#wind nuclear and fossil fuels

[she-anemone]

Thinking up some sonic ocs

[rednblacksalamander]

Before anyone says it: yes, nuclear is better than coal. But I know astroturfed blame-shifting when I see it.

[the-rockers]

Don't get me wrong, the fusion energy breakthrough is really cool from the angle of, like, scientific progress, but...

[whats-in-a-sentence]

One way of classifying the forms of energy is shown in Table 8.5.

"Environmental Chemistry: A Global Perspective", 4e - Gary W. VanLoon & Stephen J. Duffy

[niconiconwo]

Porsche's new six stroke patent is very interesting, and a sign that the electric vehicle fever dream is maybe a little shakier than adherents want to admit.

That said it's obviously a gambit to have an engine that can still perform at levels expected of Porsche engines while using e-fuels. Which by the way is also a sign that the ICE paradigm still might outlive the EV hype regardless, or at least until nuclearisation efforts render EVs actually reasonable.

[eannpatterson]

Inconvenient data about electricity generation

I like a good infographic and this one showing annual energy flows for a country  is one of my favourites [see ‘Energy blending’ on May 22nd 2013].  Some governments produce them annually.  The image shows the latest one for the UK [2021]. It makes interesting but perhaps depressing reading.  Transportation using fossil fuels accounts for 31% (41.6/134.1 million tonnes oil equivalent) of the UK…

[reasonsforhope]

More from the article below, including some very nice charts. Thanks for posting, OP!!

"The cleanest sources of electricity could soon make up the largest share of electricity generation in the European Union. Wind and solar made huge strides last year, producing more than one-quarter of the EU’s electricity for the first time, while fossil fuel generation plummeted. Power-sector emissions fell by a record 19 percent in the region last year.

According to Ember’s European Electricity review, this record-setting level of renewable energy was mostly driven by growth in solar and wind, which each saw their largest-ever capacity additions.

Solar electricity generation grew by 36 terawatt-hours in 2023, reaching 9 percent of the EU’s total electricity generation. But wind is leading the energy transition in Europe. In 2023, the region added 55 TWh of wind, growing to 18 percent of generation and, in a major milestone, surpassed gas generation for the first time.

European countries also saw examples of renewables-heavy power systems working reliably last year. In May, Spain ran on 100 percent renewables for nine hours; in October, Greece did the same for five hours. In November, Portugal ran on 100 percent renewables for 149 hours — or six days in a row.

Hydropower and nuclear generation also rebounded from lows in 2022, pushing overall carbon-free electricity to more than two-thirds of the EU’s electricity makeup. Over the same timeframe, fossil fuel generation fell by a record 19 percent. It now generates just one-third of the region’s power. Coal plummeted by a record 26 percent last year as more plants shuttered, while gas — which has been declining for the past four years — also saw a sharp 15 percent drop.

Looking ahead, the power sector will need to nearly double the current share of renewable generation if it is to keep up with both emissions-reduction goals and the EU’s legally mandated Renewable Energy Directive. The latter requires all member states to produce at least 42.5 percent of their power from renewables by 2030. In other words, the upward trajectory of renewables in Europe is going to keep growing."

-via Canary Media, February 16, 2024

[literaryvein-reblogs]

more words for worldbuilding (pt. 2)

ANIMALS

Animal: adult, beast, buck, cat, chicken, cur, father, frog, goat, half-breed, horse, hybrid, litter, mongrel, monster, parasite, pig, stock, young

Bird: bird, chicken

Fish: aquarium, aquatic

Group of animals: drove, herd, insect, pack, stock, team

Insect: bee, grub, pest

Limb or appendage of: bill, coat, feather, fur, mop, pelt, scale, trunk, wing

Mammal: cat, dog, father, goat, hound, mother, pig

CLOTHING

Accessory: bag, belt, buckle, collar, pocketbook, purse, satchel

Clothing: apparel, array, bathing suit, cape, clothes/clothing, costume, dress, dungarees, falsies, frock, garment, girdle, gown, hat, jacket, negligee, nylons, pajamas, pants, quilt, scarf, skirt, suit, swimsuit, thing/things, trappings, underwear, veil, wash, wrap

