Thanks to the declining costs of wind and solar energy, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico and other states have made plans to retire old coal plants early — paving the way for deeper penetration of clean energy.
The big picture: At least 36 gigawatts (GW) of the country's 260 GW of existing coal generation are forecast to close by 2024, continuing the trend from last year's record 15 GW of coal retirements. These transitions are often moving ahead without political pressure and in states that lack renewable energy mandates.
There are some notable new names in TIME's 100 most influential people rankings this year: teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Attorney General William Barr, and Michelle Obama.
The big picture: The magazine got some huge names to write their profiles. One of the most eye-opening: Barr's was penned by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Meanwhile, Obama's was written by Beyoncé and Kavanaugh's by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who is running a climate-focused (and longshot) 2020 campaign, last night asked the Democratic National Committee to set up a debate focused solely on climate change.
What he's saying: "This can’t be a one-off question where candidates get to give a soundbite and move on," Inslee, who launched a petition, said in a statement. "Climate change is at the heart of every issue that matters to voters, and voters deserve to hear what 2020 presidential candidates plan to do about it."
U.S.-based electric bus maker Proterra is partnering with Japanese investment firm Mitsui to expand a program that slashes buyers' upfront costs — by allowing them to lease instead of buy the vehicle's battery, which is a major expense.
Why it matters: It's part of the wider evolution of the growing electric bus industry.
Two years of wildfires, storms and floods, killing scores of people, destroying thousands of homes and costing some $500 billion in global damage, have convinced big investors of the vulnerability of their assets — and a vast profit opportunity in the decades ahead.
What's happening: Some of the biggest names on Wall Street are partnering with climate science groups to produce the first countrywide, property-level maps attempting to financially navigate the age of extreme weather-driven calamity.
16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg spoke at the European Parliament on Tuesday, criticizing the EU for holding multiple emergency summits on Brexit but "no emergency summit regarding the breakdown of the climate and environment."
Context: Her efforts highlight the growing sense of urgency among young people on an issue that is currently at its inflection point, as politicians in some countries maintain a stark partisan divide on climate change and major oil and gas companies increase their clean energy investments.
The CEO of Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petrobras says there was no government interference in the company's decision not to increase the price of diesel after he received a phone call from President Jair Bolsonaro.
Details: Castello Branco, Petrobras' CEO, said Bolsonaro simply warned him during the call about the risks of a potential new truckers' strike if diesel prices rose, Reuters reports.
Since allowing scooters back on its streets in October, San Francisco has found that while locks have greatly decreased complaints of sidewalk vehicle littering, the two companies with permits to operate have also signed up few customers to their low-income rider program.
The bottom line: San Francisco’s transportation agency said on Monday, ahead of a board of directors meeting scheduled for the next day, that it will let Skip and Scoot each add 175 scooters if each signs up 150 users for their low-income program. They’ll be able to double their current fleets (to 2,500 total) if they reach 500 signups.
