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Mohamed Adow is the founder and director of Power Shift Africa.

At London Climate Action Week, electrification moved from the margins of climate policy to the centre of the road to COP31. The launch of the Electrify Now campaign gave fresh momentum to a target floated at the Bonn climate talks: by 2035, electricity should provide 35% of the world’s final energy consumption, up from just over 20% today.

That makes electrification one of the defining tests for this year’s climate summit in Türkiye. If COP31 is to be more than another exercise in negotiating text, it must show how the world can replace fossil fuels in transport, heating, industry and everyday life with clean electricity.

For Africa, this agenda presents both an extraordinary opportunity and an immense challenge.

For decades, the continent has been viewed primarily through the lens of energy poverty. More than 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity. Yet that very deficit also means many African countries are not locked into ageing fossil-fuel infrastructure in the way industrialised economies are. They have the chance to build cleaner energy systems from the outset.

• Jul 10, 2026 News Iran war fuel shocks threaten Africa’s clean cooking push, IEA says Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have hit supplies of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), seen as a cleaner cooking alternative to charcoal and wood Read more
• Jun 9, 2026 Politics COP31 leaders unveil global targets, with spotlight on electrification Co-hosts Türkiye and Australia want countries to sign on to global targets in three of their priority areas for this year’s COP climate negotiations Read more
• Jun 24, 2026 News EU, UK lead push for electrification as “powerful weapon” against fossil fuels A group of dozens of countries seeks to build momentum for a COP31 pledge to electrify 35% of global energy use by 2035 as an alternative to fossil fuels Read more

The case for electrification is compelling. Transport, industry and heating account for much of the world’s fossil-fuel consumption. Replacing combustion engines with electric vehicles, diesel generators with renewable power and fossil-fuel heating with electric alternatives is one of the fastest ways to cut emissions while improving energy security. Electric technologies are also far more efficient, and renewable electricity is now the cheapest source of new power across much of the world.

Africa also possesses one of the greatest renewable energy endowments on Earth. The continent possesses some of the world’s best solar resources. Vast wind corridors stretch across North, East and Southern Africa. Geothermal energy is already powering much of Kenya’s electricity system. Hydropower resources remain significant in several regions.

But potential is not the same as progress.

The biggest obstacle is not a lack of sunshine or wind. It is a shortage of investment.

Financial barriers

African countries pay some of the highest borrowing costs in the world despite contributing the least to climate change. Projects that would be commercially viable elsewhere become prohibitively expensive because of high interest rates and perceptions of financial risk. Until the cost of capital falls, many countries will struggle to build the renewable power stations, transmission lines and battery storage needed to electrify their economies.

The electricity itself is another challenge. It is difficult to persuade people to buy electric vehicles or industries to electrify production if power supplies remain unreliable. Many national grids require major investment to expand access, improve reliability and accommodate growing volumes of renewable energy. In rural areas, decentralised solar and battery systems will often provide the quickest route to universal electricity access, but they too require finance and supportive policy frameworks.

Industrial policy matters just as much.

Africa is rich in many of the minerals needed for batteries and clean technologies, yet too often it exports raw materials and imports finished products. If electrification simply creates new markets for imported batteries, electric vehicles and solar equipment, much of the economic opportunity will be lost. The transition should also become a strategy for building African manufacturing, creating skilled jobs and capturing more value from the continent’s own resources.

There are encouraging signs. Ethiopia has pushed aggressively to promote electric mobility while seeking to reduce its dependence on imported oil. Kenya has become a global leader in geothermal electricity and is seeing rapid growth in electric motorcycles. Morocco is building an industrial base around renewable energy and battery supply chains.

Electrification is happening

These examples show that electrification is no longer a distant prospect. But they also remain outliers rather than the norm. For most African countries, unreliable grids, high borrowing costs and limited access to finance still stand in the way of a much broader transformation. That is precisely why the emerging electrification agenda matters.

If the world wants electricity to account for 35% of final energy demand by 2035, then success cannot be measured simply by announcing a global target. It must be measured by whether developing countries have the finance, technology and policy support to make that transition possible.

For Africa, electrification is not only about reducing emissions. It is about determining what kind of development path the world’s youngest and fastest-growing continent will follow.

More than a billion people live in Africa today. By mid-century, that number will be closer to 2.5 billion. This is a continent on the cusp of sweeping economic transformation, with cities expanding, industries growing and hundreds of millions of people rightly demanding the energy, mobility and prosperity long enjoyed elsewhere.

Campaigners oppose Dangote’s planned Kenya refinery over climate and ecological risks

That development will require vast amounts of power. The question is whether it will be delivered through the old fossil-fuel model of imported oil, gas infrastructure and polluting combustion, or through clean electricity generated from Africa’s own renewable resources.

This matters for Africa. But it also matters for the world. A global transition to electrification cannot succeed if a continent of this scale is locked into a new generation of fossil-fuel dependence. Nor can it be just if Africa is told to decarbonise without being given the finance and technology to build something better.

