In Between Times 2-2-2024
Earthx is coming, LNG export permits halted, the energy cost of crypto, Scarcity
Join us at Earthx 2024 in Dallas this Earth Day. It’s the worlds largest green gathering!
Hilton Anatole | Dallas, Texas
April 22-26,2024
Early Bird Pricing Available Now Through 2/29/24!
Enter code: EARLYBIRD15 for 15% off conference tickets.
Click here to register.
Biden reins in gas exports that have raised both US prestige and climate fears
In a move widely cheered by many environmental groups and criticized by others including the oil and gas industry, the Biden administration has moved to “freeze” (the White House calls it “temporary”) new export permits for liquefied natural gas (LNG).
American LNG has been vital to Europe as the conflict in Ukraine has raged and as Russian exports of natural gas, long vital to Europe, have remained restricted.
With reserves reasonably full across the Atlantic and with winter beginning to wane the Biden administration has made a move that has limited impact in the immediate term but over the medium to long term could prove consequential environmentally, economically, even diplomatically.
(From Politico)
The review would put a hold on approvals for about 10 projects that have applied for permits but not yet received them, and whose backers have not made final investment decisions whether to build them. That includes the CP2 project, a massive facility that gas exporter Venture Global plans to build along the Louisiana coast. But exports themselves are still expected to soar in the coming years because of projects already approved and under construction.
White House officials said they did not think the moratorium on new projects would throttle gas shipments to Europe. White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi put the decision in context of Biden’s climate goals, saying it was in line with the agreement the United States and other countries made last year at COP 28.
Click here for the article.
Foreign Policy Magazine: Why Biden’s LNG Pause Has Allies Worried
Some fear that the move by the Biden administration, widely seen as overtly political and intended for a domestic constituency, could be dangerous to global stability.
…though the pause won’t affect any projects in the short term—and could even be undone under a new administration next year—it has provoked consternation around the world. Business leaders in Asia and Europe protested the pause, saying it could threaten their ability to find alternative sources of energy. Buyers in those regions are especially worried; Japan, which is almost wholly reliant on imported energy including LNG, already announced that it will start looking for new suppliers given uncertainty over the future U.S. export role…
…“Every leader has to play politics, but there are certain things that are too important to be touched,” said Brenda Shaffer, an energy expert at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. “It is so critical for the economic viability of Asia and Europe and the national security of Europe. It’s like Thelma and Louise driving off the cliff—it makes no sense to reduce supply.”
Our allies understandably cast a weary eye, particularly Japan which is maybe the most vulnerable of our chief allies on the energy front, but concerns at this point are only concerns.
There is also the question of whether Biden’s decision will spark LNG production out of the US and in places where environmental standards are less stringent.
Click here for the article.
Clear Path: Cheering LNG pause misses the big picture on climate
The Biden Administration’s pause on LNG export permits drew cheers and praise from some environmental groups and lawmakers. ClearPath believes LNG is an important part of the global clean energy system, and utilizing more LNG is also good climate policy – especially as it could displace Russian gas in Europe or coal in Asia.
A life cycle analysis from the DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory on LNG exports shows American LNG can be up to 30% cleaner than Russian natural gas.
LNG has been a booming industry as U.S. producers are currently exporting the clean fuel to 39 countries around the globe.
Click here for the article.
Crypto mining may consume as much as 2% of U.S. electricity
As the attached article points out, no one is exactly sure how much energy Bitcoin mining consumes but 2% appears to be a reasonable estimate. That is a lot of energy.
Decentralized crypto currencies and tokens are increasingly a part of our lives with even a new Bitcoin exchange traded fund given the go ahead just weeks ago by US regulators. The crypto genie is out and will remain out. What form this genie takes is another question.
Etherium, the world number two crypto, uses what is called a “proof of stake” protocol which is vastly less energy intensive than Bitcoin’s “proof of work” protocol. So there are alternatives in the space.
(From Heat Map News)
In some deep sense, Bitcoin is electricity. The cryptocurrency is “mined” — i.e. new Bitcoins are generated — through what’s called a proof of work system, essentially a way of proving that a computer (or, in reality, lots of computers) have done a lot of computation. This computational work maintains the system as a whole, and thus the new Bitcoins are a reward for doing this decentralized maintenance. (Lots of other cryptocurrencies also use a proof of work system the mint new coins, the notable exception being Ethereum, which last year switched to what’s called a “proof of stake” system that uses less energy. This, Ethereum leadership said, makes the blockchain “green.”)
Click here for the article.
Interest in low-carbon aluminum from the beverage and packaging industry is growing
Industry resources are scarce, embracing circularity will help
“Waste not, want not,” is as true today as it ever was. For many industries it is increasingly true. Scarcity along supply chains appears an ongoing problem in many areas of the economy.
Embracing circular policies and being more efficient with energy and materials means that a firm is more efficient generally. An efficient firm is typically a more profitable firm. It is often and accurately said that the best companies, projects, policies, whatever, are sustainable environmentally and economically.
(From ConstructionBriefing.com)
The report, entitled Circularity: No Time to Waste, reported that, “Raw materials (39%) are seen as the scarcest resource, followed by labor (35%), and electronic components (33%).” It added that, “Resource scarcity has led to increased costs for 39% of businesses, as well as supply chain disruption for 39% and slowdowns in production capacity for 29%.”
The survey received more than 3,000 responses from 12 different countries…
…The report encouraged businesses to embrace and invest in circularity practices guided by three pillars: adopt a holistic approach to circularity, instill a sense of responsibility at every level of the organization, and embrace new technologies and foster collaborations to advance circular practices.
“The findings demonstrate that businesses now view circularity through a comprehensive lens that surpasses conventional recycling practices,” said ABB Motion president Tarak Mehta in the report. “This broader perspective encompasses waste reduction, sustainable design, and the development of resource-efficient processes.”
Click here for the article.
Event
Feb 06 - Feb 06
After COVID, can we have accountability without retribution?
Braver Angels
Location: Online
Francis Collins went viral recently.
The former director of the National Institutes of Health, he admitted at the 2023 Braver Angels Convention that public health leaders made mistakes when developing COVID policies, while still defending their overall response. When these videos recently surfaced on Twitter, his acknowledgment of mistakes got the public’s attention.
But do such admissions amount to anything?
Many critics of how public health leaders handled COVID are skeptical. “Too little, too late,” some said on Twitter. Some believe that leaders like Anthony Fauci and Collins should be in prison.
However, other critics of how public health leaders handled COVID believe that a promising path to accountability is developing. Some are even intrigued by the idea of a COVID Truth and Reconciliation process.