Renewables power the world

Happy Sunday!

For anyone with us for the first time, welcome to Voyage Green News! We provide a weekly dose of news and inspiration for a sustainable life. 💚 

♻️ This week’s sustainability news

Massive share of new global electricity from renewables

What’s happening: Last year, almost 86 percent of the new electricity added around the world came from renewable sources, says a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency.

Why it’s happening: Electricity from renewable sources like water, sun, and wind has been growing slowly over the past few decades, but it has sped up a lot recently. Last year, 473 gigawatts of renewable energy were added, compared to 308 gigawatts the year before, and almost twice as much as in 2021. As renewable energy sources become more popular, fewer non-renewable power plants are being built, and more fossil fuel facilities are being shut down. For instance, in the U.S., coal and natural gas plants made up 98 percent of the energy capacity that was retired in 2023, according to the Energy Information Administration. Wind power generated more electricity than coal in the U.S. in March and April this year, with the energy generated by coal steadily declining since 2008 while wind power has increased.

Why it’s important: Despite the good news, clean electricity sources are not growing fast enough to meet the goal set at COP28 to triple renewable energy by 2030. To reach this goal, renewable energy needs to increase by 16.1 percent each year, but last year it only grew by 14 percent. There's still time to catch up. In the U.S., tax breaks from the Inflation Reduction Act are already helping increase renewable energy production. Plus, renewable energy is getting cheaper, which is great news if we want to quickly build more renewable energy sources and reduce emissions from power plants.

📖 Read the article: Chart: 85% of new electricity built in 2023 came from renewables

U.S. government proclaims plastics pollution is a ‘crisis’

What’s happening: The U.S. government plans to stop using single-use plastics by 2035. This new plan, announced by President Joe Biden's administration, aims to address the serious problem of plastic pollution in oceans and air. “The Federal government is - for the first time - formally acknowledging the severity of the plastic pollution crisis and the scale of the response that will be required to effectively confront it,” said Brenda Mallory and Ali Zaidi, the top White House environmental and climate officials.

Why it’s happening: Plastics production and waste have more than doubled in the last 20 years and could become four times higher by 2050. To deal with this, we need to take action at every stage of the plastic lifecycle, from making it to disposing of it, and all levels of government should work together. Plastic is found almost everywhere on Earth, from floating garbage in the Pacific Ocean to beaches and riverbanks. The document mentioned that local governments have to pay for cleaning up plastic pollution. It also talked about the dangers of microplastics to human health and how making and moving plastic made from fossil fuels adds to greenhouse gas pollution and worsens climate change.

Why it’s important: Environmental supporters were happy that the Biden administration clearly explained the full extent of the plastics problem, including pollution in the air and water from making plastics, which they hadn't done before. However, they also said that the actions taken are still not enough to stop the increasing amount of plastics pollution.

📖 Read the article: Plastics pollution has become a ‘crisis,’ Biden Administration acknowledges

Project 2025 would dismantle environmental gains

What’s happening: The Heritage Foundation has been an influence on Republican presidents since the 1980s and a major supporter of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week. They brought together its supporters to promote Project 2025, a detailed policy over 900 pages long that aims to change the structure of the federal government.

Why it’s happening: Many conservative groups worked together to create Project 2025. It recommends changes that would impact all areas of American life and many government agencies, such as the Department of Defense, the Department of Interior, and the Federal Reserve. Although it is mainly known for its strict rules on human rights and personal freedoms, it would also reduce environmental and climate protections. It would affect the future of fossil fuel production, climate action, and environmental justice in the U.S.

Why it’s important: Under President Joe Biden, most parts of the federal government have started to include climate change in their operations. Two summers ago, Biden also signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which is the largest climate spending law in U.S. history. This law could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent compared to 2005 levels. Project 2025 aims to reverse many recent improvements by cutting funding for government programs, reducing federal oversight, undoing laws from Biden's first term, and removing long-term staff. The proposed changes include actions Trump could take alone, adjustments by federal agencies, and new laws needing Congress's approval. These changes would make it very hard for the U.S. to meet its climate goals from the 2015 Paris Agreement.

📖 Read the article: What Project 2025 would do to climate policy in the US

🌐 Travel to Vanuatu

Day trip to an island paradise

Pele Island is a tropical wonder: Pele Island is a small but incredibly beautiful volcanic island near Efate in Vanuatu. Check out our article to immerse yourself in turquoise waters, vibrant coral reefs, and stunning sandy beaches.

😇 People doing great things

The only sport giving awards for sustainability

SailGP is comparable to Formula 1, but on water: One major difference is how it aims to make a positive impact on sustainability issues. Besides trying to be the fastest, teams also compete to make the biggest positive impact on the league and the cities they visit. A separate scoreboard, called the Impact League, tracks how teams perform in areas like sustainability, commitment, strategy, use of new technologies, promotion of clean energy, and reducing waste and single-use plastic. The champion for this season on positive impact is the Emirates Great Britain team. They worked with a custom renewable energy company to add solar panels that provide power not only to their base, but to several other nations’ team bases. Grand Prix races that use fossil fuels are working to reduce their carbon emissions. Formula 1, which has 10 teams, 20 cars, and 23 races in different countries, produces over 256,000 tons of carbon dioxide each season, similar to a small country. Travel for players and fans, along with stadium power use, also leads to high emissions in the NFL, MLS, NBA, NHL, and MLB. That's why SailGP, a wind-powered sport, goes the extra mile. At every race, teams work on a project to improve the local environment. These projects include teaching kids about climate change and cleaning up beaches and oceans.

⭐️ Weekly inspiration

World’s first hydrogen-powered ferry sets sail in SF

You can drink the exhaust: The Sea Change ferry is running in the Bay Area of San Francisco by converting stored hydrogen to electricity and only emits heat and water vapour, which is used in the bathrooms and for a drinking fountain.

Deforestation in Columbia fell to a 23-year low in 2023

Fell 36% compared to the previous year: The fall was driven by declining environmental destruction in the Amazon region, which declined 38% between 2022 and 2023.

AI-powered waste bins battle greenhouse gases

Helping to reduce the billions of dollars of food wasted: Companies are offering high-tech bins equipped with smart cameras, scales, and sometimes touch screens to gather granular details about items being discarded down to the type of food and whether it was cooked or chopped.

Solar panels can be recycled into lithium-ion batteries

Paves the way for ‘durable’ batteries: Commercial batteries usually use graphite anodes and are rapidly approaching their energy limits, but silicon is more abundant and capable of making a more energy-dense battery.

Ecuador river wins the right not to be polluted

Historic court win handed down: The ruling was based on an article of Ecuador’s Constitution that recognises the rights of natural features like the Machángara River, which runs down from the Andes mountains through Ecuador’s capital city, Quito.

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