The choice facing COP31 is therefore not simply whether electrification will happen. It is whether Africa is helped to become an electro-state continent, powering its development through clean electricity, or pushed by neglect into repeating the fossil-fuel pathway that has already destabilised the climate.

For the age of electrification to be a success, COP31 needs to ensure Africa is equipped to shape and accelerate it. If Africa is left behind, the global energy transition will fall behind with it.

The post Africa can lead the Age of Electrification appeared first on Climate Home News.

Porpoises and puffins impacted by bottom trawlers Channel News brendan 16th July 2026 Teaser Media

Industrial landscapes are living reminders of how centuries of fossil-fuel development reshaped Earth’s systems. As the Anthropocene unfolds, that legacy continues to shape our future. Historian Sabine Höhler argues that bridging the divide between human and Earth history is essential to understanding where we are and at what cost.

Has the much‑discussed energy transition actually begun? So far, the answer is no. With only brief dips in crisis years, global fossil fuel use has risen every year since 1983. The newly released 2025 data confirm: humanity burned more of every major energy source in 2025 than ever before.

Modern paints contain toxic chemicals that linger in our homes and bodies, while traditional lime-based whitewash offers a low-energy, low-tox alternative that brightens buildings, protects surfaces and can even ‘sweeten’ acidic soils to boost fertility.

No reform can transform the WTO into an institution that serves the people. The time has come to build a new system that prioritizes dignity, sovereignty, and the well-being of all peoples.

The post “No reform can transform the WTO into an institution that serves the people” appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

Carbon pricing is no longer just a climate policy tool. It is increasingly shaping trade, competitiveness and investment decisions around the world. Carbon Pricing at the Border compares carbon pricing frameworks across major jurisdictions, including...

Another year, another blow to Pennsylvania transit riders.

Keystone State Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the annual budget into law last Sunday, and for the fifth year in a row, public transportation has been left to financially starve. The approved budget contains no funding for transit operations, continuing a streak that forces every agency to scrounge for its own money, to varying degrees of success.

“We’ve been left out for far too long,” remarked Connor Descheemaker, Statewide Campaign Manager for Transit for All, PA! The organization rallied transit riders to send more than 50,000 letters to state representatives and the White House-eying governor calling for transit funding, reaching every legislative district in Pennsylvania.

Those calls went largely unanswered. Riders in Lehigh Valley are now bracing for route eliminations and trip cancellations, despite already paying increased fares. Lancaster County paratransit riders will pay more as well, beginning next month.

Recommended Rural and Disabled Pennsylvanians Fighting For Transit As Keystone State Budget Nears Late Deal Ren Zaro Fitzgerald July 6, 2026

Low-income, disabled, and rural Pennsylvanians will lose access to jobs, healthcare, and loved ones. That reality hasn’t stopped their governor from declaring victory.

In a speech at last week’s budget signing ceremony, Shapiro uttered a total of three words about the state-sponsored mobility crisis: “There’s more I want to do – like raising the minimum wage, funding mass transit, and expanding access to affordable housing,” he said.

Shapiro seems to understand the need for well-funded transit. Last year, he sent $220 million to Philadelphia to boost SEPTA’s barren maintenance fund following a series of onboard fires.

One-time relief won’t keep buses running, though.

SEPTA’s aging Silverliner IV fleet caught on fire multiple times in 2025, prompting new state funding for fleet repair.

Shapiro has failed, and failed, and failed again to pass his landmark transit policy. His initial proposal would increase the share of sales tax revenue going to public transit by 2 percent. The blame isn’t all his: Even after he watered down his proposal to a 1.75-percent increase, statehouse Republicans failed to support it.

Even if it had succeeded, it’s too little, too late: The sales tax change would still be $92 million short of the $384 million that Transit for All, PA! estimates is needed to prevent further service cuts in public transportation across the state.

Transit for All, PA! has previously lobbied for its legislative package, which would have increased taxes on car rentals and leases, and raised a new tax on ride shares.

Like Shapiro’s plan, that failed, too.

“The General Assembly has deferred action to invest fully in public transit,” state Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia), who had authored the ride share component of the legislative package. “Despite the continued activation and involvement of tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians … we will once again face this issue in 2027.”

Recommended Doomsday For SEPTA Is Bad News For Everyone Kathryn Xu August 27, 2025

Pennsylvania’s last semblance of adequate transit funding ended in 2021 with the expiration of Act 89. The 10-year allocation covered statewide transportation expenses, including roadway maintenance and transit operations. 

As soon as Act 89 money dried up, agencies turned to Covid relief grants to stay afloat. Those grants, provided through the American Rescue Plan, ended in 2024. Several agencies have gone so far as to pillage their own fixed-route budgets to continue federally mandated paratransit services.