Part: collar, crown, pocket, strand, tiara

State of dress: bareness, nudity, try on/try out, wear

FOOD & DRINK

Beverage: alcohol, coffee, drink, potable

Beverage, alcoholic: beer, liquor

Change in: curdle, turn

Food: appetizer, bite, brew, bun, casserole, condiment, cracker, diet, doughnut, feed, frosting, grub, helping, hors d’oeuvre, leftover, macaroni, meat, nosh, nurture, nutrition, pastry, produce, refreshment, seasoning, stew, subsistence, support, sweet, treat, vittles

Food part: morsel, nip, taste, tidbit

Meal: banquet, bite, buffet, diet, fare, picnic, repast, spread, table

Produced from animal: comfort food, feed, food, frosting, grub, hero, macaroni, sandwich, submarine, vittles

Produced from plant: condiment, doughnut, loaf, pastry, produce, sweet

Quality of: acerbity, baked, done, edible, mellow, nourishing, perishable, rare, ripe, salty, short, stale, strong, sweet, unappetizing, weak, wholesome

NATURAL RESOURCES

Electricity: beam, spark

Energy: electricity, fuel, nuclear energy, petroleum, power

Expression of energy: blast, bonfire, chill, concussion, discharge, fire, flash, noise, thunder

Natural event: eclipse, meteorology, weather

Resources: fuel, resource, rock, substance

PLANTS

Flower: bloom, bouquet, flower

Fruit: berry, produce

Growth or death of: bloom, bud, germinate, growth, wilt, wither

Part: bark, branch, cereal, flavoring, foliage, grain, juice, limb, nut, pod, scion, shell, stalk, trunk

Plant: algae, bramble, bush, crop, fossil, grass, harvest, hybrid, organism, produce, wreath

Tree: timber, wood/woods

Vegetable: produce

WEATHER

Object connected with: avalanche, breeze, climate, cold, dew, film, flurry, frost, gust, haze, hurricane, meteorology, moisture, puff, thunder, weather, wind

Quality of: breezy, clear, close, crisp, dismal, fair, fiercely, fine, furious, gloomy, hazy, humid, intimidating, misty, oppressive, raw, rugged, soft, stormy, sultry, temperate, thick, tranquil, turbulent, wild, wintry

Type of: blizzard, cloud, drizzle, fog, hail, mist, puff, rain, shower, tempest, torrent, tremor

NOTE

Excerpted from Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Updated and Expanded 3rd Edition, in Dictionary Form, edited by The Princeton Language Institute.

The above are concepts classified according to subject and usage. It not only helps writers and thinkers to organize their ideas but leads them from those very ideas to the words that can best express them.

It was, in part, created to turn an idea into a specific word. By linking together the main entries that share similar concepts, the index makes possible creative semantic connections between words in our language, stimulating thought and broadening vocabulary. Writing Resources PDFs

Source ⚜ Writing Basics & Refreshers ⚜ On Vocabulary

[reasonsforhope]

"India has reached a key milestone in renewable energy, with the country’s total renewable energy capacity exceeding 200 gigawatts as of Oct. 10, 2024, according to the Central Electricity Authority. The renewable energy-based electricity generation capacity now stands at 201.45 GW, accounting for 46.3% of the nation’s total installed capacity.

This milestone is the result of years of efforts to harness India’s natural resources. From solar parks to wind farms and hydroelectric projects, the country has built a diverse renewable energy base, reducing fossil fuel dependence and enhancing energy security.

India's total electricity generation capacity has reached 452.69 GW, with renewable energy contributing a significant portion of the overall power mix as the country continued to increase its dependence on cleaner, non-fossil fuel energy sources and push towards its sustainability goals.

