New Jersey Going Electric | EarthxNews Full Episode - video Dailymotion

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EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/   New Jersey is going electric; EV battery swapping; are carbon passports the future of travel?; the pros and cons of biofuels; making couture fashion sustainable; protecting the endangered angel shark.   About EarthxNews:  A weekly program dedicated to covering the stories that shape the planet. Featuring the latest updates in energy, environment, tech, climate, and more.   EarthX & EarthXtra  Love Our Planet.  The Official Network of Earth Day.    About Us:  At EarthX, we believe our planet is a pretty special place. The people, landscapes, and critters are likely unique to the entire universe, so we consider ourselves lucky to be here. We are committed to protecting the environment by inspiring conservation and sustainability, and our programming along with our range of expert hosts support this mission. We’re glad you’re with us.     EarthX is a media company dedicated to inspiring people to care about the planet. We take an omni channel approach to reach audiences of every age through its robust 24/7 linear channel distributed across cable and FAST outlets, along with dynamic, solution oriented short form content on social and digital platforms. EarthX is home to original series, documentaries and snackable content that offer sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. EarthX is the only network that delivers entertaining and inspiring topics that impact and inspire our lives on climate and sustainability.       EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/    Follow Us:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthxmedia/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earthxmedia  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthXMedia/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@earthxmedia  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EarthXMedia  Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/earthxmedia    How to watch:    EarthX - Cable:  - Spectrum  - AT&T U-verse (1267)  - DIRECTV (267)  - Philo  - FuboTV   EarthXtra - Streaming:  - Plex  - Fire TV  - Xumo  - Sling    #EarthDay #Environment #Sustainability #EcoFriendly #Conservation #EarthX

Transcript

00:00New Jersey's governor is taking steps to improve the state's air quality.

00:06We'll take a look at the plan and the impact it's expected to have on the future of new car sales in the state.

00:12Plus, one automaker is exploring some new tech that could revolutionize the way EV owners charge their cars.

00:19And sustainable aviation. Is it possible?

00:22We'll take a look at the latest effort to promote the production of biofuels for airplanes in the U.S.

00:30Hello and welcome to EarthX News, where we focus on sustainability and the environment.

00:40I'm Christina Thompson. Let's get into some of the biggest headlines facing our planet.

00:44New Jersey is going electric.

00:46Under the Advanced Clean Cars 2 rule, the state plans to make 51% of all new car sales electric by 2027.

00:55And flat out ban all new gas car sales by 2035.

01:00Policy leaders say this will help the state clean up its act when it comes to air quality and limit traditional combustion engine vehicles.

01:08Climate activists, though, say that transportation accounts for more than one-third of New Jersey's air pollution.

01:14And if you've ever driven through New Jersey, you know just how congested the roads can get,

01:19especially being a connecting state between New York City and Philadelphia.

01:23This new regulation will put 90,000 new EVs on the road by 2030.

01:29Now, there are concerns from critics who say this push isn't sustainable under current conditions,

01:34pointing specifically to NJ's electric grid, which is said to be struggling to meet demand already.

01:40The lack of charging stations and infrastructure is also a point of contention.

01:43New Jersey now joins New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Washington, Virginia, Vermont, Oregon, and Massachusetts

01:50in its pledge to adopt the Advanced Clean Cars 2 rule.

01:53Anyone who drives or wants to drive an EV would want to know,

01:58what do you do when you're driving on long road trips?

02:00Do you have to wait hours for a charge?

02:02Well, Stellantis, the company that owns Dodge, Chrysler, and Fiat, thinks they have the answer to these questions.

02:08When it comes to keeping EVs charged, Stellantis thinks that swapping, not charging, might be the key.

02:15The company is building battery swapping stations to provide a fully charged car in just five minutes.

02:21The first sites are being built and tested on a fleet of Fiat 500 EVs in Madrid, Spain.

02:27Essentially, robots will remove the drained battery and drop in a fully charged replacement.

02:32Supporters say this would ease up some of the pressure on the grid

02:35as pack charges can be done in the middle of the night.

02:38During off-peak hours, as opposed to drivers plugging in when they're just trying to get home from work.

02:43But don't get too excited yet.

02:45Leading EV automaker Tesla, they actually tried and abandoned this concept back in 2015

02:50because manufacturers don't use the same style of batteries.

02:55The dream of quick swapping could be years away from becoming a reality.

