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UN announces $1.6 trillion investment in crucial project: 'How future generations experience prosperity'

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By Kate Saxton, The Cool Down.  Excerpt: The United Nations recently  announced  that more than $1 trillion has been invested in its Energy Compact...an initiative by countries, companies, and organizations under the UN to invest in clean energy, improve electricity access, and promote  clean cooking . The latest Energy Compacts Annual Progress Report showed that $1.6 trillion has been invested, with $284 billion put to action since 2021, according to Power Technology.  The report revealed that approximately 285 million people have benefited from the agreement, with better access to clean energy. ...Additionally, 2.8 million  electric vehicles  were added, along with more than 300,000  EV charging stations . However, the report also stated that more than $4 trillion is needed annually to cover global needs for electricity and clean cooking. It showed that 660 million people have no access to electricity and that more than 2 billion rely on polluti...
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Gravity battery could power tall buildings using elevator-style energy storage system

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By Prabhat Ranjan Mishra , Interesting Engineering.  Excerpt: A new energy storage system for high-rise buildings has been introduced in Canada. Designed by University of Waterloo researchers, the solid gravity energy storage system is claimed to be suitable for storing renewable energy. The system combines façade-mounted PV panels, small rooftop wind turbines, Li-Ion batteries, and a rope-hoist-based gravity energy storage (GS)....  Full article at https://interestingengineering.com/energy/canada-solid-gravity-energy-storage-buildings .
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Carbon Dioxide Levels Jumped by a Record Amount, U.N. Says

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By Raymond Zhong  and  Sachi Kitajima Mulkey , The New York Times.  Excerpt: The average level of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere climbed by the largest amount on record between 2023 and 2024, the World Meteorological Organization said on Thursday. ...Last year was  Earth’s hottest year  in recorded history. ...In 2024, the atmosphere’s average concentration of the gas reached 423.9 parts per million, an increase of 3.5 parts per million from the year before. That edged out a 3.3 parts per million increase in 2016 that was previously the largest ever measured. Year-to-year rises in carbon dioxide concentrations have accelerated since the 1960s, when the average pace of increase was 0.8 parts per million....  Full article at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/climate/carbon-dioxide-emissions-record-jump.html . 
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‘World’s largest’ industrial heat battery is online and solar-powered

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By Michelle Lewis , Elektrek.  Excerpt: Rondo Energy has begun commercial operations of what it says is the world’s largest industrial heat battery – a 100 MWh system now operating at a Holmes Western Oil facility in California. Powered entirely by an onsite solar array, the system supplies constant high-pressure steam and heat to the plant, demonstrating how renewable energy can directly power heavy industry. ...During the day, the off-grid solar array charges the Rondo Heat Battery, and the battery delivers stored heat 24/7. After 10 weeks of daily operation, Rondo says the system has met every performance target, achieving over 97% round-trip efficiency and operating at temperatures above 1,000 °C (1,832 °F). The 100 MWh unit provides the same volume of heat as 10,000 household heating systems....  Full article at https://electrek.co/2025/10/16/worlds-largest-industrial-heat-battery-is-online-and-solar-powered/ .
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New York Is Going to Flood. Here’s What the City Can Do to Survive

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By John Surico  and  Nick Underwood , The New York Times.  Excerpt: The waters surrounding New York allowed it to grow into an economic powerhouse. But what has been a blessing is increasingly a threat, as flooding becomes one of the city’s greatest challenges. Projections that model future flooding in the city show that it will only get worse. By 2080, many areas will face an increased risk of  tidal flooding  because of rising sea levels. At the same time, more neighborhoods will become vulnerable to  extreme rainfall . And wide swaths of the city face increasing peril in the event of  storm surge  from a hurricane. By 2080, nearly 30 percent of the city’s land mass could be  at risk of significant flooding . Some 1.4 million New Yorkers currently live in these areas — 17 percent of the city’s population. New York’s adaptation is a matter of survival. Climate experts have recommended several strategies. The city could increase its ability t...
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‘Our new reality’

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By Science Advisor.  Excerpt: According to 160 researchers from around the world, the planet has reached the first climate ‘tipping point’: Warmed waters have resulted in mass coral bleaching. “Already … coral reefs are crossing their thermal tipping point and experiencing unprecedented dieback,” the authors of the report noted. “We can no longer talk about tipping points as a future risk,” said one of the report’s lead authors. “This is our new reality.”...  See GLOBAL TIPPING POINTS  REPORT  |  READ MORE AT  NATURE . See also Eos article, As Seas Rise, Corals Can’t Keep Up . 
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Trump officials cancel major solar project in latest hit to renewable energy

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By Dharna Noor , The Guardian.  Excerpt: The  Trump administration  has killed a massive proposed  solar power project  in  Nevada  that would have been one of the largest in the world, indicating that the White House plans to attack not only wind power but all renewable energy. On Thursday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) changed the status of the  Esmeralda 7  project to say its environmental review has been “ cancelled ”, .... The super project in southern Nevada was set to cover set to cover 185 sq miles – a footprint close to the size of Las Vegas ...the network of solar panels and batteries was set to produce 6.2 gigawatts of energy, or enough to power nearly 2m homes....  Full article at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/10/trump-officials-drop-major-solar-power-project-in-another-renewable-energy-attack .  Related article from Los Angeles Times has this headline: "Leaked list shows Trump administration conside...
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