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☆ Biden Administration Will Release 1 Million Barrels of Gasoline
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Zach Montague | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it would sell off one million barrels of gasoline over the coming weeks from a strategic reserve in the Northeast, a move it said was designed to keep gasoline prices in check for consumers ahead of the July 4 holiday. The sale of the government-owned stock was mandated by Congress in the spending bill it passed in March, and will culminate in the closure of the reserve, which has facilities in the New York Harbor area and Maine. The gasoline will be allocated in quantities of 100,000 barrels, which will be sold through a competitive bidding process, and was “structured to maximize its impact on gasoline prices” by timing it between Memorial Day and Independence Day, the Energy Department’s announcement said. “The Biden-Harris administration is laser-focused on lowering prices at the pump for American families, especially as drivers hit the road for summer driving season,” Jennifer M. Granholm, the secretary of energy, said in the statement. In practical terms, the move is unlikely to have a significant impact on gasoline prices, as even one million barrels — or around 42 million gallons — amounts to only a fraction of the total gasoline used in the United States, or even in the Northeast, in a single day.

Persons: “ The, Harris, ” Jennifer M, Granholm Organizations: Biden, Congress, New, Day, Energy, “ The Biden Locations: Northeast, New York Harbor, Maine, United States

☆ Storing Renewable Energy, One Balloon at a Time
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Amos Zeeberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The key component of this technology is as unlikely as the remote location: carbon dioxide, the chief cause of global warming. Energy Dome, a start-up based in Milan, runs an energy-storage demonstration plant that helps to address a mismatch in the local electricity market. “In Sardinia during the day, everyone goes to the sea,” Claudio Spadacini, chief executive of Energy Dome, said. Energy Dome uses carbon dioxide held in a huge balloon, the “dome” in the company’s name, as a kind of battery. Companies are developing and marketing varied and creative ways to store renewable energy: liquefying carbon dioxide, de-rusting iron, heating towers filled with sand to temperatures almost hot enough to melt aluminum.

Persons: Clint Eastwood, Claudio Spadacini, “, Jennifer M, Granholm, we’ve, ”, Elaine Hart Organizations: Energy Locations: Sardinia, Ottana, Milan, “, U.S

☆ Live updates: Maui wildfires death toll rises, Lahaina 80% destroyed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Aditi Sangal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Tiffany Kidder Winn via APThe wind-whipped fires in Maui spread swiftly and created a deadly tinderbox, overwhelming residents and local officials in one of the nation’s deadliest wildfires. Fueled by a combination of strong winds and dry conditions – and complicated by the island’s geography – the fires have killed at least 36 people. Severe level drought conditions in Maui County ticked up to 16% from 5% last week, while statewide moderate drought levels jumped to 14% from 6%. Dried-out land and vegetation can fuel wildfires, which can swiftly turn deadly if strong winds help fan the flames toward communities. These winds coupled with low humidity levels produced "dangerous fire weather conditions” through Wednesday afternoon, the weather service said.

Persons: Tiffany Kidder Winn, ” Jennifer Marlon, Dora wasn't, Clay Trauernicht, –, ” Trauernicht, Trauernicht Organizations: Yale School of, CNN, US Drought, National Weather Service, University of Hawaii, of Forestry, Wildlife Locations: Lahaina , Hawaii, Hawaii, Lahaina, Maui, County, Manoa . Hawaii, West Maui

☆ These factors are making it hard to combat the deadly Maui wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Ray Sanchez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The wildfires in Maui spread swiftly and turned deadly, stunning local officials who were quickly overwhelmed. Fueled by a combination of strong winds and dry conditions – and complicated by the island’s geography – the fires have killed at least 36 people. Moderate drought covers more than one-third of Maui, with some areas experiencing severe drought, according to the US Drought Monitor. Dried-out land and vegetation can provide fuel for wildfires, which then can swiftly turn deadly if strong winds help fan the flames toward communities. “These strong winds coupled with low humidity levels are producing dangerous fire weather conditions” through Wednesday afternoon, the weather service said.

