At least 3 major wildfires are blazing across California, killing citizens trapped by their rapid spread and threatening iconic towns like Malibu. The town of Paradise, home to about 30,000, has been almost completely destroyed, according to Cal Fire.
The big picture: "With fires also burning in Southern California, state officials put the total number of people forced from their homes at 157,000," the AP reports.
Three wildfires gained momentum in California early Friday morning, USA Today reports, spurring major evacuations. As of this morning, the three fires "were at zero percent containment."
The details: The Camp Fire is in the northern part of California, and has "pretty much ... destroyed" the town of Paradise, a community of 27,000, Cal Fire Capt. Scott McLean said, while the Hill and Woolsey fires are in Ventura County. At least five people died after their vehicle became engulfed in flames in Paradise, CNN reports citing the Butte County Sheriff's Department.
Government officials have ordered the beach town of Malibu, California to be evacuated as a rapidly growing wildfire makes its way south, the AP reports.
The latest: Three wildfires have gained momentum in California, spurring major evacuations in the region. As of Friday morning, the three fires "were at zero percent containment," according to USA Today.
The cost of building and operating renewable electricity plants has dropped below the expense of keeping coal-fired plants running under some circumstances, according to a new analysis.
Why it matters: The financial advisory firm Lazard's report is another data point showing that wind and solar are increasingly competitive with traditional power sources without tax subsidies, which widen the edge but expire in coming years.
A federal district court judge in Montana thwarted construction of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline late Thursday, ruling that the Trump administration must first provide an updated environmental analysis.
Why it matters: The ruling is a setback for White House efforts to enable construction of the pipeline — first proposed a decade ago — that would carry hundreds of thousands of barrels per day from Alberta's oil sands to U.S. markets.
Why it matters: By 2030, 60% of the world's population will live in urban areas, per the UN's World's Cities in 2016 report. As cities get more crowded, commuters are looking for alternative ways to complete their journeys, from ride-hailing to e-bikes to scooter-sharing — sometimes combining all three in a single trip.
What's new: Ford just paid close to $100 million to acquire Spin, an electric scooter-sharing company based in San Francisco with operations in 13 cities and campuses across the U.S.
Ford had already dipped its toes into scooters with the recent rollout of its Jelly service on the campus of Purdue University, which also happens to be Spin CEO Derrick Ko's alma mater.
What's next: GM will launch the e-bikes in 2019 under a new, as yet unnamed brand.
The first 2 products have been designed: one foldable, the other compact, both using a proprietary propulsion system developed by GM.
They'll be equipped with integrated safety features, including rechargeable front and rear LED lights.
The bikes will be "smart" and "connected," using telemetry inspired by GM's OnStar service
GM has launched a contest to name the new e-bike brand. The winner, to be announced in early 2019, gets $10,000.
What to watch: Amid a massive shift in transportation, automakers like GM and Ford will likely introduce more of these micro-mobility services as a way to hang on to customers who no longer feel the need to own a personal automobile.
A massive and rapidly-spreading California wildfire ignited Thursday, and within six hours grew to 18,000 acres in size, according to Cal Fire. The fire overran the town of Paradise, forcing its 30,000 residents to flee by any means possible. Multiple structures were reportedly destroyed.
Thought bubble from Axios Science Editor Andrew Freedman: This is the latest in a string of fast-moving, explosive wildfires that has spread into a populated area on short notice. Similar to other wildfires from the past two years, this one involved high winds and near-record dry conditions. The fire is the latest example of how climate change is leading to more extreme behavior by making the combination of very hot, extremely dry conditions both more intense and more frequent.
The huge power company National Grid unveiled a venture capital arm Thursday and announced the first wave of what's slated to be $250 million worth of investments over the next two to three years.
Why it matters: The launch of Silicon Valley-based National Grid Partners signals how a big, traditional utility hopes to benefit from technologies that will shake up how power is provided and consumed in the future. That's a better path than sitting back and then getting undercut in the future.
At least 7 new members of Congress elected Tuesday have STEM backgrounds — an unusually large number that comes in part due to a concerted effort to recruit candidates with science backgrounds.
Why it matters: Typically, there are just a handful of House members who have science, medicine, or engineering backgrounds. Having a larger crop of members who understand complex scientific topics, from climate change to nuclear engineering, could result in legislation that better incorporates scientific information.
Tesla has appointed Robyn Denholm as the new chairman of its board, where she's been an independent member since 2014, to replace Elon Musk. She will leave her job as finance chief of Telstra to focus full-time on Tesla.
Why it matters: This is a welcome change in corporate governance for Tesla investors who have become concerned about Musk's workload since he's also CEO of SpaceX. The move is part of a settlement with the SEC over Musk's tweet that he had secured funding to take the company private.
A high-profile, science-based environmental nonprofit is calling for financially struggling nuclear power plants to remain open, citing their benefits to tackling climate change.
Why it matters: In a new report, the Union of Concerned Scientists is joining a growing number of environmental leaders to back existing nuclear power because of climate reasons, despite continued concerns about the technology’s safety and radioactive waste. The increased support could help keep open some power plants.
