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US issues new fuel economy efficiency standards; sustainability plan unveiled for the Paris Summer Olympics; mushroom gardening concerns grow in the UK; solar tariff probe to proceed.
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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.
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US issues new fuel economy efficiency standards; sustainability plan unveiled for the Paris Summer Olympics; mushroom gardening concerns grow in the UK; solar tariff probe to proceed.
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:
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TVTranscript
00:00The push to buy electric cars.
00:04The US announces new fuel economy standards to entice the masses.
00:09Plus the Olympics, they're going green.
00:11The steps Paris organizers are taking to make the games more sustainable.
00:16And go check on your gardens.
00:18The reasons why some top level gardeners are warning against growing mushrooms.
00:30Hello and welcome to EarthX News where we focus on conservation, sustainability and the environment.
00:37I'm Christina Thompson.
00:39Let's get into some of the biggest headlines facing our planet.
00:42The US government announces higher gas mileage requirements under the latest federal rules issued in June.
00:48The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it would like to hike corporate average fuel economy requirements to about 50.4 miles per gallon by 2031.
00:59That's up from 39.1 miles per gallon currently.
01:03The new fuel mileage requirement is barely above the 49 miles per gallon it previously required for 2026.
01:11And is among several regulations the administration is using to push carmakers to focus on producing EVs.
01:19In April, the Environmental Protection Agency issued strict new limits on tailpipe emissions
01:25to ensure the majority of new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States are either all electric or hybrids in the next eight years.
01:35Joining us now to discuss is former EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.
01:39Andrew, thank you so much for coming on today. We appreciate having you.
01:43It's great to be on. Thank you for having me.
01:45So the White House has stressed that it's desired to push Americans towards EVs and it's instituted some regulatory goals to help aim that progress.
01:54Recently, there's been a little bit of some blowback from customers and even auto manufacturers.
01:59Can you explain this for us?
02:02Sure. So this is the third regulation as part of the EV or auto CAFE standards in the last few months from three different agencies, EPA, Department of Energy, and now we're hearing from the Department of Transportation.
02:17All of this taken together, though, is pushing EVs on the American consumer.
02:23And I believe the EPA's estimate of around 67 percent, two thirds will have to be EVs or hybrids by 2032 is still the overall number that will have to be met.
02:38What are some of the benefits that it could have to the environment?
02:41Well, there could be a lot of benefits and I'm a supporter of EVs, but the administration, they haven't explained how we're going to get there.
02:49And there's been a number of officials from the administration have testified in Congress and they haven't been able to explain how we're going to get there, how we're going to be able to generate the energy that we need.
02:59So let's talk a little bit about gas powered cars, light trucks.
03:03The original goals put forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration were to be at 55 miles per gallon by 2026.
03:10They recently revised those goals down to about 49 miles per gallon.
03:14Do you know why the change?
03:16I don't know for sure the change.
03:19The auto companies have publicly said that they cannot go with the more stringent requirements.
03:27And what happens when you have the more stringent requirements under the DOT regs is if you don't meet those, then the auto companies have to pay very large fines or penalties to the federal government.
03:38And we're talking billions of dollars.
03:40So what the auto industry said was if you're going to stick with these more stringent requirements, we're going to be using all of our available cash to pay these penalties instead of investing in new EV cars and new EV technologies.
03:56So it was a plea that they made to the administration publicly through the number of media sources and interviews where they said that their money would be better spent investing in new technologies than paying penalties.
04:09But you also have to remember if they're paying those penalties.
04:12So it was a question of the penalty aspect.
04:15And Detroit successfully argued to this administration that instead of paying the penalties, lower the standard and we use the funds in order to innovate more.
04:26How do you think that the consumers might view these new standards?
04:30Well, I mean, if somebody says if somebody if you ask somebody in a poll walking down the street, do you think cars should be cleaner than they are now?
04:43Everybody is going to say yes.
04:44I'm going to say yes.
04:45Everybody is going to say yes.
04:47But when they go to buy and purchase the vehicles, that's where they're making their decision.
04:53And that's actually the information that basically voting by by purchase.
04:58And last year, there's one million EV cars were sold.
05:03Highest level ever.
05:04But that's one million out of 16 million.
05:07EV cars stay on a lot on the lots.
05:11On average, 130 days, I believe, as of last year to to gas powered cars staying on lots, 70 to 80 days.
05:19So American consumer is not purchasing the EV cars as quickly as the Biden administration would like them to.
05:27The NHTSA regulation for the 50 miles per gallon, that's the fleet average.
05:32That means that if the auto company is selling regular gas powered cars and EVs, they're going to price the EVs lower and they're going to raise the price of the gasoline powered cars in order to hit that average.