Persons: ” Jennifer Marlon, ”, Clay Trauernicht, ” Marlon, Derek Van Dam, Abby Frazier, ” Frazier, Hurricane Dora, Niño, Frazier, Trauernicht, ” Trauernicht, –, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Yale School of, University of Hawaii, US Drought Monitor, Fourth, National Weather Service, Clark University in, El Nino, Pacific Fire Exchange, of Forestry, Wildlife Locations: Maui, Hawaii, Manoa, Santa Ana, Southern California, Oahu, Clark University in Massachusetts, “, Hurricane, Pacific, ” Hawaii, West Maui

☆ Second Alzheimer’s drug to slow disease’s progression may be approved in the US this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Meg Tirrell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

It was shown in May and in fuller Phase 3 clinical trial results released at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Monday to delay the disease’s progression. More than 6 million Americans are estimated to have Alzheimer’s disease, with about 1 million estimated to be in the early symptomatic stages where these drugs have shown benefit. Both Leqembi and donanemab work by clearing buildups of a protein in the brain called amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. It’s been a hypothesis that treating Alzheimer’s earlier with amyloid-clearing drugs would yield better results; Skovronsky said the donanemab trial bore that out. “We could look at people who had mild cognitive impairment, MCI, which is the earliest stage, versus mild Alzheimer’s versus moderate Alzheimer’s,” Skovronsky explained.

Persons: Leqembi, Eli Lilly’s donanemab, Lilly, “ Donanemab, Jennifer Manly, Kacie, ”, Dr, Gil Rabinovici, Renaud La Joie, Daniel Skovronsky, “, Skovronsky, ” Skovronsky, It’s, Eric Widera, Sharon Brangman, University of Wisconsin’s Dr, Nathaniel Chin, Donanemab, Lilly hasn’t, Lawrence Honig, Honig, White, Sanjay Gupta, Deters, ” Lilly, it’s “, it’s, there’s, Joe Montminy Organizations: CNN, Alzheimer’s Association, Food and Drug Administration, American Medical Association, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, University of California, MCI, SUNY, University of Wisconsin’s, Leqembi, FDA, donanemab, CNN Health, ” Manly Locations: Los Angeles, “

☆ Last month was the planet’s hottest June on record by a huge margin
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The analysis from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service found that last month was the planet’s hottest June by a “substantial margin” above the previous record, which was set in 2019. The nine hottest Junes have all occurred in the last nine years, according to the agency – evidence the human-caused climate crisis is driving temperatures to unprecedented levels. This is exactly what global warming looks like.”Scientists have warned that these record temperatures bear the fingerprints of the climate crisis. Northwest Europe experienced record-breaking temperatures last, including the UK, which logged its hottest June on record, according to the UK Met Office. “The ocean warming is even more concerning because as the oceans warm, they expand, which means higher sea levels, larger storms surges and more flooding of coastal communities,” Marlon said.

Persons: Copernicus, ” Jennifer Marlon, “, Greenlee Beal, El Niño, ” Marlon, — Organizations: CNN, Southern, Yale School of Environment, Northwest, UK Met Office, Reuters, Climate, Atlantic Locations: Southern US, Mexico, El, Pacific, Northwest Europe, Canada, United States, Asia, Australia, Texas, Central America, Ireland, Baltic, Europe, Iceland, Russia, Turkey, Kosovo, Romania, Scandinavia, America, Horn of Africa, South America, Antarctica

☆ Four alarming charts that show just how extreme the climate is right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Record high levels of carbon pollution in the atmosphere and record low levels of Antarctic ice. Several all-time heat records were also broken earlier this month in Siberia, as temperatures shot up above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In 2022, the world’s oceans broke heat records for the fourth year in a row. In late February, Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest extent since records began in the 1970s, at 691,000 square miles. The decline in sea ice also poses severe harm to the continent’s species, including penguins who rely on sea ice for feeding and hatching eggs.

Persons: Brian McNoldy, vZ9eKEs22b, we’re, ” Jennifer Marlon, “ We’ve, – we’ve, Ted Scambos, “ We’re, Phil Reid, El, Climatologist Maximiliano Herrera, “, El Niño, ” Herrera, ” Scambos, Reid, Scambos, there’s, Rick Spinrad, ” Organizations: CNN, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Yale School of, University of Colorado -, National Weather Service, Australian, of Meteorology, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Atlantic, NOAA, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, Industrial Locations: University of Colorado - Boulder, Canada, United States, Siberia, Central America, Texas, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Asia, China, El, California, Pacific, San Diego

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