Call it luck, a Band-Aid, or a bad omen; riders on Philadelphia’s SEPTA and Pittsburgh’s PRT are momentarily safe from service cuts and fare hikes. Following last year’s budget disaster, Shapiro permitted the two agencies to raid their own maintenance funds to temporarily pay for operations.

Recommended Transit Funding in Pennsylvania Can’t Wait Alex Milone November 10, 2025

Now, both are pausing upgrades, deferring basic maintenance, and reckoning with the realities of operating – but not fixing – a large-scale transit system.

State highways, on the other hand, received $775 million in new funding from Shapiro’s budget deal.

Transit advocates in Pennsylvania are shifting strategies to preserve essential transit services. A June decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, allowed slot machines to be taxed at a higher rate.

Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers have shown interest in using revenue from the so-called “skill games tax” to fund transit. The legislature must agree on a tax rate and structure, but declined to do so before finalizing the budget.

“Anytime that there is a discussion of new revenue in Pennsylvania, it needs to include public transportation,” Descheemaker said. “We are losing public transportation actively, right now in Pennsylvania. Public transportation needs to be at the center of those conversations.”

• An analysis of Smart Growth America data by CityNerd found that American roads are getting more dangerous, with pedestrian deaths rising by 72 percent compared to population growth and vehicle-miles driven. In the cities where the problem is worst, like Memphis and others in the Sun Belt, roads were designed during the height of the car era to emphasize speed over safety. (The Cool Down)
• At a recent American Public Transportation Association conference, transit leaders emphasized the need to seek other funding sources besides the federal government, as well as bringing down procurement costs. (Railway-News)
• Utility companies are working on ways to alleviate concerns about electric vehicles’ impact on the power grid. (Government Technology)
• Economist Noah Smith urges people not to give up on the suburbs. (Noahpinion)
• Cincinnati made a questionable decision to sell a rail line for $1.9 billion, and now finds itself constrained on how to spend the money. (The Guardian)
• In a counterpoint to a previously highlighted headline, MinnPost contributors argue for bus rapid transit on the Blue Line.
• The Port of Los Angeles is offering $75 million in incentives to purchase electric trucks.
• Atlanta drivers are complaining about protected bike lanes because they can’t stop hitting the barriers (WSB-TV). Would they rather hit cyclists instead?
• Chattanooga approved a plan to achieve Vision Zero by 2050. (News 9)
• Omaha adopted Vision Zero in 2023. Deaths keep rising, but city officials say they’ve only begun to start implementing safety improvements. (KETV)
• Somerville, Massachusetts has gone three years without a traffic death. (Governing)
• Montgomery County, Maryland is offering transit riders a free Capital Bikeshare membership while the Red Line is shut down. (WUSA 9)
• The world needs more bike lanes, but some of them are so poorly designed as to be useless at best. Momentum Mag gathered some of the worst.
• The French city of Grenoble is reallocating public space from advertisers to people. (Reason to Be Cheerful)

More than 100 Hunter community members rallied as the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) NSW kicked off public hearings on the Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) Continuation Project, the largest coal project ever proposed in New South Wales.

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bridgett Ennis

s the prices of home battery systems fall, they’re becoming a key part of the modern electric grid. They can help homeowners store power from rooftop solar panels or the grid for use during outages or periods of high demand. And they can reduce strain on the grid during heat waves when electricity demand soars.

In this interview with Yale Climate Connections, Raghu Belur, the chief products officer for Enphase Energy, explains how home battery systems can lower utility bills and create backup power during grid failures. He also says that batteries, including the batteries in electric vehicles, may one day make it possible for utilities to use power from many small sources to maintain a more reliable grid. 

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. 

Yale Climate Connections: Could you explain what a home battery is, how it works, and the benefits it provides customers? 

Raghu Belur: The beauty of the battery is it can do a few different things. The home – which traditionally has been only a consumer of energy – is actually producing its own energy with solar on the roof. One of the limitations to solar is that it’s an intermittent resource – we don’t have solar at night – so the best way to actually maximize the utilization or the usability of solar is to add a battery. 

The second use case is you can actually sell energy back to the grid [in some places]. When there is a lot of demand on the grid and you have all these stored electrons, those electrons are very valuable for yourself as well as for the grid. So you as a prosumer – a producer and a consumer – can sell that energy to the grid and actually make money. 

The third use case for that battery is, of course, if the grid were to fail. So when the grid goes out, these batteries can create a microgrid and power the home. The whole process is seamless: It senses that the grid is gone, takes over, and runs the home on the energy that it has saved so the homeowner wouldn’t even know that the grid is gone. 

YCC: How do batteries help provide resiliency for homeowners during power outages or extreme weather? 

Belur: We are living in times where 100-year storms are the norm now. We also have to deal with things like forest fires. Usually, if there’s a storm or winter event, it lasts for a finite period of time, and the sun eventually does come out. So if you have solar and a battery, then you can ride through a multiday outage. 