When factoring in the 8,180 MW of nuclear capacity, the total non-fossil fuel-based power now accounts for almost half of the country's installed electricity generation capacity, signalling a strong move towards clean energy leadership on the global stage.

Renewable Energy

A variety of renewable energy resources contribute to this impressive figure. Solar power leads the way with 90.76 GW, playing a crucial role in India’s efforts to harness its abundant sunlight. Wind power follows closely with 47.36 GW, driven by the vast potential of the coastal and inland wind corridors across the country.

Hydroelectric power is another key contributor, with large hydro projects generating 46.92 GW and small hydropower adding 5.07 GW, offering a reliable and sustainable source of energy from India’s rivers and water systems.

Biopower, including biomass and biogas energy, adds another 11.32 GW to the renewable energy mix. These bioenergy projects are vital for utilising agricultural waste and other organic materials to generate power, further diversifying India’s clean energy sources. Together, these renewable resources are helping the country reduce its dependence on traditional fossil fuels while driving progress towards a more sustainable and resilient energy future.

Leading States In Renewable Energy Capacity

Several states in India have emerged as leaders in renewable energy capacity, making significant contributions to the nation's progress. These states are essential to advancing India’s renewable energy goals and fostering a sustainable energy future.

Rajasthan leads the pack with an impressive 29.98 GW of installed renewable energy capacity, capitalising on its extensive land and abundant sunlight.

Following closely is Gujarat, which boasts a capacity of 29.52 GW, driven by its strong focus on solar and wind energy projects. Tamil Nadu ranks third with 23.70 GW, leveraging its favourable wind patterns to generate substantial energy. While Karnataka rounds out the top four with a capacity of 22.37 GW, supported by a mix of solar and wind initiatives.

India's commitment to renewable energy is reflected in the annual electricity generation trends in recent years. The Government of India has introduced various measures and initiatives to promote and accelerate renewable energy capacity nationwide, aiming for an ambitious target of 500 GW of installed capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030."

-via NDTV, October 14, 2024

[allthecanadianpolitics]

What are your thoughts on nuclear energy? It's clear that we can't continue to burn fossil fuels at anywhere near the rate we have been, but it's also clear that there is nothing currently that can easily replace them. Wind and solar are intermittent, while hydroelectric only works in some regions. Could nuclear energy fill the void or is that more corporate hype?

I feel mixed on the subject. My background is in Science and Chemistry, and I've seen the studies. Nuclear is substantially safer than any other major source of power generation and can provide a lot of electricity. There are now substantial safe guards put in place that would prevent 99.999% of Chernobyl's and 3 mile island's nuclear disasters.

However I am still concerned about the issue of resolving nuclear waste, and some areas are just not suited to Nuclear energy regardless of the general safety.

For example I would not feel it is wise to put Nuclear Power Plants in Seismically active zones like British Columbia, given what happened at Fukushima.

In short, in areas where it is safe to do and where nuclear waste removal is addressed (just burying it underground does not give me confidence that it won't leech into aquifers or otherwise stay buried forever), I'm ok with Nuclear, but its complicated. There's a lot of what if's that would have to be completely addressed to make me feel confident in saying yes.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from EcoWatch:

The Trump administration has halted spending from the United States Department of Energy (DOE)’s approximately $50 billion budget while a “comprehensive review” is conducted to ensure its spending and other actions — which include funding for new energy technologies — are in alignment with the priorities of President Donald Trump, according to an agency memo seen by Bloomberg.

The January 20 memo froze funding opportunities such as loans and the awarding of grants, as well as activities like the publication of rules and studies, until they are approved by Acting Secretary of Energy Ingrid Kolb.

Trump has said he will end spending on climate-friendly policies that he regards as wasteful, while supporting the fossil fuel industry.

“Effective immediately and until further notice, prior to any actions or decisions on all herein described activities, a review under varying criteria will be undertaken to ensure all such actions are consistent with current Administration policies and priorities including budgetary priorities,” the memo said, as Bloomberg reported.

