Cement production is responsible for more than 7% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Sublime Systems, a startup founded by two MIT battery scientists, is developing a new method to make cement using electricity instead of fossil fuels. Their technology involves using an electrolyzer to spark chemical reactions that form the main ingredients of cement. While still in the pilot stage, Sublime aims to have a full-scale manufacturing facility capable of producing a million tons of material each year by the end of the decade. Other efforts to reduce emissions in the cement industry include adding fillers and implementing carbon capture technology, but these methods have limitations. Brimstone, another startup, is working on a carbon-negative process for making cement using alternative minerals and electric kilns.
California’s law banning the sale of new gas-powered lawn care equipment affects homeowners, lawn care service providers, and the makers of lawn mowers, leaf blowers, string trimmers, and other landscaping equipment.
The law, which took effect Jan. 1, 2024, aims to protect the environment by reducing pollution – such as the harmful emissions of gas mowers, weed whackers, and leaf blowers – and the loud noise from gas-powered leaf blowers that can lead to hearing loss. However, many Californians worry about how the law will affect their lawn care routines and businesses.
Other states, cities, and counties also have since put in place or plan to enact similar laws banning or limiting gas-powered equipment, though the details and goals vary from place to place.
California’s gas-powered equipment ban is part of **Assembly Bill 1346**, approved by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2021. The bill requires the California Air Resource Board (CARB) to regulate emissions from [small off-road engines](https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/small-off-road-engines-sore/about) (SORE). **SORE** are gasoline engines with power equal to or less than 19 kilowatts or 25 horsepower, which includes many lawn care tools.
To meet their goals, CARB approved a measure requiring newly manufactured lawn care and other equipment with small off road engines to be zero-emission. These standards will be enforced in two waves:
**In 2024**, new models of most SOREs will need to be zero-emission. Generators and large pressure washers will have stricter standards to reduce emissions by 40% to 90%.
**In 2028**, new models of generators and large pressure washers also need to be zero-emission.
By Ari Matusiak, CEO and co-founder, Rewiring America
A few weeks ago, the Department of Energy announced $169 million for nine new U.S. manufacturing projects to manufacture heat pumps, courtesy of the Defense Production Act (DPA). This is a big deal. A really big, thermally comfortable deal.
What is the Defense Production Act? And what does it have to do with electrifying everything for everyone?
The DPA allows the President ‘to direct private companies to prioritize orders from the federal government … to ‘allocate materials, services, and facilities’ for national defense purposes… [and], to bolster domestic product … [to] offer loans or loan guarantees to companies, subject to an appropriation by Congress; make purchases or purchase commitments; and install equipment in government or private factories.” If you have heard of the term “the Arsenal of Democracy” when the major factories in the U.S. made munitions, bombers, and tanks for WWII, the DPA is the legacy of that. Remember “Rosie the Riveter?” Well, the DPA announcement is about Hannah the Heatpumper.
When Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, there were all kinds of dire predictions about how quickly Ukraine would fall and what it would mean. There was also massive disruption in the energy markets. Europe’s vulnerability to Russian energy dominance became crystal clear. Gas at the pump here spiked to $5 and $6 / gallon, demonstrating that our pocketbooks are also vulnerable to the mood swings of despots and oligarchs so long as we are beholden to global commodities like fossil fuels to power our daily lives.
On Saturday, February 26, we at Rewiring America, alongside veteran climate activist and author Bill McKibben, hatched a little plan to call for the DPA to be invoked to manufacture heat pumps, by building out our own domestic supply chain, shoring up energy security to help get Europe off gas.
The response to this proposal was hot (see above) and cold (You can’t use the DPA for that!). But there was a basic truth to the idea that strengthening the production of electric machines here in the U.S. would render us less dependent on others, and better able to support and power the world.
A few months later, the President invoked the DPA for critical minerals, solar panels, and heat pumps, the core ingredients of a bright, electric future. And then the Inflation Reduction Act passed, with billions of dollars in tax credits and rebates to help individual families participate. And now, about a year later, 15 sites across 13 states are getting investments to manufacture heat pumps. With more announcements coming.
There is something dramatically tangible about building factories to manufacture heat pumps for American families. We need these machines here, and we need an army of people to build them, install them, service them, and make their own homes comfortable via heat pumps, too.
Our original Heat Pumps for Peace poster, by Dave Murray.
It is hard to overestimate the power of the heat pump, as our need to electrify 124 million homes over the next few decades will mean a massive electric switch, the likes of which we have never seen, except in wartime mobilizations. We will need to electrify 24 million machines, including 2.38 million heat pump space heaters, over the next three years to meet the Pace of Progress required to hit our climate goals. But thanks to Hannah the Heatpumper, and thousands more like her, we can and we will.
Heat Pumps for Peace.
We began the campaign for the DPA with some fun retro art. Today, we have new art! We made posters to celebrate the supply chain journey that will end in homegrown heat pumps for all: a chicken in every pot becomes a heat pump in every spot. Why is it so important to celebrate these two-in-one appliances and the government’s efforts to support the manufacturing of them? Because so many Americans still do not know that we must go electric, and that we have money to do it, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. Our Mr. Heat Pump is not just a comedian, but an electric educator. We need thousands of electric enthusiasts to get heat pumps, tell their friends, and wear t-shirts proclaiming their love for all things electric. (Last one optional.)