02:59And powder power.

03:01New powder battery technology could soon give EVs a power range of 500 miles,

03:08charge in 10 minutes, and make U.S. automakers less dependent on foreign suppliers, like China, for materials.

03:15Scylla, a company based in California, is supplying Panasonic with U.S.-made silicon powder for EV batteries.

03:22This replaces the graphite in traditional lithium batteries.

03:26Silicone can store up to 10 times more energy than graphite.

03:30The material is also lighter and takes up less space.

03:33Several companies like Tesla and Mercedes-Benz are ramping up production of the new type of battery.

03:38This adds yet another potential solution to those pesky EV range and charging time challenges.

03:44Natural gas.

03:45It may be on the way out in Massachusetts.

03:47The state's Department of Public Utilities recently made big moves to distance itself from gas for heating,

03:53instead pushing for the electric alternative.

03:56Clean energy advocates see it as a step in the right direction, while gas utilities see it as a major defeat.

04:02Critics are concerned heating prices will likely rise because of this.

04:06And both advocates and critics acknowledge the fact that low-income households might have trouble heating their homes in the winter months

04:12just because of those added expense burdens.

04:14Massachusetts might be the first to make this sort of phase-out, but they definitely won't be the last.

04:20At least 11 other states, including California, New Jersey, and New York, as well as Washington, D.C.,

04:25they have pending cases that are exploring the future of natural gas.

04:29California regulators vote to keep operations open at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant through 2030.

04:36That's despite environmental groups calling for its shutdown.

04:39The Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is the state's last functioning nuclear facility.

04:43It's located between L.A. and the Bay Area, and it supplies 9% of California's power.

04:49It was supposed to be shut down in 2025, but that was now extended five more years,

04:54even though the projected costs of keeping the plant running will top $6 billion.

04:59Governor Gavin Newsom, who once was a leading voice to close the plant,

05:03said last year that Diablo Canyon's power is needed to ward off potential blackouts

05:07as California transitions to solar and other renewable energy sources.

05:12Is your next vacation at risk?

05:15Some environmentalists think limiting travel is a good way to combat climate change,

05:19and some activists are proposing carbon passports to enforce it.

05:24Intrepid Travel, which is an Australian-based travel company,

05:27predicted this could become mainstream as early as 2040.

05:29Basically, each person would get a passport that would, in essence,

05:34require them to ration their carbon in line with the global carbon budget,

05:40which is 750 billion tons until 2050.

05:43Per person, that rounds out to 2.3 tons each year,

05:46which is equivalent to a round trip from Brazil to Saudi Arabia.

05:50The report says that virtual vacations will start to become more mainstream.

05:55Critics say this will hurt the economy and restrict personal freedom.

05:58Instead, they're encouraging the aviation industry to decarbonize through other means.

06:04President Biden and the Treasury Department just announced new tax credits for sustainable aviation fuel.

06:09The proposal calls for giving subsidies to support the development of so-called sustainable aviation fuels

06:15to power jet engines from agricultural products.

06:19It's meant to spur production of jet fuels that create no more than half the emissions of the petroleum-based product.

06:24These types of fuels include biofuels engineered out of soybeans,

06:28diesels made with animal fat, and conventional types of ethanol.

06:32Some environmental groups are worried the guidelines will allow fuels made from corn, sugar, and feedstock

06:38that they say is still too harmful for the environment,

06:41since it would require even more land, more water, and more sacrifice to farmland for fuel.

06:46We don't know yet for sure what guidelines will be solidified until spring of 2024,

06:51so there's a chance feedstock-based fuels won't even make the cut.

06:55As of right now, the administration is considering modifying the model to account for the environmental impact

07:01of the production of these fuels, but the corn growers are going to push for this to remain an option.

07:06The Agriculture Secretary said there is a need for 36 million gallons of the fuel,

07:12which is more than twice the amount of corn-based ethanol the U.S. currently produces annually.

07:18This new industry will support 400,000 jobs.

07:22Meantime, some experts are questioning the government's plan.

07:25Tim Searchinger, a senior research scholar at Princeton University, suggests the government's proposal

07:31could create more deforestation around the world as land is cleared to backfill food production

07:36displaced in the United States.

07:38Here to discuss the pros and cons of biofuels and whether it's a viable solution in the aviation industry,

07:45welcome in retired Air Force Brigadier General Blaine Holt.

