earthwisebook

4/6/26 UPDATE: AUTONOMOUS DRONES Re: Chapter 4.4 TRANSPORTATION: CAN WE KICK THE OIL HABIT? Autonomous electric drones for delivery are developing rapidly, and can save lives by transporting medical supplies. Rwanda has signed an agreement with U.S. startup  Zipline  to become the first country in the world with nationwide drone delivery. 1 A Zipline drone delivering a package. Photo by Roksenhorn from WikiCommons , CC-BY-SA-4.0 The agreement is supported by a $150 million grant from the...

03/08/26 UPDATE Re: Chapter 3.5 (D) A RACE AGAINST TIME The Energy Information Administration projects  that the United States will build a record-high 86 GW of new power capacity from all sources in 2026, including 43.4 GW of solar (51% of the total), 24.3 GW of battery storage (28%) and 11.8 GW of wind (14%). That’s 93% renewables in new energy construction, and just 7% new fossil gas! U.S. planned utility-scale electric generating capacity addition for 2026. Data from U.S. Energy...

02/01/26 UPDATE Re: Chapter 2.1(E) MELTING ICE Melt ponds formed over the surface of Arctic ice. Image credit: Jeremy Mathis/NOAA Some more bad news: Dust from the ice-free margins of Greenland, which are expanding due to global warming, is blown by winds onto the ice sheet. The dust contains phosphorus and other nutrients that promote the growth of algae on the glaciers. Because of their dark color, the algae promote warming and melting of the ice (a positive feedback for warming). The...