Lego’s New Plan to Ditch Fossil Fuels

Current conditions: Torrential rain caused a dam to burst in eastern Sudan, killing at least 30 people • Brazil’s environment minister said the country is “at war” with wildfires • The scorching heat that has blanketed the Midwest this week is shifting east.

THE TOP FIVE

1. 3 takeaways from the DOE’s energy jobs report

The U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Energy and Employment report is out today. It’s a compendium of information on employment and job growth across the many energy-related sectors of the economy, and contains hundreds of data points on which job areas grew, which shrank, and by how much in 2023. The report “is perhaps one of the current administration’s last opportunities to prove that President Biden’s — and, by extension, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ — policies to stimulate the U.S. economy with investments in clean energy are working,” wrote Heatmap’s Emily Pontecorvo. Here are her three takeaways:

• The total number of clean energy jobs grew 4.2% last year, double the rate of job growth in the rest of the energy industry as well as in the economy at large. It’s also up from 3.9% the year before. The flipside: Fossil fuel jobs still accounted for 44% of new employment. In other words, it looks like fossil fuel-related energy fields are not just standing still, they are growing.
• The unionization rate for clean energy jobs surpassed that of the energy sector as a whole last year for the first time. The report attributes the rise to an overall increase in construction and utility employment — two industries that already have high union density.
• Diversity in energy jobs remains abysmal. Women held just 26% of energy jobs last year, despite making up 47% of the national workforce. Black workers are also particularly underrepresented in the energy sector, holding just 9% of energy jobs compared to 13% of the job market as a whole.

2. Sunrise Movement campaign for Harris will target 1.5 million Americans

The Sunrise Movement, a climate change group led by young people, this week launched an effort to reach out to 1.5 million Americans about voting for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. The campaign will rely on 3,000 volunteers to contact voters in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania to remind them of the differences between Harris and her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, on the issue of climate change. But the Sunrise Movement won’t go so far as to offer its endorsement to Harris just yet – if it ever does. It’s waiting for her to flesh out her climate policies before making a decision. For what it’s worth, the group never officially endorsed President Biden.

“Young climate voters could decide this election,” Sunrise communications director Stevie O’Hanlon said in a statement. “The Harris-Walz ticket means millions more young voters are tuning in and considering voting. We’re going all-out to reach those voters and mobilize our generation to defeat Trump this November. And it’s why we will continue to urge the Harris campaign to put forward a bold vision that will energize young voters.”

3. Lego announces plan to stop using fossil fuels to make plastic toy bricks

Lego, the world’s largest toymaker, announced today that it will remove fossil fuels from its plastic bricks by 2032. The plan is to make toys using a new kind of renewable and recycled plastic made from biowaste, like oil or fat discarded from the food industry. This is more expensive than using cheap and plentiful fossil fuels, and the company will pay up to 70% more for the certified renewable resin in hopes that this will spur on production of recycled and renewable plastics. Lego will dig into operating profit to pay for the added expense rather than hiking prices, CEO Niels Christiansen told the Financial Times. Thanks in part to the company’s partnership with the makers of the Fortnite video game, profits in the first half of 2024 were up a record 26%, even as the broader toy market declined by 1%. Most virgin plastics are made from fossil fuels, and plastic production is projected to be a new growth market for oil in the years to come.

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4. Report: Zero-carbon sources accounted for 40% of global electricity generation last year

Last year marked the first time that zero-carbon energy sources comprised more than 40% of the world’s electricity generation, according to new data from BloombergNEF. Here’s the actual breakdown: 57% fossil fuels, 24% nuclear and hydroelectric, 17% renewables like wind and solar. More than 90% of new energy capacity added last year came from wind and solar, up from 83% in 2022. Fossil fuels were just 6% of new capacity. “We have seen a step-change in renewable energy compared to a few years before,” said Sofia Maia, energy transition analyst at BloombergNEF. “There's now no question this is the largest source of new power generation, wherever you go.”

5. More and more U.S. schools install solar power

The amount of solar power installed at K-12 schools in America has quadrupled since 2014, Electrek reported, citing a new report from clean energy nonprofit Generation180. Last year alone, more than 800 schools added solar panels. The amount of solar energy generated by K-12 schools in the country is enough to power 330,000 households. These schools save money on energy bills, and many redirect that funding into student and community programs. The top states in terms of school solar capacity are California, New Jersey, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

THE KICKER

China’s efforts to reduce air pollution over the last decade or so have resulted in the average citizen’s lifespan increasing by two years.