And the deployment of solar and batteries is going to become more and more critical, especially as the demand in the overall infrastructure is going up significantly. The electrical demand on homes is going up substantially – you’re seeing homes getting electrified, with everything from heat pumps, induction ovens, EVs. 

But that’s not all the story. Massive demand on the utility is coming from the hyperscalers, from the AI data centers as well. 

So addressing the demand on the residential side, with deploying more and more batteries, is massively beneficial for everybody because they can help alleviate some of the stress that the grid feels as a result of all that demand that’s coming from the data center side. 

YCC: How common is it to deploy batteries on homes that don’t have solar? 

Learn more: Find out which climate action best fits into your life.

Belur: It’s not that common, but I don’t see a reason why that cannot become a trend. Solar used to be the point of entry for [a home energy] system, but an EV is also a very large battery. So we can not only intelligently charge your EV, but [with a bidirectional EV charger] you can also discharge your EV to support the grid, provide grid resiliency, or you can use the EV to power your home in the event of an outage. So you’ll find that there will be a lot of deployments where people use their car as the battery, and that’s the only thing that they have – and we believe that an EV will be the point of entry into that energy system for a lot of people. 

Read: When the power went out, an electric car kept the AC running

If you look at the way technology evolves over the long run, it decentralizes. If you think about mainframes, 40 or 50 years ago, people used to have mainframe computers – that was the norm. That’s where all the intelligence was, and all the decision-making happened there. Today we have arguably much more intelligence in our laptops and in our phones, and so we have decentralized that intelligence. 

I believe the same thing is going to happen with energy as well. Historically, all the power production or generation of energy has been centralized – you’ve got big hydroelectric plants, nuclear plants, gas-powered plants, coal plants, and large-scale solar, large-scale wind. 

What we are seeing now is this decentralization or distribution of energy, where the home is becoming the unit of intelligence. It’s the one that produces its own energy, stores and consumes [energy] intelligently, and can also optimize not only for the homeowner’s needs but also provide resiliency to the grid by exporting electrons into the grid. 

YCC: We’re seeing rising energy prices. When we talk about consumers, whether they’re leasing or buying these battery systems, what does all of this mean for consumers’ bills? 

Belur: Here’s this opportunity for the homeowner to become a prosumer – produce your own energy, consume your own energy, manage your own energy intelligently – so you can optimize your bill as well as provide resiliency. It’s a way to hedge against future energy rate increases. Depending on the location, for example, you can have a payback period of as low as four to five years. Four to five years, your energy system pays off because what you’re offsetting is a very large utility bill.

Then other places may take seven to eight years, but you’re looking at a 25-year asset. When you’re looking at a 25-year asset, a payback period from anywhere from four to eight years, that’s not too bad because once I’ve paid off my system, because I’ve offset my consumption – and by the way, my rates don’t go up – it’s my own system. 

I think it makes absolute sense that people should deploy their own energy system within their home. Of course, solar is kind of the hero of the show. That’s what this is all about, but you do need solar. You need batteries. You need EV chargers. You need software to manage everything, and you can create a tremendous amount of value and shrink that payback period down even further.

YCC: What needs to happen to scale up this approach to reach those low-income consumers who might not be able to afford to make these investments up front? 

Belur: Investors look for some level of certainty, and this is an asset class that the investment community is starting to get very comfortable with because the default rates are very low. So you’re seeing more and more dollars being invested into deploying more of these systems, because not a lot of people are defaulting on their loans, because what is their alternative? It’s not a luxury. Energy is a necessity. 

The place where things are a little uncertain is all of these government regulations changing. Whatever decision the government makes regarding whether there is going to be tax incentives or no tax incentives, those decisions need to happen quickly so you bring stability into the market. 

Read: Trump just gave a huge gift to China’s economy

In the long run, I believe that incentives should be a catalyst and not a crutch. We know we have the technology capabilities, so let’s get some of these government uncertainties out of the way and let our industry do what it does best: Deliver great economics, great value to the homeowner, and the finance industry will love that because it’s a strong asset class. It’s got low default rates, and we know we’ll always need energy.

Florida-based company has history of rate hikes and political manipulation

 

RICHMOND, VA — Today, Florida-based electric utility NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy submitted a merger application to the State Corporation Commission (SCC). Following the acquisition, NextEra would become the largest regulated electric utility monopoly in the United States, serving roughly 10 million customers across Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) called on the Virginia State Corporation Commission and federal regulators to reject NextEra Energy’s proposed $67 billion acquisition of Dominion Energy, warning that the deal isn’t really about serving Virginia families — it’s about seizing control of the largest concentration of AI data centers on Earth, and locking residential ratepayers in as the guarantors of that buildout.

