A National Charging Network, Ethereum’s Going Green And How Electric Cars Could Protect The Grid

This week’s Current Climate , which every Saturday brings you the latest news about the business of sustainability. Sign up to get it in your inbox every week. T his Monday marks the start of Climate Week in New York City.

The program, which lasts all week, features a number of panels and events based around different sustainability topics. These include discussions of improving the environmental footprint of buildings, the transition to cleaner energy, sustainable transportation – and where the money’s going to come from to back all of these transitions. Many of the events will also be available for streaming for those not in the New York area.

This program typically generates a lot of discussion and energy around different sustainability topics, so expect to hear a lot coming out of it in the next few weeks. Also don’t forget that on Tuesday, Forbes is hosting its first ever Sustainability Leaders Summit, with opportunities to attend both virtually and in-person. Information about the event can be found here .

Ethereum, the blockchain that powers large swathes of the crypto ecosystem and underpins the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency, completed a transformational software upgrade on Thursday, its co-founder Vitalik Buterin announced on Twitter, a landmark in digital history that could help the sector shed its environmentally unfriendly reputation and pave the way for wider mainstream adoption. Read more here. Air pollution from vehicle exhaust and other fossil fuel smoke may increase the risk of lung cancer in nonsmokers, according to a new study .

Europe is getting ready to launch its next generation of weather satellites , which will be used to monitor extreme weather events and climate change. Recent research from the University of Michigan suggests that transitioning workers from coal power-related jobs to renewable energy jobs is relatively easy compared to transitions in other industries. Venture Capital : Prime Movers Lab announced Wednesday that it’s launched a $500 million early growth fund to invest in breakthrough science companies, including clean energy and battery startups.

Repurposing Coal Plants: This week, Microsoft announced a partnership with nonprofit sustainability organization TerraPraxis to build a set of tools that will enable coal plants to transition to nuclear power, accelerating decarbonization in regions where the tools are deployed. Fleet Charging: TeraWatt announced earlier this week that it’s secured over $1 billion in capital to expand its portfolio of charging centers for electric vehicle fleets. You may need to start pitching pennies for your Thanksgiving turkey this year, as an epidemic of avian flu has devastated turkey populations on farms in the United States.

This has resulted in a reduction of supply by nearly 30% for some turkey meat distributors, which is expected to increase prices as the holiday approaches. The Elusive Future of San Francisco’s Fog (The New York Times) New Reservoirs Could Help Battle Droughts, but at What Cost? (Wired) Farmers accidentally created a flood-resistant ‘machine’ across Bangladesh (Popular Science) P resident Joe Biden is the son of a car salesman and has made no secret of his love of Detroit metal, especially Corvettes. So it was appropriate that he stopped by the Detroit Auto Show to check out General Motors’s latest iteration of its iconic muscle car, praise U.

S. autoworkers and tout his administration push to electrify the domestic auto industry to curb carbon emissions. While he was in the Motor City, he also freed up a big chunk of federal funds that will be used to help build a national charging network for all those new EVs.

California’s recent heatwave nearly crashed its power grid, leading some observers to wonder whether the Golden State’s push to phase out of sales of new gasoline-powered autos by 2035 will only further stress the grid. In fact, the ability of battery-electric vehicles to act as a massive source of power storage, particularly for electricity from renewable sources, could be the solution that’s needed. Read more here.

By The Numbers: What It Costs To Run And Charge An Electric Car Zero Debuts New DSR/X Electric Adventure Motorcycle British Cycling Backpedals On Advice For People Not To Cycle On Day Of Queen’s Funeral Battery-Swapping Revival Could Threaten Electric Car Charging Networks For More Sustainability Coverage, Click Here. .