07:48General Holt, thanks for coming on.

07:51Great to be with you and a great topic to discuss.

07:53You know, it really is.

07:54I think that a lot of people, though, wonder what exactly does a biofuel mean,

07:59and is it really an alternative for cleaner fuels for our airplanes and jet engines?

08:04Gosh, you know, it just sounds so good, doesn't it?

08:07We'll grow something out of the ground and it'll get into a jet engine and it'll fly us to our favorite destination.

08:13It's got a lot of second and third order effects with that, though,

08:17and there's a lot of sacrifices that people would have to make to live in that world.

08:21But none of these climate arguments really mesh up and sync up well with aviation,

08:27because on the one side you've got this war from the climatologists on nitrates and fertilizer.

08:33Well, how are you going to grow that corn?

08:35And even if you went to wild grasses and other types of grapeseeds,

08:41you're still attacking the food supply.

08:43It's an opportunity cost.

08:45What I would like to see happen, hydrogen, clean hydrogen that has zero emission,

08:49not less emissions, zero emission,

08:52and can be used in the existing infrastructure right now.

08:56So there's other options that are not being considered.

08:59I'm a little worried Americans are being shown that if you want to keep flying,

09:02you better grow more corn.

09:04That's not really the entire story.

09:07There's actually much more promising technology like clean blue hydrogen out there on the horizon.

09:12Hydrogen is three times more energy dense.

09:15And actually, the exhaust port puts water into the clouds, which I think is needed as well.

09:20So it's where do you shift those resources?

09:23When the government gets involved, they're the 800-pound gorilla.

09:26They always move things in a particular direction.

09:30One of the criticisms also of biofuel is that it can create deforestation.

09:34I know you mentioned it before, right?

09:36That if you're growing this corn for fuel,

09:38then that's taking away from corn that we might grow for food.

09:42Is this a reasonable fear to have?

09:44It's an absolute reasonable fear to have.

09:45Again, you get different climate agendas,

09:48and they just kind of smash into each other at a place called aviation.

09:52Deforestation is something we should all be concerned about.

09:55But if all you're going to be able to do with knocking out a big, massive forest

10:01is to keep a jet up for another hour or two, is that really worth it?

10:06And that's why you watch these monies fly around D.C.

10:09Speaking of all the money floating around D.C., these subsidies, right?

10:13President Biden wants to give subsidies to help cover the farmers' expenses

10:17for growing these plants if they were to do so for biofuels.

10:20But if you look at what's proposed in the plan right now,

10:22it's only about $1.50 to $1.75 per gallon.

10:26Is this really worth it?

10:27Is this going to make up for all the money that these farmers might lose,

10:31losing out on this land that could be sold for food or other profit?

10:36Yeah, no, we shouldn't.

10:37Again, it's puts and takes.

10:39You're absolutely right.

10:40The economic benefit is not enough.

10:42And what I really worry about, now I'll put my military officer cap back on,

10:46food security is national security.

10:49And we have a very impinged food security environment globally right now.

10:55So now is not the time to say,

10:57instead of feeding bellies and having cheaper products at the grocery store,

11:02we're going to set aside all this agriculture to keep a jet flying for an hour or two more.

11:08That's nonsense.

11:09That's insane.

11:10Especially when you've got another technology that you could use that actually can be used in cars,

11:15trains, boats, planes, everything that we need.

11:19And Honda and Toyota have already said, yeah, that's where we're going.

11:22We're going to have a hydrogen future.

11:24And at Zerian Aviation or Aerospace, that's what we're going to do too.

11:27Wow.

11:28General Bain Holt, thank you so much for coming on.

11:30I think you've shared a lot of really cool information with us.

11:33Always great to be with you.

11:35Coming up, we'll take a look at the fashion industry and its impact on the environment.

11:40That story is just ahead.

11:41Stay tuned.

11:58When you think of the couture fashion industry, the word sustainable likely does not come to mind.

12:13While some of Paris' most talented designing hands, they're trying to change this one sustainable couture piece at a time.

12:20In 2018, Philippe Goulet, a well-known name having worked for Khloe and Donna Karan,

12:26as well as was the former design assistant to Karl Lagerfeld and Paul Galatier,

12:31set out to prove that fashion can be both couture and sustainable.