“A transaction of this size doesn’t just combine two balance sheets — it combines two risk profiles into one, at a scale no regulator has ever had to govern before,” said Victoria Higgins, CCAN’s Virginia Director. “And NextEra’s risk profile isn’t hypothetical. It’s a $150 million political scandal. It’s funding fake candidates to spoil elections. It’s a decade of rate hikes in Florida. Even more troublingly, NextEra has made clear this deal is all about seizing control of the AI data center boom. Already, Virginians are being asked to bankroll the wealthiest companies in the world. Now, we are being asked to trust the largest utility monopoly in the world in serving those corporate interests. None of this is for the purpose of benefiting Virginia families.”

NextEra has a history of prioritizing corporate profit and increasing energy bills. NextEra’s Florida utility, Florida Power & Light, retained 27.4% of its $18.26 billion in 2024 revenue as corporate profit — nearly double the roughly 14.6% industry average — while implementing a $6.9 billion rate increase. The $2.25 billion in temporary bill credits NextEra is dangling to win over Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina regulators is a one-time payment, not a structural protection— and it comes from a company projecting roughly 11% annual growth in infrastructure spending through 2035, costs that are passed off – with interest – to Virginia customers.

NextEra brings a documented record of steamrolling anyone who slows it down. The company just agreed to pay $150 million to settle a shareholder lawsuit over its role in Florida political schemes, including funding secret “ghost” candidates to defeat lawmakers who challenged the utility and surveilling a journalist covering the company. 

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Chesapeake Climate Action Network is the first grassroots organization dedicated exclusively to raising awareness about the impacts and solutions associated with global warming in the Chesapeake Bay region. Founded in 2002, CCAN has been at the center of the fight for clean energy and wise climate policy in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

The post NextEra-Dominion Merger Is Designed to Speed-Run the Data Center Boom — With Virginians Guaranteeing the Bill appeared first on Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

On Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Nominee Jay Clayton repeatedly refused to say whether Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. At today's confirmation hearing, Clayton also defended Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund. Additionally, Clayton refused to come clean on his extraordinary subpoenas of New York Times journalists for reporting something the administration didn’t like as well as Trump’s efforts to interfere in Georgia’s elections. Demand Progress led a coalition of press freedom and progressive advocates who urged Senate Democrats to oppose Clayton’s nomination.

The following is a statement from Demand Progress Executive Director Sean Vitka:

“Jay Clayton’s assignment today was to show that he wouldn’t be a submissive hatchet man for Donald Trump — and he failed spectacularly. Clayton’s trainwreck hearing showed us that he is willing to deny objective reality to avoid upsetting the president. Someone like that must not be allowed to be the Director of National Intelligence, who wields vast power and must lead the Intelligence Community with nonpartisan integrity and independence from political pressure. As Congress barrels toward another fight over FISA surveillance powers, we hope Democrats like Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Jim Himes understand the clear danger someone like Clayton would pose as Trump’s pointman on government surveillance.”

On Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced his scheme to repeal a limit that Congress set on the national reach of broadcast-television conglomerates. Lifting the cap from its congressionally mandated limit of 39 percent of national audience is key to a proposed merger between two giant broadcast conglomerates: Nexstar and Tegna.

As Free Press explained in comments filed last year in the agency’s proceeding, Carr’s machinations serve the interests of broadcast lobbyists and media moguls who align themselves with the Trump administration and hope to monopolize the broadcast dial. But the FCC’s power grab ignores the law in pursuit of Carr’s partisan and self-aggrandizing aims.

In 2025, the FCC asked for public comment on changing or eliminating the national broadcast-ownership rule that Congress set. The rule prohibits any television-broadcast conglomerate from exceeding the 39 percent cap that’s designed to limit the size and national reach of giant broadcasters — like Fox Corporation, Nexstar and Sinclair — that already own hundreds of stations across the country.

At the time, Free Press explained that the agency has no authority to change the numerical limit Congress set in statute. Free Press’ filing notes that Carr’s goal is to fulfill the Trump administration’s desire “to use the Commission’s licensing authority to exert total control over the media.”

“Media consolidation and deal approvals are now explicitly a way for President Trump to further consolidate his dictatorial power, through explicit loyalty tests and pledges to use the public airwaves as a propaganda tool against the American public,” the filing reads.

Indeed, in March the FCC tried to waive this limit to approve Nexstar’s acquisition of Tegna Inc. That merger would give Nexstar access to 80 percent of U.S. households over the nation’s broadcast airwaves. Although the companies rushed to close the transaction on the basis of the FCC’s unauthorized and unlawful waiver, federal courts in California halted the transaction in light of the antitrust lawsuits from both state attorneys general and private parties against this massive broadcast concentration.

Matt Wood, Free Press vice president of policy and general counsel, said:

“Brendan Carr’s arrogance matches that of his boss Donald Trump as the FCC chairman works to bend or break every rule to grow his own power and aid his political allies. But just as the FCC had no power to waive a congressional statute to grease the skids for Nexstar’s merger with Tegna, it has no power now to completely obliterate the limit Congress set.

