Everything’s Bigger In Texas (Including Climate Action)

Texas Is Going Green For Hydrogen 🤠

😊  The Good News - A facility being built in North Texas hopes to be the first large-scale green hydrogen plant in the U.S. The plant will produce enough hydrogen fuel every day to power 7,000 vehicles and will create over 300 permanent jobs when it opens in 2027. Plus, it will be run on wind and solar energy generated on-site. 

🥾  Follow This Path - Hydrogen fuel could be a game changer for addressing the climate crisis – just as long as it is produced sustainably. Green hydrogen is the only type of hydrogen fuel that isn’t made from fossil fuels, so I’m excited that Texas is choosing it over the alternatives considering the state is a major hub for the petrochemical industry.

Ozone Layer To Soon Be Fully Healed 🌎

😊  The Good News - The ozone hole is expected to be fully healed by 2066, according to a report from the UN. In the mid-1980s, scientists discovered that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the potent greenhouse gas, were causing a hole in the ozone layer. And by the late 1980s, most of the world pledged to phase out these compounds and other ozone-depleting substances.

🥾  Follow This Path - It doesn’t take much to become cynical about addressing environmental issues nowadays, considering the constant news around failed policies. But it’s important to remember that in this global debate, nations have made legitimate progress and, if we allow them to, accords such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement can serve as a roadmap for successful global climate action.

Magnets Found To Effectively Remove Microplastics 🧲

😊 The Good News - Australian researchers have discovered that magnets can remove microplastics from water. Existing removal methods can take days, but this new method can start working in as little as an hour and is able to remove microplastics up to 1,000 times smaller than current methods.

🥾 Follow This Path - Microplastics removal is an emerging yet necessary industry, considering they have been found on every corner of the globe and inside a wide variety of species – including us. Ever since marine ecologist Richard Thompson coined the term microplastics in 2004, researchers have been working tirelessly to address them, and now, less than twenty years later, we have multiple methods for removing microplastics from water.

Clean Energy Funding Announced For Rural America ⚡

😊 The Good News - The USDA announced nearly $600 million in funding for rural areas to transition to clean energy, and it was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act. Rural small business owners and farmers can apply for grants to build clean energy systems, and the funding can even be used to increase energy efficiency in buildings.

🥾 Follow This Path - I used to work on infrastructure projects in rural areas, and I don’t think the public understands how difficult it is for rural areas to compete with urban areas for financing. That’s one of the main reasons why rural America is behind when it comes to climate-resilient infrastructure, but it looks like that could change with this USDA funding.

Toyota Pushes Zero Emission Conversions 🔌

😊 The Good News - Toyota announced that they will be pushing converting older models to zero emissions in addition to rolling out new EVs and hybrid cars. This move will help reduce waste for the nearly 1.4 billion cars on the road today that will need to be disposed of as we transition to zero-emission vehicles.

🥾 Follow This Path - Converting existing cars to have an electric motor or hydrogen fuel cell is an option that rarely gets discussed. However, it’s one that will be needed to reduce waste because using what you already have is more sustainable than buying new. I wish Toyota would roll out their zero-emission models quicker, but I’m also curious to see how the company can scale up conversions.

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