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Jaguar has unveiled the first concept car of the company’s new all-electric era. The much-anticipated electric Type 00 (which apparently is pronounced “zero zero”) is a two-door coupe that comes in two colors: Miami pink and London blue. It will get up to 430 miles of range and charge 200 miles in 15 minutes. It will go on sale sometime in 2026 and cost at least $127,000. In its announcement, Jaguar called the car “an unmistakable, unexpected, and dramatic physical manifestation of Jaguar, as the brand continues its transformation.” The company has committed to going fully electric by 2025, and recently launched a rebrand complete with a new logo and a flashy but kind of weird ad campaign that hasn’t been entirely well received.
Jaguar
Barbados completed a “debt for climate resilience” swap that will free up about $125 million and enable the Caribbean island to invest in water and sewage infrastructure. So-called debt for nature swaps involve a country reducing or cancelling its debts by agreeing to preserve biodiversity or nature preservation. This is apparently the first case of a country using such a transaction to build climate resilience, and others are likely to follow Barbados’ lead. “In the face of the climate crisis, this groundbreaking transaction serves as a model for vulnerable states, delivering rapid adaptation benefits for Barbados,” said Prime Minister Mia Mottley. The government will have to meet sustainability performance targets as part of the deal.
The aviation industry is relying on “sustainable” aviation fuel – or SAF – to help it lower its carbon footprint. But a new report finds airlines aren’t using enough of the stuff to make any meaningful difference. The report, from Brussels-based advocacy group Transport and Environment, ranks 77 major global airlines and airline groups on their use of and commitment to SAF using a points scale of 0 to 100 and found that none of them scored above 61 points, “highlighting how much progress airlines still need to make.” Most airlines failed to get above 24 points. SAF makes up about 1% of global aviation fuel use, Reutersreported. It is more expensive than fossil fuel-based kerosene and there isn’t much of it to go around. The report points to a lack of investment in SAF from oil producers. Below is a graph showing oil giants’ estimated 2023 fuel production. You can just about see the SAF if you squint.
Transport and Environment
Tesla reportedly told Cybertruck workers at its factory in Austin, Texas, not to come to work today, tomorrow, or Thursday. “Given that it is a critical time for Tesla deliveries, particularly of its flagship model, the timing is suspect,” said Jameson Dow at Electrek, suggesting a sales slowdown. The company also lowered its Cybertruck leasing pricing, which might also indicate a demand slump for the electric pickup. Meanwhile, a Delaware judge yesterday rejected CEO Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package for a second time, even after shareholders voted to reinstate it. Judge Kathaleen McCormick said the attempts to get the package approved were “creative” but “go against multiple strains of settled law.” If Tesla appeals, the case could go to the Delaware Supreme Court.
About 12,000 public EV charging ports came online in the U.S. over the last three months, bringing the total in the national charging network to more than 200,000. That’s double the number recorded in 2020.
China’s CO2 emissions will rise slightly this year due to a surge in energy demand, according to new research published today from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. “The growth in energy consumption and electricity consumption is faster than in the transition pathways,” the report said. Even as China rapidly rolls out renewables and EVs, emissions will rise by 0.4% in 2024. Less than half – 44% – of the experts polled by CREA said China’s emissions have already peaked, or will peak next year. Two years ago, just 15% of experts believed that to be the case. And 36% of experts said China’s coal consumption has peaked, up from 20% who said that last year. China is the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, and coal is its main source of emissions.
Porsche this week joined a growing list of car manufacturers that are pumping the brakes on the shift to EVs. Instead of rolling out new EV models to accompany the luxury Taycan and Macan, Porsche now plans to produce new gas and hybrid models instead as it feels the effects of a slowdown in EV sales. “We are currently looking at the possibility of the originally planned all-electric vehicles having a hybrid drive or a combustion engine,” the company’s CFO said. “What is clear is that we are sticking with the combustion engine for much longer.” Earlier this year Porsche watered down its goal for 80% of sales to be electric by 2030.
Maine is suing oil giants Exxon, Shell, BP, Chevron, Sunoco, and the American Petroleum Institute, accusing them of knowingly deceiving the public about the role of fossil fuels in the climate crisis. It becomes the ninth state to do so. The new lawsuit claims the oil companies have long known that fossil fuels cause climate change, and that the resulting rising sea levels are especially harmful in Maine because so many of the state’s communities and industries are located near the coastline. The state wants unspecified damages from the companies as well as funds for adaptation and mitigation.
A recent study published in the journal BMC Primary Care examines how climate change is affecting primary care clinics serving “low-income and socially disadvantaged communities.” Surveys were sent to more than 400 staff members at clinics across 43 states. Nearly 85% of the staffers who responded reported that climate change – and especially extreme heat – is affecting their patients’ health. Many said extreme weather events were harming their clinic’s ability to provide care due to effects like power outages and staff shortages. About 16% of respondents said extreme weather contributed to loss or spoilage of vaccines. But just one-third of respondents said they’d spoken to patients about the increasing health risks associated with climate change, saying they had more important topics to discuss in the limited amount of time available during consultations. And 61% cited their own lack of knowledge about the connection between climate change and health. Interestingly, just 34% said politics or polarization were stopping them from bringing up climate change when discussing health risks.
BMC Primary Care
Renewables accounted for 24% of electricity generation in the first three quarters of 2024, up from 22.8% in the same period last year.
