Sustainability Weekly
Mondays are for…
National Water Quality Month, Carbon Batteries, Antarctica Research, and more!
by Alli DiGiacomo
Happy Monday and August! August is National Water Quality Month, meant to raise awareness of the importance of clean water for drinking, agriculture, recreation, ecosystems, and overall public health. We need to protect it from pollution, outdated infrastructure, and climate change, especially in underserved areas that still have unequal access and contamination issues.
Here are some reminders of things you can do:
If you have a lawn or landscaping, reduce runoff pollution by using fewer lawn chemicals.
Stay informed about your city’s water quality reports.
Support local NYC clean water initiatives. A few of my favorites are:
Hudson River Park River Project
GrowNYC’s Rainwater collection program
Keep reading for sustainability news…
T H I S W E E K ’ S T O P S T O R I E S
THE EPA MOVES TO REPEAL THE LANDMARK 2009 ENDANGERMENT FILING
The Trump administration’s EPA has officially proposed repealing the 2009 endangerment finding, which is the legal framework that lets the federal government regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. It made the findings official from decades of research that proved the rising concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere threatened public health and welfare. If this decision is finalized and upheld by the courts, it would take away the EPA’s authority to limit pollution from vehicles, power plants, and other major sources. In other words, it would essentially dismantle the federal government’s ability to enforce climate policy. EPA officials under Trump are suddenly saying that the science on climate change is uncertain, and that warming may not be as economically harmful as people once thought, a position widely criticized by scientists, farmers, health and legal experts as misleading.
The rollback wouldn't take effect immediately because it has to go through a public comment period and will likely face years of legal challenges. The most extreme version of the EPA’s argument is that it cannot regulate greenhouse gases at all. If the conservative Supreme Court agrees, future administrations could be blocked from restoring climate rules without new laws from Congress. The less extreme interpretation is that the EPA doesn't have to regulate emissions and can consider economic tradeoffs, which will still set back meaningful climate action and progress for years.
Ironically, repealing the endangerment finding would also weaken fossil fuel companies legal defenses in state-led climate lawsuits, according to E&E. If the EPA no longer regulates greenhouse gases, companies could lose their defense against claims brought under “state nuisance laws”, exposing them to a wave of litigation.
In summary, repealing the endangerment finding would be one of the most intense deregulatory moves in U.S. history and one with long-lasting consequences. It would strip the federal government of its main tool to fight climate change, increase legal uncertainty, shift climate battles to the states and cause chaos, and also stall/block future efforts to reinstate federal emissions limits, all as the climate crisis gets worse and worse.
GOOGLE ANNOUNCED A MAJOR INVESTMENT INTO CARBON BATTERIES
Google just made a big move in clean energy by teaming up with Energy Dome, an Italian startup that’s built a new kind of CO2 battery designed for long-duration energy storage. This is Google’s first commercial deal for CO2 battery power, as well as the first in the data center industry as the company looks for reliable, round-the-clock electricity to run its energy-intensive operations.
Energy Dome’s system works by using electricity to compress CO2 into a liquid, then storing it in tanks. When energy is needed, the CO2 is turned back into gas and run through turbines to generate electricity for 8-24 hours. This makes it more stable over time than lithium batteries. Google and Energy Dome plan to roll out projects in Europe, the U.S., and Asia-Pacific, and already have several sites lined up. Energy Dome was founded in 2020 and is scaling up fast, with pilot projects in Wisconsin, Sardinia, and India. One reason it’s attracting interest is because instead of inventing all-new tech, they used existing, inexpensive elements that make financing easier. The terms of Google’s investment weren’t disclosed yet, but its supporting their continued momentum towards powering their data centers with clean energy (beyond purchasing wind and solar for years, Google has backed next-generation small modular reactors, a nuclear fusion company, and just last week inked the world’s biggest hydropower deal).
THE U.S. ABRUPTLY ENDS VITAL ANTARCTICA RESEARCH
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is planning to shut down the RV Nathaniel B. Palmer, the only U.S. research icebreaker capable of reaching deep into Antarctica’s toughest ice waters. This is shocking to the polar science community as it will end 60 years of continuous American scientific icebreaker missions in the Southern Ocean. The Palmer has been especially valuable for studying melting glaciers like the Thwaites “doomsday” glacier and for helping scientists collect data on how the ocean impacts the Antarctic ice sheet and global climate.
More than 170 scientists have urged the NSF and Congress to reverse the decision and are worried that losing the ship will leave important climate research stranded. The NSF claims it’s reallocating resources to Antarctic stations and logistics, critics say the decision was buried in budget documents with little transparency. There are also fears this will undermine both science and U.S. strategic presence in Antarctica as global competition such as China and Russia ramp up their activities there. China is boosting its investments in Antarctica and just opened its fifth research station. Russia has undermined attempts to inspect its bases there, which violates the Antarctica Treaty, an international agreement meant to ensure that no country can militarize the continent. Researchers are hoping Congress will step in before the Palmer’s lease ends in 2026.
MORE IN SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
Construction begins on world’s largest free-span mass timber roof in Vancouver.
The U.S. is finally getting EV charging stations, as we are on track to add 16,700 public fast-charging ports by the end of this year. If this pace continues, the U.S. will have 100,000 public fast-charging ports by 2027.
YouTubers MrBeast and Mark Rober launched the “biggest water campaign in history” to bring clean water to 2 million people.
Trump’s environmental policies are reshaping everyday life. Here’s how.
California halts building code updates in a blow to electrification.
New York State announced its first bulk solicitation for energy storage, putting out a bid for 3 gigawatts of batteries.
Offshore wind leasing is officially dead under Trump. Over 3.5 million acres of federal waters are no longer eligible for offshore wind development following an order from the Interior Department.
Ford CEO Jim Farley teased an upcoming August 11th announcement about the company’s “plans to design and build breakthrough electric vehicles in America.” Farley said Ford wouldn’t compete with other foreign brands in the mass-market EV space, but rather would invest in the truck and SUV market.
In a secretarial order last week, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum directed his department to eliminate policies that give “preferential treatment” to wind and solar, ordering the agency to consider withdrawing “areas onshore with high potential for wind energy development” from federal leasing and to ramp up studies on the effects of wind turbines on migratory birds.
9 crazy and creative ways to tackle Climate Change that scientists have come up with.
The Interior Department will now consider project density as it decides whether to approve new wind and solar projects — an impossible standard for clean energy to meet because it generates less power per acre than fossil fuels and nuclear.
Sri Lankan court orders owners of container ship to pay $1 billion in marine pollution compensation after it sank carrying chemicals in 2021, causing the most severe marine environmental catastrophe in the country’s history.
Norway offered residents a $1,000 lottery for recycling, and now 97% of all plastic bottles are returned.