EnviroPolitics Blog

The war in Ukraine exposes a risk for the future of electric vehicles: Price shocks in precious metals

After the nickel market goes haywire, the United States and its allies launch a critical minerals energy security plan, with stockpiling an option.

A view shows nickel sheets at Kola Mining and Metallurgical Company, a unit of Russia’s metals and mining company Nornickel, in the town of Monchegorsk in the Murmansk region on February 25, 2021. Credit: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

By Marianne Lavelle Inside Climate News

A silver sedan rolled off of the General Motors assembly line in Spring Hill, Tennessee, last Monday that represented the $35 billion bet the company is making on the future inside the chassis of its most storied brand.

It was GM’s first all-electric Cadillac Lyriq, launched nine months earlier than scheduled and signaling that the automaker is charging full speed ahead on its transition to electric vehicles, despite tumultuous times.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has roiled global commodities markets—including those for nickel and other metals used in EV batteries—and laid bare how vulnerable the world is to price shocks in the metals essential to the EV future. That volatility comes on top of the pandemic-triggered supply chain woes that have dogged the auto industry for months.

President Joe Biden’s pledge to catalyze the electric vehicle transition has been only partly fulfilled, with consumer EV tax credits, much of the money for charging stations, and other assistance stalled with the rest of his Build Back Better package in Congress.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), the linchpin for any effort to revive the legislation, this month said he is particularly reluctant to invest in an EV future because of U.S. dependence on imported metals for electric transportation. “I don’t want to have to be standing in line waiting for a battery for my vehicle because we’re now dependent on a foreign supply chain,” Manchin said at the annual CERAWeek energy conference in Houston.

But last week, automakers, the Biden administration, and U.S. trading partners and allies were doubling down on their commitment to vehicle electrification—not only to address climate change but because of concerns about energy insecurity in a world reliant on oil for transportation. Skyrocketing prices at gasoline pumps have made clear that U.S. drivers are not insulated from spikes in the global oil market, even though the United States is producing more oil domestically than ever.

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As Lake Powell hits landmark low, Arizona looks to a $1 billion investment and Mexican seawater to slake its thirst

Gov. Doug Ducey hopes to solve the state’s water woes during his last year in office as decades of drought strain water supplies from the Colorado River

Glen Canyon Dam is seen, behind which are record low water levels at Lake Powell, as the drought continues to worsen on July 2, 2021 near Page, Arizona. Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

By Aydali Campa Inside Climate News

During his last year in office, Gov. Doug Ducey is trying to create a legacy of water security in drought-stricken Arizona. But his most ambitious effort in that quest could end up being in Mexico.

In his last state of the state speech in January, he proposed an investment of $1.16 billion over the next three years to make the state “more resilient to drought, secure a sustainable water future and allow for continued growth.”

The goal, he said, is to “secure Arizona’s water future for the next 100 years.”

The governor’s office shared a plan with lawmakers late last month to create a new statewide water authority tasked with boosting water supplies by developing and supporting innovative water augmentation efforts.

Among the potential projects that the agency could develop are desalination plants in Mexico, which would create freshwater by removing salt from seawater. Arizona and other Lower Basin states would take some of Mexico’s shares of Colorado River water in exchange for the water they financed desalinating south of the border, according to Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke.

“We’re trying to stay ahead of the curve and make sure that we have resilient water supplies, for the growing economy, for the people, for the environment and for the lifestyle that Arizona people are used to seeing,” said Butschatske.

Historic Threshold Adds Urgency to Water Woes

Staying in front of that curve is increasingly difficult in the Southwest.

Last week, for the first time since it was filled 50 years ago, the water level in Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the country, dropped so low that it threatens the ability of Glen Canyon Dam to generate electricity for some 6 million customers that depend on it.

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#BILLYPENNGRAM – 3/27/22

#BILLYPENNGRAM – 3/27/22 Read More »

Two Pa. lawmakers propose a massive investment in parks and recreation centers across the state.

