February 2021 Environmental Policy News: Fossil Fuel Pollution, the Circular Economy, and More
Photo by Eelco Böhtlingk
Here’s the best of what we’ve read over the last month.
“Batteries capable of fully charging in five minutes have been produced in a factory for the first time, marking a significant step towards electric cars becoming as fast to charge as filling up petrol or diesel vehicles.”
— Electric car batteries with five-minute charging times produced (The Guardian)
“Like other utopian environmental theories before it, the circular economy promises to decouple economic growth from our endless consumption of stuff, but are its proponents really offering a planet-saving paradigm shift, or just another version of something we've tried and failed at for decades?”
— Will the Circular Economy Save the Planet? (Sierra)
“As the pandemic costs people jobs, homes, and loved ones, local environmental action is more vital than ever. Fighting climate change isn’t just about reentering the Paris Agreement or pro–renewable energy legislation, it’s about making sure the needs of communities are met, said Johnson. ‘I would love to talk about climate policy, but what does that look like in reversing or adjusting human suffering?’ she said. ‘What are the policies that are going to help this country back, while reducing greenhouse gases?’”
— Why the Environmental Justice Movement Should Think Locally (The New Republic)
“More than 8 million people died in 2018 from fossil fuel pollution, significantly higher than previous research suggested, according to new research from Harvard University, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, the University of Leicester and University College London. Researchers estimated that exposure to particulate matter from fossil fuel emissions accounted for 18 percent of total global deaths in 2018—a little less than 1 out of 5.”
— Deaths from fossil fuel emissions higher than previously thought (Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences)
“Today, less than 2 percent of the vehicles Americans buy are electric. But within the next three decades, some automotive industry experts expect electric vehicles could make up the majority of U.S. and global car sales.”
— Switching to electric vehicles could save the US billions, but timing is everything (The Conversation)