Study: Climate damages could cost 6 times more than transition

CLIMATE: Unmitigated climate change and continued burning of fossil fuels would cost the world an estimated $38 trillion in damages by 2050, six times the cost of transitioning to clean energy and curbing warming, according to a peer-reviewed study. (Axios)

ALSO:

• The global plastics industry produces four times as many planet-warming emissions as the airline industry and could single handedly tip the world past a critical climate threshold if production remains consistent, scientists find. (The Hill)
• Sen. Joe Manchin and 32 Republicans push a resolution to overturn the Securities and Exchange Commission’s climate disclosure rule. (The Hill)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The U.S. now has a fast charging station for every 15 gas stations after adding 600 new stations so far this year, as Tesla continues to build out its network and federal funding helps patch charging deserts. (Bloomberg)
• Google Maps rolls out new features to help electric vehicle drivers more easily locate chargers, including those tucked away in parking lots and garages. (Verge)

WIND: The offshore wind industry is recovering after a series of project cancellations and setbacks last year, but experts warn rising inflation, an insufficient supply chain, and other challenges remain. (CNN)

MATERIALS: The United Nations estimates that 62 million tons of e-waste went to landfills in 2022, including hard-to-come-by metals essential to solar panels, electric vehicle batteries, and other clean energy components. (Grist)

SOLAR:

• The U.S. EPA prepares to announce $7 billion for its Solar for All program that funds solar installations in low-income areas. (E&E News)
• Critics charge that Duke Energy’s revised green tariff program in North Carolina will do little to accelerate new renewable development. (Energy News Network)

GRID:

• Virtual power plants as well as advanced nuclear and upgraded transmission lines could help meet growing power demand, experts say. (Utility Dive)
• A Colorado think tank finds Western states are poised to generate billions of dollars by exporting clean energy to other regions, but only if they can significantly expand the power grid. (Inside Climate News)
• Six Northeast states file two joint applications with federal officials to receive up to $1 billion for transmission upgrades and battery storage projects. (Portland Press Herald)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE:

• Indigenous advocates say the U.S. is ignoring the United Nations’ Rights of Indigenous Peoples declaration, including through its refusal to shut down the Line 5 pipeline. (Global Indigenous Affairs Desk)
• Republican attorneys general from 23 other states petition the U.S. EPA to stop taking race into account when regulating pollution. (Floodlight)

INDUSTRY: The U.S. Department of Energy announces $28 million in grants for research aimed at decarbonizing steel production. (Canary Media)

COAL: Democratic U.S. senators in Virginia and West Virginia applaud a new federal rule to more tightly regulate silica dust, which factors into black lung disease. (Bluefield Daily Telegraph)

COMMENTARY: Michigan regulators’ denial of a utility’s request to recoup expenses from uneconomic coal plants sets an example for other states, clean energy policy advocates write. (RMI)