs in satellite observations … [continued]

ChatGPT & DALLE generated panoramic, cutaway image that illustrates a stalk of corn acting as a natural conveyor belt for carbon

CCS Redux: Soil Carbon Capture — Great Loamy Hope Or Bandaid?

Carbon capture and sequestration in all of its various ineffective, inefficient and expensive forms is having another run up the hype cycle. Nothing has really changed. The problems still exist. The alternatives are still better. The potential for use is still minuscule. And so, the CCS Redux series, republishing old … [continued]

Tongass National Forest (U.S. Forest Service)

Carbon Neutral or High Emitter? Canada & The Forest Carbon Loophole

Natural or anthropogenic? Canada’s GHG reporting approach claims GHG emissions from wildfires are natural, but GHG removals from forests at the age of “commercial maturity”, despite being primarily natural disturbance origin, are anthropogenic. Our new study published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change and profiled by CBC shows how Canada’s official report on forest … [continued]

ChatGPT & DALL-e generated panoramic image depicting a dusty and abandoned hydrogen electrolysis facility in a desert

Fortescue & Nikola Insane Green Hydrogen For Trucking Play In Waterless Arizona Desert

Green hydrogen is absolutely essential for decarbonizing the massive global warming problem that is current hydrogen use. Our current 120 million tons is a global warming problem on the scale of all of aviation. You would think that fixing that would be the highest priority, and that deeply irrational alternatives … [continued]

ChatGPT & DALL-E generated panoramic image visually captures the metaphor of the excessive cost of carbon capture and storage as a Sisyphean task.

CCS Redux: Carbon Capture Is Expensive Because Physics

Carbon capture and sequestration in all of its various ineffective, inefficient and expensive forms is having another run up the hype cycle. Nothing has really changed. The problems still exist. The alternatives are still better. The potential for use is still minuscule. And so, the CCS Redux series, republishing old … [continued]

Projected Zero-Carbon Electricity Growth Highly Dependent On Cost In Parts of Asia

We project low zero-carbon technology costs will drive substantial growth in zero-carbon electricity capacity and generation and limit growth in fossil fuel-fired generation in parts of Asia between 2030 and 2050 in our International Energy Outlook 2023 (IEO2023). In the region we call Other Asia-Pacific (OAS), we project the electric power sector’s CO2 emission … [continued]

ChatGPT & DALL-E generated panoramic image of a very large ammonia carrier ship.

Importing Ammonia As An Energy Carrier Is Bad Policy & Worse Economics

Many power-to-x firms and energy exporting companies are looking at Japan especially, but also other hydrocarbon light countries as a great market to send ammonia to as an energy carrier. That’s not going to end well. Why not? Let’s start with ammonia itself. It’s hydrogen and nitrogen. The nitrogen doesn’t … [continued]