“It’s not just advocacy groups like Free Press who’ve called out Carr’s hypocrisy and hubris. Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee that oversees the FCC, held an entire hearing in February to probe this question. Cruz himself eviscerated and embarrassed broadcast lobbyists over their implausible reading of the law. Chris Ruddy, the CEO of the conservative cable-news outlet Newsmax, testified at the same hearing about the difficulties other outlets face when they must compete against larger and larger broadcast conglomerates. Ruddy also noted that Congress explicitly set the national cap — and stripped the FCC of the authority to change or abandon it.

“Carr claims that FCC heads in both parties have agreed that the agency still has the power to ignore and override Congress’ will, but his fabrications and spin don’t stand up to scrutiny.

“While broadcasters plead poverty and claim that they should be allowed to reach the entire country the way that online platforms do, they already can. Nothing prevents a company like Nexstar from having a national website or cable-news channel. The national cap is not a special disadvantage for broadcasters. In fact, broadcasters have a special advantage with their exclusive licenses to use precious national airwaves the way they do.

“As Free Press has shown many times, the national cap remains good policy. It promotes competition, localism and diversity in broadcasting, incentivizing stations to preserve local newsrooms and local-journalism jobs instead of duplicating stories nationwide and passing that off as local news. But whatever the law’s merits may be, the key point is that Brendan Carr cannot undo the limit that Congress set just because he feels like it.”

Scientists have identified a new species of monkey in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is just the fifth new species of African monkey discovered in the last 75 years.

Read more on E360 →

Third Act Upstate NY member Kim Knowlton tells a story about the soaring health costs of climate change, NY State Capitol, Dec 2024. (John Seakwood)

Stephen Danna, Kim Knowlton, Anne Lowenthal – Third Act Upstate New York

“But I don’t have a story to tell,” said a Third Act member in a recent storytelling workshop. It’s common for people to doubt their ability to tell a story. Asking someone to write and tell a story about climate change or the brighter future of clean energy is intimidating, but these stories matter. They raise awareness, persuade, connect us with others, and foster cognitive growth.

Who We Are and Why This Work?

Several years ago, Bill McKibben with some of his climate activist friends conceived of and started Third Act. We are a community of elders across the country using life experiences and resources to safeguard the climate and uplift democracy. In the northeast, Third Act has working groups in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

In January 2025, Third Act Upstate NY began looking at the upcoming legislative season with multiple clean energy and solar bills, and a governor looking to halt clean energy funding. It was clear we needed our Assembly and State Senate representatives to understand how energy legislation affects us personally. We considered citing facts and figures to representatives during lobby days and through phone calls, but facts and data are dry, and fail to inspire change, while personal stories have a human power to persuade and are a better way to be heard.

Why Are Stories More Persuasive Than Facts?

A listener can choose to ignore data or interpret them differently than intended. Since stories are personal, a listener cannot dispute, or interpret, someone else’s lived experience.

It became clear to us not everyone thinks they have a story to share. Since other Third Actors didn’t know how to frame their experiences as a story, two members, Steve and Anne, with backgrounds in education and sales got together to figure out how to help people tell their stories. A third member, Kim, with a background in public health, joined us to help people weave data and facts into their stories. Progress!

We believe the fight against climate change will happen through stories, so we developed and offer storytelling workshops. Science shows us that good stories reduce cortisol (stress hormone) and trigger the release of oxytocin (love and empathy hormone) in the brain (Storytelling is Good for Us and Our Bodies at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-stories-of-our-lives/202106/storytelling-is-good-for-us-and-our-bodies). They help us see the world differently, building awareness and hopefulness.  If we are going to make a difference in our fight against climate change, it will be through storytelling. As Katharine Hayhoe puts it, “The fight against climate change needs storytellers as much as scientists.”

Our legislative representatives can use their constituents’ stories to support their reasoning behind a vote. People with different points of view and experience can appreciate another’s perspective once they understand the underlying personal reason. That personal position might even sway someone to the side of the storyteller. At least, the story will give them another point of view to consider.

Tools for Confident Storytelling

We’ve been offering online storytelling workshops to Third Act members for a year and a half, using a story-building framework called “the four pillars, developed by Erica Vladimer of Citizen Action of New York. With Vladimer’s permission, we adapted the tool for our community’s use. There are lots of story frameworks out there, but we like hers because it’s simple and well suited for advocacy.

Our four pillars are clear and concise.

1. Name your values and tell people about the principle you hold dear;

2. Name the conflict, or tell people what’s the obstacle to your cherished value;

3. Tell your story, in which the story of your personal experience shows people how the conflict is harming you and your community; and

4. Call to action to break down the obstacle and be an invitation for others to join you in taking action.

You and your story build a human bridge that’s a catalyst for others to feel the pleasure, power and hopefulness of defending what we care about.