Like most important things, this will be hard. We have limited time, and lots to do. And we know there will be friction and difficulties, as there are when you transform any market of this scale, and especially as we work to make electrification accessible and affordable for everyone. But we have to say bye gas and buy electric, for reasons that go well beyond the pretty darn important one of maintaining a habitable planet. These inducements include healthier homes, cleaner air, energy bill stability, and community resiliency.
As Bill McKibben wrote to us after the announcement, “it was such a joy to make change with you.” We at Rewiring America were overjoyed to make change with him. And with all of you, heat pump by heat pump by induction stove.
The good news is that the pace of this transition is accelerating everywhere, and 2024 is poised to speed things up further. Here’s to a new year full of climate progress, as we electrify for peace, planet, and prosperity.
Politicians are failing us abysmally on the climate crisis ❗ So can comedians step up and save the day??
Watch the heroic comedy legend, Jo Brand, give it a proper shot with leading climate scientist Professor Mark Maslin, in our fourth Climate Science Translated film. We all need to play our part in the greatest communication challenge of all time. Until more people connect with the science, and with climate scientists like Mark Maslin, then we wont get the action we so urgently need.
In the United States, around 5% of households have rooftop solar, which is significantly lower compared to countries like Germany (20%) and Australia (30%). One of the key reasons for this disparity is that electricity in the U.S. has traditionally been cheap, making rooftop solar less financially attractive. However, this is changing as utilities across the country are raising their electricity rates with state regulatory approval, reflecting increased operational costs and a desire to boost earnings.
The tipping point for customers to consider rooftop solar on a financial basis is often estimated at around 15 cents per kilowatt-hour, which results in a monthly bill of approximately $130 for an average household’s electricity consumption. When electricity rates reach or exceed this threshold, it becomes more financially feasible for companies that offer rooftop solar to demonstrate potential savings to customers.
Energy industry analysts, such as Pavel Molchanov of Raymond James, highlight that utility rates tend to rise over time, making rooftop solar an appealing solution for homeowners seeking to escape escalating utility costs. This trend is driving increased demand for rooftop solar in the United States, despite historically low adoption rates.
The Climate Crisis’ Detrimental Impact on Children’s Health: Risks, Challenges, and Calls for Action
Summary of The Guardian article by Andrew Gregory Health editor, Oct. 21, 2023
Climate crisis poses existential risk to children:
The climate crisis poses an existential risk to the health and wellbeing of all children, according to Dr Camilla Kingdon, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).
Air pollution, extreme weather, and high energy costs are already having a detrimental effect on children’s physical and mental health.
Impact on health and wellbeing:
Rising temperatures are causing adverse outcomes such as premature birth, hospitalization, and weight gain in babies and children.
Climate change is also linked to lung growth impairment, asthma, blood pressure issues, cognitive abilities, and mental health problems.
“Climate change is no longer tomorrow’s problem, it’s today’s,” Kingdon said. “Healthcare professionals across the UK are already seeing its impact first-hand.”
“Children exhibit high levels of concern over climate change and the mental health consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, phobias, sleep disorders, attachment disorders and substance abuse, can lead to problems with learning, behaviour, and academic performance.”
Health inequalities and vulnerable children:
Children from low-income households face greater risks due to living in deprived areas with extreme weather events and poor air quality.
Increased damp and cold properties increase health risks, while the government’s rollback on net-zero policies further exacerbates the burden on vulnerable children.
Calls for action and support:
The RCPCH urges the government to appoint a cabinet minister for children and prioritize child health in climate crisis policymaking.
Paediatricians are provided with new resources to support children affected by the climate crisis, including template letters for housing improvements.
From Howard ChangHoward Chang, CEO at Just Boardrooms, Executive Chair theturnlab
Every Canadian taxpayer gets these a couple of times a year. If you’re wondering what it’s for it’s for the #taxrebate on the #carbontax. The idea of the carbon tax is to have polluting companies and their products pay so they are incentivized to clean up their act. But the way the tax is designed is that it’s revenue neutral, and the dollars that are collected are re-distributed to citizens. Advanced countries in Western Europe and Asia are proving the carbon tax works and our conservative politicians are just against it for political gain not for economic sense. #turnthetide#climatecrisis#globalwarming
The European Union (EU) has implemented a new carbon tariff policy that requires foreign companies to report greenhouse gas emissions associated with certain imported goods. Starting in 2026, imports that do not meet the EU’s emissions standards will face an additional fee. The policy aims to reduce emissions in industries that are difficult to decarbonize, such as cement and steel manufacturing. While the tax has drawn criticism from countries like China and Russia, supporters argue that it levels the playing field for EU companies and incentivizes industries to reduce their carbon emissions. The concept of a carbon tariff has also gained bipartisan support in the United States, with lawmakers proposing bills to tax the carbon emissions of foreign imports. The idea is seen as a way to protect domestic manufacturers and promote clean production.
Key takeaways
1. The EU has implemented a carbon tariff policy that requires foreign companies to report greenhouse gas emissions associated with certain goods.
2. Imports that do not meet the EU’s emissions standards will face an additional fee starting in 2026.
3. The policy aims to reduce emissions in industries that are difficult to decarbonize, such as cement and steel manufacturing.
4. The tax has faced criticism from countries like China and Russia, but supporters argue it levels the playing field for EU companies and incentivizes emission reductions.
5. The concept of a carbon tariff has gained bipartisan support in the United States as a way to protect domestic manufacturers and promote clean production.