The freeze is an effort to dismantle Biden-era climate policies, reported Oil Price. DOE’s Loan Programs Office is in charge of $42.1 billion in conditional energy technology commitments that have now been paused.

The memo also halted the cleanup of nuclear waste from Cold War bomb development, the maintenance of emergency crude oil reserves and the study of supercomputers.

The order is similar to an earlier Trump freeze on funds associated with former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, both of which provided billions in clean energy initiatives.

The U.S. Department of the Interior also issued a pause on federal leases for solar and wind projects.

Critics argue that the “drill, baby drill” halt of innovative technology investments will jeopardize the country’s long-term energy security.

“Donald Trump has been president for less than a week, and he has already repeatedly broken his promises to cut costs, create jobs, and help the American people. The Department of Energy’s funds were specifically targeted towards helping utilities reduce costs to customers, while making their electricity systems more resilient and robust. This funding is not only saving Americans money on their energy bills, it has created hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country,” said Executive Director of Sierra Club Ben Jealous in response to the announcement, in a press release from Sierra Club.

DOE Loan Programs Office-funded projects have created over 47,000 permanent jobs while generating nearly 128 million megawatt-hours of green electricity. They have produced tens of billions in project investments all over the country. Loans from DOE have included funding for battery factories and deployment, electric vehicles and the distribution of solar.

“Trump’s rash actions to halt all Department of Energy funding will directly harm ratepayers in states like Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and jeopardize the hundreds of thousands of good clean energy and manufacturing jobs created over the last four years. Donald Trump might think about his promises to the people,” Jealous added.

[buckbuckleyscouch]

They need to figure out a way to bottle the emotion I felt when I heard ‘now that the competition’s out of the way’ bc I stg that shit would eradicate all need for fossil fuels. Forget nuclear solar wind power w/e let’s figure out how to convert that moment into electricity. Scientists get on this pls.

[fucknugg3t]

idk man something that got my attention was when you look for stuff that’s critical of good omens and Neil you’ll find people upset with season two yeah and it’s like yeah I can see why people would be upset there but it kind of just ends there which sort of is disappointing like I don’t see anyone bothered by the fact in the first season of the show one of our protagonist the witch lady is like so clearly messing around with pseudoscience and racist conspiracy theories but that’s just like completely brushed off and treated like it’s weird but no one’s really bothered or pulling her aside and being like hey dude looking out for the environment and animals and things is great! And being into witchcraft and paganism is a belief type thing that doesn’t automatically hurt anybody but a lot of the magazines you’re reading and giving these children have some conspiracy theories and racist ones too and even the stuff that does concern the environment isn’t really fleshed out or like talking about what the solutions are like when it came to the nuclear power Adam didn’t think about geothermal energy or wind turbines or hydropower it was just let’s remove nuclear energy and still get energy from it and it’s treated as kind of a crazy thing like oh these people want to get rid of energy and not this type of energy causes problems let’s switch to something that’s safer for everyone also crazy how fossil fuels aren’t mentioned at all? And also this is one of our protagonist this is someone we’re supposed to be rooting for but when she’s written like this and no one calls her out on like racism and conspiracies it’s all just chalked up to witchyness it makes pagans look really bad and conflates racist conspiracies with paganism and environmentalism(not even consistent or good environmentalism which is another problem making looking out for the environment seem silly or inconsistent) they could’ve given her a Sokka type arc yk where she’s talked to and she’s like oh you’re right this is mean let me stop and just stick to the witchcraft

oh my god also the fact the witches being burned were actually witches like that’s NOT what happened and it undermines the amount of women and men who were fucking lynched and burned alive because they acted out of line with societies insane restrictions

