Weekly News

Costa Rica will ban fossil fuels, North Carolina launches environmental justice advisory board

This week’s optimistic environmental news:

  • In a First, California Requires Solar Panels for New Homes – “Rooftop solar, already more common in California than anywhere else in the country, will be required for most new houses and apartments by 2020, part of a landmark policy adopted on Wednesday that supporters hope will inspire other states to follow suit…The commission estimates the rules will lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 493 million pounds of carbon per year. That’s roughly equivalent to taking 50,000 cars off the road.”
  • North Carolina is launching an environmental justice advisory board – “The board, which is comprised of 16 environmental justice and public health experts from across the state, is charged with assisting the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality on “achieving the fair and equal treatment and meaningful involvement of North Carolinians regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.”
  • Costa Rica to ban fossil fuels and become world’s first decarbonised society – “Decarbonisation is the great task of our generation and Costa Rica must be one of the first countries in the world to accomplish it, if not the first,” Mr Alvarado said. “We have the titanic and beautiful task of abolishing the use of fossil fuels in our economy to make way for the use of clean and renewable energies.”
  • Louisiana State Court Declares Bayou Bridge Pipeline Permit Illegal – “In his April 30 decision, made public on Monday, 23rd Judicial District Court Judge Alvin Turner Jr. held, “Once constructed, this pipeline has the potential to impact some of Louisiana’s most coveted and ecologically sensitive areas such as the Atchafalaya Basin, as well as other wetlands through Louisiana.” He also wrote, “the permit application does not include an emergency response plan nor does it address potential spills that may occur after construction once the pipeline is operational.”
  • Renewable Energy Industry Adds Half A Million Jobs In 2017, Surpasses 10 Million Worldwide – “The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published its fifth annual Renewable Energy and Jobs annual review this week, revealing that renewable energy employment in 2017 had increased by 5.3% since 2016, an increase of over 500,000 jobs which brings renewable energy jobs up past the 10 million milestone for the first time ever.”

About Patrick Metzger

Patrick is the founder of The New Climate. He is a writer, product manager, and musician. He grew up in Chattanooga, TN and now lives in Beacon, NY.