Watch 1PM Weekly News - February 5, 2024
This week Anton covers five breaking news stories--from the United States government funding solar panel installation on public structures like hospitals and schools to a new plastic-free, organic, and biodegradable sportswear line of clothes.
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Government Funding Solar Panels on Hospitals & Schools
First up this week, multi-billion-dollar weather disasters in the U.S. have been continually rising over the past two decades. This strains the ability for the country and local officials to maintain basic levels of service to residents. In response, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is introducing a new plan that will cover the cost to install solar panels on public buildings like schools, hospitals, fire stations and libraries that need to be rebuilt after weather disasters. Heat pumps, batteries and energy-efficient appliances will also be installed. This will allow structures to be more resilient in the future while reducing greenhouse gasses. Insurers are also starting to pull out from high-risk areas, which is putting further strain on disaster survivors. After acknowledging inadequate support for individuals and communities who have survived weather disasters, FEMA is now overhauling its programs.
New Plastic-Free, Organic, Biodegradable Sportswear
An athletic sportswear line has launched that is plastic-free, organic, and can decompose in a few weeks to 5 months. Scottish fashion designer Patrick Grant has created a new sportswear line called Organic Athletic, that doesn’t include typical non-biodegradable, oil-based synthetic plastic materials such as polyester, nylon and polyurethane. Plastics and synthetic fibers have been used in sportswear for decades for stretchability, waterproofing and thermal protection capabilities, but now the oil-based materials are breaking down into microplastics that are getting into the world’s oceans, soils and living creatures including humans. One study estimates that a person eats 5 grams of microplastics a week on average, or about the same as a credit card. According to a 2023 survey of 1,500 people from the UK, U.S. and Switzerland, 54% of respondents were unaware of potential toxins that live in synthetic sportswear, and 72% said they’d prefer plastic-free sportswear if available.
Patagonia Influences Conservation and Politics
Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company has used $71 million dollars of its earnings since 2022 to support environmental-related causes. In 2022, Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard and his family announced that all of the company’s future profits would be used to protect the environment and combat climate change. Considering a new model for how wealthy people can approach philanthropy, Patagonia has set up a series of trusts, limited liability corporations, and charitable groups that distribute all of its profits. The nonprofits are registered as 501C4s, which means they can make unlimited political donations provided that their primary purpose benefits society. Through Patagonia’s non-profit organizations, the company has protected 162,710 acres of wilderness throughout the world. Examples include the advocacy for state laws that prohibit oil and gas operations near residential neighborhoods, conservation efforts in Chile and Argentina, and efforts to protect the Vjosa River in Albania and Bristol Bay in Alaska.
A Toxic ‘Bomb Train’ is Chugging Through America
Almost one year ago, there was a catastrophic train derailment in East Palestine, OH that released large plumes of carcinogenic chemicals that included vinyl chloride. In a new report issued by an environmental research and advocacy group called Toxic-Free Future, U.S. railway system routes that carry vinyl chloride were mapped out. The path typically begins with chemical plants in Texas, and ends with factories in New Jersey. Along those 2,000 miles, approximately 200 train cars a day carry vinyl chloride through major population centers, with people of color making up large portions in some locations. The EPA is looking at proposals for safer hazardous material transport, better emergency-responder training and more inspections. There have been 1,500 train derailments in the past 11 months since the East Palestine disaster, according to the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department President, Greg Regan.
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Grid Batteries are Doubling in the United States
Canary Media reports that the capacity for batteries that are connected to the American grid have doubled each year for the last four years, with strong growth expected to continue. The U.S. grid will jump from 17.3 gigawatts at the end of 2023 to 31.1 gigawatts by the close of 2024, a projected 80% growth. A few years ago, doubling storage capacity meant adding 1 gigawatt. In 2024, the industry is expecting 14 gigawatts because batteries are having success shifting the electricity supply from times of surplus to times of scarcity so that demand can be met at peak times. Batteries are also getting a lot cheaper, with global prices falling 14% in 2023 to a record low of $139 dollars per kilowatt-hour. If prices continue to fall, it is expected that the industry will achieve $100 per kilowatt-hour in a few years which should help propel growth.