there’s also something to be said about the fact you have good and bad but human seems to mean neutral which not how that is? Not even how it’s portrayed in the show the angels are clearly not good they’re hypocritical and just as brutal and unforgiving so this isn’t good vs evil and humans aren’t neutral humans here seem to be just loads of people choosing between things that hurt people or not that’s not really neutrality because it’s not a monolith it’s every person on earth and each one is different with different morals so Adam who is clearly trying to be good by the end isn’t neutral I can’t understand how angels have warped the concept of goodness but if that’s what they’re going with they need to address that at the end say something like this is real goodness it’s communication community caring for people choosing to help when possible etc but instead it’s like angels are good demons bad humans neutral bruh there’s probably more like religiously off and morally off I can totally see it and see me missing some stuff

also the little girl Adam is friends with is leaning into shitty terfy type fake feminism like she’ll make comments about when a woman has a boyfriend the little girl says she’s lost and strayed from feminism and holy shit that’s not funny? It’s played as if it’s meant to be funny but that’s just conserving like the kids are clearly meant to be a little bit mean and not quite with it when it comes to morals they play a game about burning at the stake and yeah that’s fucking awful but none of this should be played as a joke and never taken seriously I wish there was a scene where some adult sat down with them and was like hey that was mean that’s a mean thing to say think about it for a second what you said means this did you mean that? Is that like what you want to be saying? Aziraphale couldn’t said something like that he is the literal Angel and the guy always trying to get people to be nice he was trying to get satans son to be nice so you’d think he’d take the opportunity to talk to the kids and pull a little Angel on your shoulder moment also weird how in the last episode the kids face the four horsemen and the two aren’t like trying to stand in feont of them and protect them or even literally just talk to them and guide them through it like everyone’s sort of just standing there for a bit and the kids and demon Angel duo plus the other two adults aren’t trying to protect the kids even the lady who made sure the missle didn’t hit the children didn’t get in the middle of these four horsemen trying to minupulate these children and yes you could say the Angel and demon are trying to kill the kid but that’s a last resort and even then I think they’d both get in the way of the four horsemen first and try to talk to Adam and see what he thinks what he’s doing and planning and then try to say hey are you chill what’s the deal alright you’re trying to not get the world ended amazing let’s help you before resorting to KILLING A CHILD??? Because literally if they just checked they would’ve found out oh the kids chill and even if the kid wasn’t chill you still have to check and protect him

it could’ve been interesting to see a situation where they have to protect this child while also figuring out how to talk him down or at least attempt something like that before realizing they didn’t have to like maybe they have a struggle between doing things the easy way vs the safe best way that would be difficult for Crowley and aziraphale the show version at least would be feeling incredibly guilty feeling like either choice is betraying someone I feel like in general there should’ve been more interaction at least in the end of our main characters at least like one solid interaction instead of just standing there

also the scene where the witch whose entire life and purpose was the stop the apocalypse just taking a pause to have sex with the witch hunter dude was crazy like yeah sure just spend the entire show pretending like you’re going to save the world and you know exactly how even though you’re not going to you don’t know how and what you do know is that you’re going to have sex with some guy who shows up I guess? Like the world is ending and they go ok now! Are you serious and the witch ancestor lady doesn’t seem bothered when she prophecies this like oh the world is ending and my descendent is going to get laid instead of finding how to fix it all ok cool the entire show she acts like she knows she’s going to save the world and exactly how because of the prophecy but she actually doesn’t ???

and also also witchcraft isn’t Christian? Liek correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t that incredibly chastised and considered demonic in Christianity? It’s considered like evil(which is wrong witchcraft is separate from Christianity and not demonic they don’t praise the devil or believe in him im pretty sure) so like that’s just mixing different spiritual stuff and calling it a day right??? Like are we just supposed to pretend that’s ok?

also just fuck Amazon in general but also for how short their shows are the entire damn season is only six episodes and it’s just plot point after plot point it’s not blended well and there’s no filler type thing where there’s any scene that isn’t literally just a plot point it’s really disappointing how a lot of shows and movies are just like that now it’s seriously hard to watch and it makes the intimate scenes even more jarring because it feels like everyone’s rushing so hard end of the world we’re all going to die we’re in survival mode no time for friendship those two are having sex now we’re going to just sit on that for a while and show it to you ok back to the world ending

there’s probably more too but that’s been on my mind

[andmaybegayer]

Japan and South Korea both have really bad energy mixes. It's not that surprising I guess they don't have enough nuclear and there's no room for any renewables really. I guess you could offshore wind, but that's expensive. Japan's is worse because they've gotten rid of their nuclear actively. South Korea could maybe pull it back in relatively short order a lot of their fossil fuel use is vehicles. I'm not going to talk about transport energy I promise. Well actually kind of I'm talking about hydrogen which is often for that.