*FDR Park in Philadelphia. (MediaPunch/Shutterstock)*

By Eric Heyl, Patch

HARRISBURG, PA — Two state lawmakers want to use $500 million in American Rescue Plan money to spruce up parks and community centers throughout Pennsylvania.

State representatives Rick Krajewski and Elizabeth Fielder, both Philadelphia Democrats, plan to introduce a bill that would fund a “Healthy Parks for Healthy Communities” program. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources would determine how best to distribute the money.

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In a memo to colleagues seeking support for the legislation, the pair noted that parks and recreation centers were built more than 100 years ago in many urban areas of the state and are deteriorating. Some even have had to be closed.

Such spaces “are in need of building renovations, updated playground equipment, improved ball fields and basketball courts, pool repairs, new sidewalks and groundskeeping, and more,” the memo stated. “Without a sizeable investment, these centers cannot be reopened, and our communities are left wanting for safe recreational spaces.”

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Study finds unsafe levels of toxic chemicals in packaging at 8 fast-food chains

The paper bag used to hold McDonald’s fries was found to hear near-illegal levels of toxic chemicals, according to a new study by Consumer Reports. Photo Credit: Pexels via Pixabay

By Cecilia Levine Ocean Daily Voice

Toxic chemicals known as “forever chemicals” have been found in food packaging used by eight fast-food chains, according to a new study by Consumer Reports.

The PFAs commonly found in non-stick pans and waterproof gear are also in food packaging that keeps fatty and oily liquids from leaking through, often used by fast-food joints.

Exposure to PFAs has been proven to cause a suppressed immune system, lower birth weight and increased risk for some cancers, Consumer Reports says. This is problematic for food chains using the packaging because the chemicals seep into the food and are ingested by consumers, the study shows.

The more you eat out, the higher levels of PFAs there are in your body, CR says.

The following eight fast-food joints had packaging with PFAs at or above 100 parts per million total organic fluorine, according to the study:

Arby’s: Paper bag for cookies
Burger King: Paper bag for cookies
Cava: Fiber tray for kids meal
Chick-fil-A: Wrapper for sandwich wrap
McDonald’s: Paper bag for french fries
Nathan’s: Paper bag for sides
Sweetgreen: Paper bag for foccaccia
Taco Bell: Paper bag for chips

Full Consumer Reports study.

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US plan to provide 15bn cubic meters of natural gas to EU alarms climate groups

‘Pushing new toxic export facilities is a death sentence for those on the frontlines of the climate emergency,’ said Kassie Siegel, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute. Photograph: Rob Carr/AP

By Oliver Milman@olliemilman The Guardian

A major deal that will see the US ramp up its supply of gas to Europe in an attempt to shift away from Russian fossil fuel imports risks “disaster” for the climate crisis, environmental groups have warned.

Under the agreement, unveiled on Friday, the US will provide an extra 15bn cubic meters of liquified natural gas (LNG) to the European Union this year. This represents about a tenth of the gas the EU now gets from Russia, which provides 40% of the bloc’s total gas supply.

The increased gas exports from the US will escalate further, with the EU aiming to get 50bn cubic meters of gas a year from America and other countries in order to reduce its reliance upon Russia after its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Joe Biden, who announced the deal during a trip to Brussels, said the increased supply will ensure “families in Europe can get through this winter” while also hampering Vladimir Putin, who has used gas income to “drive his war machine”.

But environmental groups have reacted to the agreement with alarm, arguing that it will help embed years of future gas use at a time when scientists say the world must rapidly phase out the use of fossil fuels to avoid catastrophic climate change.

“We should be rapidly transitioning to affordable clean energy, not doubling down on fossil fuels,” said Kelly Sheehan, senior director of energy campaigns at the Sierra Club. “Reducing reliance on fossil fuels is the only way to stop being vulnerable to the whims of greedy industries and geopolitics.”

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