12:35He started Renaissance, a French nonprofit that produces upcycled pieces in couture styles

12:41and gives job training to low-income people and immigrants.

12:44Since, the company has rescued thousands of old clothes and pieces of fabric from landfills.

12:50They've sold dresses for upwards of $7,000 at Paris auction houses,

12:55and they've proudly displayed one-off pieces during couture week.

12:58They've also had several features in the hit Netflix TV show Emily in Paris.

13:03Nearly every piece they make is impeccably handcrafted and rooted in French-designed staples,

13:08and it's sustainable.

13:10So, I'll ask again, is couture fashion sustainable?

13:13Joining us now is the author of Fashionopolis, The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes,

13:20Dana Thomas.

13:20Dana, thank you so much for coming in.

13:22Fast fashion, it might be a new issue for a lot of people.

13:26What exactly is it, and why should everyone care about it?

13:30Well, fast fashion is the brands that you think about in malls and in busy streets like Zara,

13:37H&M and Gap, and these companies that put out lots and lots of fashion really fast,

13:45that's super cheap, that you go in the store all the time, you come out with a bag full of clothes.

13:51And the problem is that it's actually too cheap, meaning that the people who make it aren't paid

13:56a living wage, that there's a lot of plastic involved that isn't biodegradable.

14:01And two-thirds of the clothes that we wear today contain polyester, which is a fossil fuel-based

14:06plastic-like material, and it never biodegrades.

14:09And it's a cheap, cheap fabric that you find in fast fashion.

14:13Same with nylon.

14:14We now buy five times more clothes per person than we did in 1980 when I was a teenager out shopping.

14:22And we're producing 100 billion garments or items a year in the fashion industry,

14:28but only selling 80 billion, which is a mind-boggling figure already, right?

14:32And that means that 20 billion are sent off to be destroyed or dumped into landfill

14:37before they ever even hit the retail floor.

14:39It's a business that's just pushing consumption and overproducing so much.

14:46If we stopped producing clothes today, I learned, you know, if we didn't make any more,

14:50we'd have enough new clothes out there to wear until 2050.

14:53And so these clothes are pushed on us, and we're kind of addicted now to shopping.

14:59And we can afford it because it's so inexpensive, but there's far too much production.

15:06There's a lot of waste, and the leftovers wind up in places like, you know, the dunes of—

15:11they're dunes of clothes in the beautiful deserts of South America,

15:14and they're washing up along the beaches of Africa and even Europe now.

15:19What can our viewers take away?

15:21What's the solution?

15:22What can we do every day in our normal lives to start making a difference?

15:26Well, there's lots of little things and big things.

15:28First of all, shop your closet.

15:30You don't need a new outfit every time you have a hot date on Friday night.

15:32You've got some great things already in your closet, right?

15:35And then give your clothes a longer life.

15:37Wash on the cold cycle, because if you think about it,

15:40every time you wash on the hot cycle, you're cooking.

15:44You're boiling your clothes.

15:45And so they last less time.

15:47They fade.

15:48And also they release microfibers, all that plastic and polyester and nylon and neoprene,

15:53and it releases microfibers into the water.

15:56And that happens more in washes, long washes in hot water than short washes in cold.

16:01But also, you know, you don't need to wash your blue jeans every time you wear them.

16:04That kills blue jeans.

16:06They don't like to be washed.

16:07When they were invented by miners or for miners in the gold rush in the 19th century,

16:12they never wash their blue jeans, OK?

16:15So you don't have to wash them every time you wear them.

16:18And then just have a think.

16:19I have a, I know a Vogue editor who has a rule that if you fall in love with something,

16:23you think, at a store or online, save, you know, click and save it, and then go back a week later.

16:29And if you're still in love with it, then buy it.

16:32But don't go for the impulse, you know, one that, as they say in Britain, the thrill of the till.

16:39You know, don't go for that impulse shopping.

16:41Step back.

16:42Take a long breath and say, you know, will I keep this in my wardrobe?

16:46Will I cherish it?

16:47Because this, we should be cherishing our clothes, as we did a long time ago.

16:51And we've been a bit too cavalier with them and just saying, well, it's so cheap,

16:55I'll toss it and get something new.

16:57A lot of great tips.

16:58I've started doing that.

16:58If I want to buy something, I'll wait a week or a few days and make sure that I really want it.

17:03And mostly, I don't end up buying it.

17:05I have also switched to start renting my closet.