05:45This is not that every single car has to be a 50 miles per gallon.
05:49This is an average for all the cars that each company sells.
05:53And then what Detroit does, what the auto companies do is they raise and lower the prices to incentivize purchasing an EV or to or to disincentivize purchasing a gas powered car so that fewer of those will be sold.
06:08So do you think then we've seen maybe the end of these mile per gallon changes?
06:12And then also, do you think there's a future for gasoline powered vehicles in the US?
06:17Well, I think there's absolutely a future because we are going to be able to generate the electricity that we need for two thirds of our fleet to be EVs by 2032.
06:27So I would say we're going to be needing gasoline powered cars for at least another generation until either the technology improves or the infrastructure is greatly expanded.
06:38All right. Andrew Wheeler, thank you so much for coming on, for sharing your expertise.
06:42Absolutely. Thank you for having me.
06:44An investigation into whether solar panels from Southeast Asia are harming domestic manufacturing is pushing forward.
06:52The U.S. International Trade Commission voted unanimously to pursue the case after a group of U.S. solar panel manufacturers filed a petition earlier last year.
07:02In the complaint, the solar panel makers accused Chinese companies with factories in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam of flooding the U.S. market with panels priced below their cost of production.
07:15Industry analysts say the trade panels move is a step that could result in tariffs on the majority of panels imported from those four nations.
07:24If the case is successful, companies that bring panels in the U.S. to install on rooftops or build large scale solar power plants could face higher prices within months.
07:34Turning to wildlife news officials are working to keep a tiny mouse from going extinct in California.
07:41The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in partnership with several state and federal organizations, recently reintroduced a group of endangered Pacific pocket mice just outside a U.S. military base.
07:54Thought to be extinct for two decades before being found in the early 90s, the Wildlife Alliance started a conservation breeding and reintroduction program for the pocket mice in 2012 to prevent their complete extinction.
08:09Since then, new populations were released into the wild at a wilderness park in 2016, and the mice began reproducing independently a year later.
08:18According to San Diego Zoo officials, the species once inhabited an extensive range from Los Angeles to the Tijuana River Valley.
08:26But human encroachment and habitat loss since the early 30s has led to the steep decline in their population.
08:32Federal wildlife officials listed the mouse as endangered in 1994.
08:37Turning now to international news, organizers of the Paris Olympics want to make the games more eco-friendly.
08:44Officials say their goal is to limit carbon dioxide emissions for the event to 1.58 million metric tons, or about the equivalent of 1.5 million one-way economy flights from New York to Paris.
08:58That's according to a climate and sustainability consultancy group.
09:02Organizers say they've targeted reductions across three categories.
09:06That's construction, transportation and operations.
09:09Now, when it comes to building, officials say using wood, low-carbon cement, and salvaged materials helped reduce emissions by 30% compared with traditional methods.
09:20Plus, 95% of the event spaces being used will be pre-existing or temporary facilities, which will further offer a big break.
09:28Reductions in operations also include food.
09:31The game's catering head says the average meal prepared in France produces about 2 kilograms of CO2.
09:38And in an effort to half that number, Paris is aiming to source 80% of ingredients locally and offer spectators 60% plant-based foods.
09:49Organizers also say they intend to use 100% renewable power from wind and solar farms, plus solar panels on some venues to help cut down on emissions.
09:58The European Union is scaling up efforts to tackle textile waste.
10:03Starting next year, EU member states will be required to establish separate collection systems for clothing waste.
10:09The new mandate comes as the bloc aims to improve its textile waste management system in an effort to keep clothing out of landfills and incinerators.
10:18That's according to the European Environment Agency.
10:21The EU generated nearly 7 million tons of textile waste in 2020, which is about 16 kilograms per person.
10:29However, only about a quarter of the waste was collected separately for reuse and recycling.
10:35A boom in growing mushrooms at home in the UK has some plant experts concerned.
10:41According to top-level gardeners in the country, fears are rising that the population practice could lead to a biodiversity disaster.
10:50Scientists explain non-native mushrooms grown in gardens or disposed of in compost heaps could become invasive and decimate local ecosystems.
11:00Researchers add the exotic fungi could end up spreading through the soil, altering the microbiology and become almost impossible to get rid of.
11:09Previously popular garden plants that have ended up becoming invasive, harming homes and the environment include the Japanese knotweed and bamboo.
11:18Experts suggest when buying mushroom growing kits, growers should plant species that are native to the UK, such as oyster mushrooms and coral tooth fungus, so they don't spread and damage the local environment.
11:30Coming up, a groundbreaking discovery marks a key development in understanding weather patterns and improving predictions.
11:37Stay tuned. More on that story is just ahead on EarthX News.
11:41In a move that's making waves across the country.
