Here’s some good news about the climate – for a change

GREEN JOBS EXPLODE

In the six months after President Biden’s game-changing climate bill became law in August, companies announced more than 100,000 new clean energy jobs in the U.S., according to an analysis by the nonprofit advocacy group Climate Power.

EFFORT TO CURB METHANE GROWS

Ever since COP26 in Glasgow, nations have been signing on to a global pledge to cut methane emitted from oil and gas wells, coal seams, landfills and livestock such as cows. The total number of countries backing the pledge exceeded 150 at the end of last year.

A BOOST FOR SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING

Victoria’s Secret & Co. now has a bra with pads that can be recycled, a step toward preventing waste at the end of garments’ lives. Typical bra pads contain polyurethane foam, a material that can’t be melted down and extruded. The pads in the new product, named the Forever Bra, are made of a proprietary fabric that can be transformed into new bras.

MAKING CLEANER METAL

Steel production accounts for about 7% of the world’s carbon emissions. It’s proven to be fiendishly difficult to decarbonize, but British researchers discovered that it’s possible to use a form of the mineral perovskite to capture carbon dioxide that steelmaking blast furnaces produce. This could potentially cut the industry’s emissions, without needing expensive new equipment.

THE EU ACCELERATES RENEWABLES

Europe’s effort to ditch Russian fossil fuels led to the beginnings of a remarkable clean energy transition. Solar installations across Europe last year increased by a record 40 gigawatts, or 35%, to 209 gigawatts, from 2021.

CARBON CAPTURE PICKS UP STEAM

Investment in carbon capture and storage reached a record $6.4 billion last year. The U.S. led, accounting for 45% of global investment, according to research from BloombergNEF, which also noted a significant uptick in financing for these projects in Asia.

ELEPHANTS FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

There’s another reason to love the pachyderm: Its diet has a climate benefit. Elephants like to eat from small, leafy trees, leaving larger ones in the area with more space to grow. This allows the latter, which can absorb more planet-warming CO2, to flourish, according to a study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A PACT TO PROTECT LAND AND WATER

At a United Nations conference in December, 195 countries reached a landmark agreement to protect and restore at least 30% of the Earth’s land and water by 2030. Wealthier nations also committed to pay an estimated $30 billion a year by the end of the decade to poorer nations for biodiversity protection. Poor nations have a disproportionate share of biodiversity and shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of the conservation costs alone.

THE BIGGEST AUTOMAKER LOVES EVs

In China more than 1 in 5 new cars sold in 2022 was electric. The appeal for owners is enhanced by two-way chargers, which allow electric vehicles to double as a source of energy for day-to-day living as well as for emergencies. EV makers are even pitching their products as “batteries on wheels.”