17:08There's a ton of really great organizations out there.

17:10Yeah, secondhand is also amazing so that clothes don't end up in landfills.

17:15But Dana Thomas, thank you so much for coming on and sharing all these great tips and educating our viewers.

17:21This was fantastic.

17:23My pleasure.

17:24Anytime.

17:25Coming up, the critically endangered Angel Shark gets a health check.

17:29Stay tuned.

17:29That story is just ahead.

17:31We don't know what they do down there.

17:33We don't know why they go down there and when they go down there.

17:37We just know that they would go there.

17:38So shedding light on this big, dark gap would help us greatly understand their behaviors,

17:46why they are going to certain areas, how they're using the habitats,

17:49and possibly also which areas we need to protect better.

17:51Scientists and shark conservationists are teaming up in an effort to protect one of the world's most endangered species,

18:14the angel shark.

18:15Alex Salvi has more.

18:16While sharks have a reputation for being some of the most vicious inhabitants of the ocean,

18:22they have a special place in the heart of Spain.

18:25It's on full display this Christmas season at Madrid's Aquarium,

18:28where divers set up a nativity scene at the bottom of the popular shark tank.

18:32Dressed as three kings themselves, divers carry gifts to a rather startled-looking version of baby Jesus,

18:38laying next to Mary and Joseph.

18:40The scene on the ocean floor of the Canary Islands is slightly different,

18:45but divers still attempt to bring a gift of sorts, conservation.

18:49This is where the angel shark is in danger of extinction,

18:53awarded Spanish governmental protection status, but still facing dwindling numbers.

18:58Warmer temperatures and habitat destruction makes the shark critically endangered,

19:02with fears it could be lost forever in some places.

19:05So we found a really high-suitability habitat surrounding the dive that we did,

19:10a lot of potential preys around the places,

19:13even some of the species that we know that are in the same habitat as angel sharks,

19:18like some rays, we're in the area, so we know the angel sharks have to be there.

19:23Scientists from the Ocean Census Alliance are joining forces with conservationists

19:27from the Angel Shark Project to learn more about the species near the volcanic Atlantic archipelago.

19:32The angel shark can grow up to eight feet long and are notoriously elusive,

19:37burrowing in the sand before springing out to hunt.

19:40Exploring the deeper areas, it's been our blind spot,

19:42and it's been critical for us because we weren't able to go down there ourselves,

19:47but we know that it's a habitat used by angel sharks.

19:49So we don't know, we suspect that they go down to 200 meters,

19:53but possibly they would go down further.

19:56Marine biologists take the nearly 600-foot plunge

19:59and a submersible to better understand the shark's environment,

20:01deeper than they've ever traveled before.

20:05Volunteers take part in late-night operations to learn more about the sharks and their habitats,

20:10tagging the sharks and monitoring their behavior.

20:13I think we have a lot of decisions to make,

20:16so we have to be here in the first line to make the right decisions.

20:21They check the shark's health and compare it to other data

20:24to determine if decreasing numbers are due to predators,

20:27interactions with tourists, or other factors.

20:30The collective group hopes that by combining resources

20:33and learning more about the underwater species,

20:36they can make life-saving adjustments to protect the sharks and their environments

20:40and ensure this Jurassic species doesn't go anywhere.

20:43For EarthX, I'm Alex Salvi.

20:49Alex Salvi, thank you.

20:51Now, before we leave you, a fascinating look at nature in action.

20:55Some dramatic images of a massive volcanic eruption in southwest Iceland.

21:01Fountains of fiery lava spewed out of the giant crack in the earth

21:05following weeks of increased seismic activity.

21:08That's according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

21:12The eruption happened just north of a small fishing town

21:15about an hour outside of the capital just before Christmas.

21:19While the eruption has created a dazzling display,

21:22officials warned people against getting too close

21:25as the lava flow can be very unpredictable.

21:29And animals at Bangkok's Sea Life Aquarium

21:32got a visit from Old Saint Nick to celebrate Christmas.

21:35A diver dressed as Santa Claus carrying a box full of food

21:39brought a little yule-time cheer to shoals of curious fish,

21:43feeding them lots of holiday treats.

21:46That's it for this edition of EarthX News.

21:48Please join us again next week.

21:50I'm Christina Thompson.

21:50.

21:59.

22:03.

22:11.

22:12.

22:13.

22:16.

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