Finding Resources

Many people feel like they don’t have enough factual understanding to support their story. But overwhelming people with fact and figures is a sure-fire way to shut down communication. Instead, shape your story to be personal, specific, and emotional, with a hopeful action to take that opens up listening and creativity. We can share online resources to propel you with a choice fact or two to back your story points. For instance, we have links to national reports like the Fifth US National Climate Assessment (https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/61592), or regional reports like the NY State Climate Assessment (https://nysclimateimpacts.org) that detail what climate change means for health and environment, and our wallets.

So, what’s your story? How are you going to use it to bring about the change you want to see? If you need help creating your story, join our Storytelling workshop on the second Tuesday of any month at https://thirdact.org/upstate-ny/events/storytelling-for-connection-action/. You don’t have to be a member of Third Act to learn how to build your story skills!

This article is part of Food Tank’s primer series, “Food Tank Explains.” Each installment unpacks the ideas, innovations, and challenges shaping today’s food and agriculture systems, offering clear insights into complex topics. To explore more articles in the series, click here.

One-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). Food loss occurs when food is damaged or spoiled before it reaches retailers or eaters; food waste refers to edible food that retailers or consumers discard.

Food loss and waste (FLW) undermines food security, generates substantial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, deplete land, water, and other natural resources, and impose significant costs on the global economy.

But certain researchers, governments, food waste nonprofits, and international organizations agree that much of FLW is interconnected and preventable, making FLW reduction a key strategy for addressing environmental, economic, and food security challenges simultaneously.

Food loss typically occurs before food reaches the retail stage—during harvesting, processing, and transportation. Limited access to storage facilities, refrigeration, and infrastructure can increase rates of food loss. Sometimes food loss is also a symptom of deeper political challenges tied to global trade says Moses Kansanga, Associate Professor of Geography and International Affairs at George Washington University.

Food waste occurs after food reaches retailers and consumers. It typically refers to food that is suitable for consumption but discarded, because of overproduction, cosmetic standards, over-purchasing, improper storage, or confusion over expiration labels.

According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 13 percent of food produced globally is lost between harvest and retail. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that an additional 19 percent of food is wasted at the retail, food service, and household levels.

High income countries generally waste more food per capita. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates that 30 to 40 percent of the nation’s food supply is wasted. ReFED estimates that U.S. retailers generated 4.6 million tons of surplus food in one year, nearly one-third of which went to landfills or incinerators despite donation and recycling efforts.

And tragically, food loss and waste persist alongside global hunger. In 2022, 783 million people experienced hunger while more than 1 billion tons of food was wasted.

WWF estimates that the food lost and wasted each year could feed the world’s undernourished population nearly four times over. “Food waste is a global tragedy,” says Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the world.”

Luiz Beling, CEO of Apeel, emphasizes that FLW is a major contributor to global GHG emissions. Producing of food that is never eaten causes 8 to 10 percent of annual GHG emissions, nearly five times the emissions produced by the global airline sector. It uses one-third of the world’s arable land and one-quarter of agricultural water, placing unnecessary pressure on soils, forests, grasslands, and biodiversity.

Discarded food continues to affect the climate after it is thrown away. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, food contributes to nearly 60 percent of landfill methane emissions.

And, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change estimates that food loss and waste cost the global economy approximately US$1 trillion annually.

Organizations and experts increasingly see FLW reduction as a powerful solution to multiple interconnected problems. Project Drawdown has described FLW reduction as a massive lever for change. According to the organization, reducing FLW can improve food security and conserve natural resources while reducing emissions and lowering costs.

Hongpeng Lei, Chief of the Mitigation Branch in the Climate Change Division at UNEP, explains, “Reducing food waste is a fast, cost-effective way to cut GHG emissions while boosting food security, saving households and businesses money, and easing pressure on land and water.” Dana Gunders, President of ReFED, describes reducing food waste as “like a Swiss Army knife.”

Because food loss and food waste occur at different stages of the food supply chain, they require different solutions. Reducing food loss often depends on investments in harvesting, storage, refrigeration, transportation, and food processing. WFP has helped reduce post-harvest grain losses by supporting the use of hermetic storage bags, moisture meters, and improved drying systems.

Reducing food waste often focuses on improving inventory management, expanding food donation programs, strengthening demand forecasting, helping consumers interpret food date labels, and encouraging meal planning, proper food storage, and the use of leftovers.

While improvements in infrastructure and technology are welcome, technical solutions alone cannot eliminate food loss, Kansanga says. He argues that reducing post-harvest losses also requires addressing the political and structural conditions that shape agricultural markets, including inequitable trade relationships that can undermine local producers.

Efforts to reduce food loss and waste are gaining momentum around the world. The United Nations established a global target to reduce FLW through Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, while UNEP and FAO now publish standardized indices that allow countries to measure food waste and food loss over time. In the United States, ReFED estimates that total surplus food fell by 2.2 percent between 2023 and 2024, driven in part by a 950,000-ton reduction in residential food waste.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

The post Food Tank Explains: Food Loss and Waste appeared first on Food Tank.