I was reading about this because South Korea apparently has like 50% of all the hydrogen vehicles in the world. But undoubtedly they're in a terrible position to manufacture anything but grey hydrogen.

[darkmaga-returns]

A massive power outage hit Spain, Portugal, France and Belgium, triggered by the abrupt failure of solar facilities in Spain—where renewables supply 75% of electricity. The collapse exposed systemic grid vulnerabilities tied to unreliable solar and wind energy.

The outage began when two Spanish solar plants disconnected simultaneously, causing a rapid drop in renewable output (from 66% to 20% capacity). Gas and coal backups were insufficient, leading to 60% power loss in Spain and disruptions across Europe.

Solar and wind lack "synchrophasor inertia," a stabilizing feature of traditional power sources. During the crisis, solar inverters shut off as grid frequency neared collapse (49.85 Hz, just 0.15 Hz above the threshold for total blackout), worsening the imbalance.

Experts criticized aggressive green mandates for ignoring reliability risks. Europe’s nuclear phaseouts (e.g., Germany closing reactors) left grids dependent on unstable renewables. Calls grew for nuclear power as a stable, low-carbon baseload alternative.

The outage underscored the dangers of rapid decarbonization without backup systems. Policymakers must prioritize grid modernization, energy storage and diversified sources (including nuclear and fossil fuels) to prevent future crises.

[notwiselybuttoowell]

The election of Donald Trump as president for a second time and the Republican takeback of the U.S. Senate could undo many of the national climate policies that are most reducing planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, according to climate solutions experts. When they list measures that are making the most difference, it lines up with policies Trump has said he’ll target. These rollbacks will come as more lives are being lost in heat waves, record amounts of climate pollution are accumulating in the atmosphere, the United States has been hit with what may be two of its most expensive hurricanes, and nations, which will meet in Baku, Azerbaijan next week for climate negotiations, have failed to take strong action to change these realities. [at time of posting COP29 has begun] Here are some of the measures.

The Inflation Reduction Act, the nation’s landmark climate law This law is significant because it is expected to reduce U.S. emissions by about 40% by 2030, if it unfolds as planned in the coming years. It funnels money to measures that substitute clean energy for dirty. One major way it does so is by giving credits to businesses people who build new solar and wind farms. But it’s not limited to that. It encourages developers of geothermal energy and businesses that separate the carbon dioxide from their smokestacks and bury it underground. It incentivizes the next generation of nuclear power. It gives a $7,500 tax credit to people who buy electric cars. People who buy their cars used can get a credit too, as long as they don’t earn too much to qualify. Trump, by contrast, has summed up his energy policy as “drill, baby, drill” and pledged to dismantle what he calls Democrats’ “green new scam” in favor of boosting production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, the main causes of climate change. He vows to end subsidies for wind power that were included in the landmark 2022 climate law. If Trump does target the climate law, there are provisions that are likely safe. One is a credit for companies in advanced manufacturing, because it is perceived as “America first and pro-U.S. business,” said David Shepheard, partner and energy expert at the global consultant Baringa. Incentives for electric vehicles are likely most at risk, he added. In a call Wednesday morning, Scott Segal, head of a communications group at the law firm Bracewell LLP, which represents the energy industry, said the climate law is not likely to be repealed. Dan Jasper, a senior policy advisor at Project Drawdown, said repealing parts of the climate law could backfire because most of the investments and jobs are in Republican congressional districts.