Lebanon, NH’s Central Fire Station was designed to aim for net- zero-ready status which included solar, heat pumps, and RTUs on the roof. (ReArch)

Michael J. Daley

The grand opening in April this year of the new Central Fire Station in Lebanon, New Hampshire (www.lebanonnh.gov/) was marked by a ceremonial uncoupling of linked fire hoses strung in place of the more familiar ribbon. This is a traditional way to let the citizens know a new fire station is complete and ready to serve the community.

The design and construction of the $23.78 million facility was anything but traditional. The need to replace the Central Station was identified in 2022 as the building was constructed in 1954 and no longer met current operational needs. ReArch Construction (www.rearchconstruction.com) was the construction manager. Lavallee Brensinger Architects (www.lbpa.com/project/fire-station-1/) was chosen to provide the design and directed to aim for net- zero-ready status.

The internal vehicle bay was designed with LED lights and energy-saving ventilation systems. (Photo credit: Patrick Rogers)

The City of Lebanon chose to reach the highest standard of energy efficient design by participating in the NHSaves (www.nhsaves.com) program and partnering with Liberty(www.libertyutilities.com) to take advantage of the best state of the art technical assistance and highest cost savings incentives. NHSaves requires a public safety facility to achieve an energy use intensity (EUI) of 35 or less to receive a construction incentive of $1.50 per square foot.

EUI is calculated as annual energy consumption divided by building area. The Central Fire Station design EUI is 26.9 based on the 24,531 square foot building. The project qualified and is expected to receive over $50,000 in energy efficiency incentives. Franklin Energy (www.franklinenergynhsaves.com) was instrumental in helping the town navigate through the evaluation and application process required by Liberty’s energy efficiency program.

NHSaves is a performance-based program, and the final payments will depend on the actual performance as recorded during the next year. As the partner utility, Liberty will pay the City these savings. In return, the utility and ratepayers benefit by deferring the need for expensive new electricity generation and limiting harmful emissions.

Because the new Central Fire Station was to occupy the same historic site as the original Central Fire Station, several challenges were encountered meeting energy goals. The site location and size were not sufficient to support a geo-thermal well-field. To maintain required clearances to the neighboring lot lines, much of the mechanical equipment (heat pumps, exhaust fans, dedicated outdoor air system, energy recovery ventilation units and intake vents) needed to be consolidated on the roof levels. Operating as an emergency center requires building conditions to be maintained during periods of power loss and periods of extremely low ambient temperatures.

Another handicap toward high efficiency came from a key feature of the new facility – a state-of-the-art decontamination zone. Exposure to toxic particles from our modern chemicalized buildings is the main occupational hazard faced by firefighters. The decontamination area allows cleaning of gear and bodies after a fire, moving personnel from a dirty zone to clean zone. Because of the risk of cross-contamination of water systems, heat recovery strategies for wastewater could not be employed.

Nevertheless, many specialized air-to-air heat pumps and heat exchange and recovery strategies were installed throughout the facility by ARC Mechanical Contractors (www.arcmech.com). Revision Energy (www.revisionenergy.com) installed 60 kW of solar panels on the very crowded roof space. The solar array supplies 58% of the building’s needs, including heating, and was grant funded with planning support from the city’s planning and energy departments. 

Most occupied spaces are conditioned through multi-zone variable refrigerant flow systems allowing for simultaneous heat and cooling operation as well as recovery and transfer of heating or cooling energy between disparate indoor spaces.

An obvious challenge is the fact that responding to emergencies requires opening the huge bay area to immediate exposure to external climate any time of day or night. To mitigate these frequent and serious losses, the design incorporated dedicated kitchen and vehicle exhaust systems and energy recovery from exhaust air streams to make-up and outdoor air streams to meet ventilation requirements. Air source heat pumps also provide tempering and conditioning of the make-up air supply for kitchen exhaust and the main ventilation air supply to the building. General exhaust and ventilation of the apparatus bay is provided with integral energy recovery through a unit with fixed plate air-to-air heat exchange section while a dedicated exhaust fan provides vehicle exhaust capture at each bay. An air source to water heat pump unit in combination with high efficiency, gas-fired boilers provide heating hot water to in-slab radiant floor serving the apparatus bay and hydronic terminal units or coils serving other spaces throughout the building.

All these sophisticated energy saving strategies were made possible, in part, by the financial and technical assistance of the NHSaves program and is a fine example of its core mission: When the municipalities in our communities save, we all benefit from a healthier, more sustainable environment. Franklin Energy can help Liberty commercial, industrial, and municipal customers navigate the NHSaves program. They can be reached at 603-637-4346 or NHSaves@franklinenergy.com.

On Monday, July 13, President Trump signed proclamations dramatically slashing Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments by a combined 3 million acres, or over 90%. We’ve created monument-specific maps showing the new boundaries.  

The post Maps of National Monument Reductions appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

The announcement comes as ratepayer and clean energy advocates push capacity-hungry hyperscalers to subsidize residential solar, batteries and energy efficiency.