Pollution from electric power plants The main U.S. rule aimed at reducing the climate change that comes from making electricity at power plants that burn coal is also considered vulnerable. This rule from the Environmental Protection Agency, announced in April, would force many coal-fired plants to capture 90% of their carbon emissions or shut down within eight years, Shepheard said. It was projected to reduce roughly 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide through 2047, along with tens of thousands of tons of other harmful air pollutants. Industry groups and Republican-controlled states have filed legal challenges to a host of EPA rules including this one and Trump’s victory means the Justice Department is unlikely to defend it. Under a Trump presidency, it is unlikely to survive, Shepheard said. The United States has been reducing carbon dioxide emissions primarily by replacing coal-fired power plants with clean, renewable power, said Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson, who chairs the Global Carbon Project, a group of scientists that tracks countries’ carbon dioxide emissions. “I hope that we don’t lose sight of the benefits of clean energy,” he said. “It’s not just about the climate. It’s about our lives and our health.”

Limiting leaks from damaging methane, or natural gas The Biden administration was under pressure to reduce one of the main pollutants contributing to drought, heat waves, flooding and stronger hurricanes — methane or natural gas. It leaks out of oil and gas equipment, sometimes deliberately when companies consider it too expensive to transport. The Biden administration issued the first national rules on this. Industry groups and Republican-leaning states have challenged the rule in court. They say the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority and set unattainable standards. The EPA said the rules are squarely within its legal responsibilities and would protect the public.

Fuel-efficient vehicles The Environmental Protection Agency has issued its strongest rules on tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks under the Biden administration. While it is unclear who will head the EPA under Trump, the agency is considered likely to begin a lengthy process to repeal and replace a host of standards including the one on tailpipe emissions, which Trump falsely calls an electric vehicle “mandate.″ Trump rolled back more than 100 environmental laws as president and that number is likely to grow in a second term. Trump has said EV manufacturing will destroy jobs in the auto industry and has falsely claimed that battery-powered cars don’t work in cold weather and aren’t able to travel long distances. Trump softened his rhetoric in recent months after Tesla CEO Elon Musk endorsed him and campaigned heavily for his election. Even so, industry officials expect Trump to try to slow a shift to electric cars.

Drilling in Alaska refuge Trump is almost certain to reinstate oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, continuing a partisan battle that has persisted for decades. Biden and other Democratic presidents have blocked drilling in the sprawling refuge, which is home to polar bears, caribou and other wildlife. Trump opened the area to drilling in a 2017 tax cut law enacted by congressional Republicans. No drilling has occurred in the refuge, although the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Wednesday proposed a lease sale by the end of December that could lead to oil drilling. The sale is required under the 2017 law.

Transition to cleaner energy, transport will continue Trump, who has cast climate change as a “hoax,” has said he will also eliminate regulations by the Biden administration to increase the energy efficiency of lightbulbs, stoves, dishwashers and shower heads. Dan Jasper, a senior policy advisor at Project Drawdown said climate action will continue to move forward at the state and local level. Zara Ahmed, who leads policy analysis and science strategy at Carbon Direct, agreed. While there may be an abdication of leadership at the federal level on climate, she’s optimistic that states including California will continue to lead. Clean Air Task Force Executive Director Armond Cohen said on Wednesday that states, cities, utilities and businesses that have committed to net zero emissions will keep working toward those goals, driving record installations of wind and solar energy. Governors of both parties are also interested in ramping up nuclear energy as a carbon-free source of electricity, Cohen said. Trump has said he, too, is interested in developing the next generation of nuclear reactors that are smaller than traditional reactors. Gina McCarthy, a former EPA administrator who was Biden’s first national climate adviser, said Trump will be unable to stop clean energy such as wind, solar and geothermal power. “No matter what Trump may say, the shift to clean energy is unstoppable and our country is not turning back,″ McCarthy said. Advocates for clean energy are bipartisan, well-organized “and fully prepared to deliver climate solutions, boost local economies, and drive climate ambition,′ she said.