11:48Vermont has become the first state to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in climate change.
11:55In a move that's making waves across the country, Vermont has become the first state to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in climate change.
12:17In a new law modeled after the EPA's Superfund program, fossil fuel companies must pay a share of the damages caused by climate change, including the devastating floods and other extreme weather events that have battered the state in recent years.
12:33Vermont is the ninth fastest warming state in the country.
12:36It's one of the least populated and has the lowest GDP in the country.
12:41Several European utility companies are scaling back their renewable targets, according to media reports.
12:47Some of the companies tamping down their targets include Statcraft, the largest producer of hydropower in Europe.
12:54Company officials say the organization is reviewing its annual targets for new renewables capacity.
13:00Meantime, Portuguese energy company EDP is cutting back its plans, citing high interest rates and lower power prices.
13:08Those announcements come as Denmark's Orsted, the world's largest offshore wind developer, said it was reducing its renewable goals for 2030 by more than 10 gigawatts after it abandoned two large U.S.-based projects due to rising costs.
13:23The push to develop renewables comes after countries agreed to work towards tripling capacity to 11,000 gigawatts by 2030 at the COP28 climate summit in December.
13:35However, industry analysts suggest the number of companies scaling back and reviewing plans highlights the economic difficulties of transitioning away from fossil fuels, saying, quote,
13:45there's been a big reality check around renewables growth and there's been a huge change in the cost environment.
13:52Climate scientists at Oxford University say a new state of the art weather map may help better predict extreme weather events with more accuracy.
14:01Shelby Wilder reports.
14:03For the first time, researchers have demonstrated how advanced weather forecasts can predict the impact of human activity on major weather events.
14:13An analysis of weather in the United States and the United Kingdom indicated that global warming, driven by human activity, has intensified severe weather events and increased their likelihood.
14:25Climate scientists at Oxford University have successfully demonstrated the influence of greenhouse gas emissions on extreme weather through state of the art forecasting models.
14:37The first time we're able to provide estimates of the role of human influence in extreme weather events that are as reliable using the same reliable tools that we use to forecast the weather every day.
14:52And that's an enormous step forward because we need these estimates to be reliable because people are making billion dollar decisions on the back of them.
15:02So understanding not the details of exactly what day in the year that a heat wave might occur in 2049, but how the risk of a heat wave such as this one is increasing over time.
15:16This groundbreaking discovery marks a significant advancement in understanding weather patterns and improving predictions.
15:23For EarthX, I'm Shelby Wilder.
15:26Shelby Wilder, thank you.
15:30Microsoft has developed a high-tech weather tool.
15:33Researchers at the big tech company have unveiled Aurora, an AI model that could transform weather forecasting and air pollution monitoring on a global scale.
15:44Scientists say by leveraging vast amounts of atmospheric data and innovative deep learning techniques, Aurora produces highly accurate predictions at unprecedented speeds, paving the way for a new era in environmental modeling.
15:58For example, researchers say the AI system can generate a five-day global air pollution forecast and a 10-day high-resolution weather forecast in under one minute, outperforming traditional numerical models.
16:12And its computational speed is estimated to be 5,000 times faster than the integrated forecasting system.
16:18Other companies like Google have also developed a competing AI forecasting system called GraphCast.
16:25But researchers say Aurora has outperformed its rival on most metrics.
16:30One of the key strengths of Aurora lies in its extensive pre-training process.
16:34The model was trained on over a million hours of diverse weather and climate simulations, enabling it to develop a comprehensive understanding of atmospheric dynamics.
16:43Engineers in the UK have devised a new way of making low-carbon concrete.
16:49Researchers at the University of Cambridge say the method involves taking recycled cement powder and using it in place of the chemical mixture, or flux, that protects molten steel during the refining process.
17:01Scientists say the cement-based waste, or slag, created when steel is recycled, is then siphoned off, cooled, and turned back into the high-quality binder contained in Portland concrete.
17:12The UK engineering team says the revolutionary method can be an emissions-free process if the furnace used to heat the steel and cement-based flux is powered by renewable electricity.
17:24Cement is the key ingredient in concrete, and responsible for about 90% of the material's carbon emissions, according to industry analysts.
17:33But now, researchers say the transformative solution developed in England could play a big role in the worldwide effort to achieve net-zero emissions.
17:41There's much more ahead on Earth-X News.
18:08A recently completed deep-sea expedition has produced some extraordinary images of organisms living in the Arctic abyss.
18:16Sarah Williamson reports.
18:19The Arctic deep ocean.
18:21Vital to understanding the impact of climate change, the region is now also threatened by deep-sea mining.
18:28Global Arctic warming is happening up to four times faster than the global average.
18:32This means the ecosystems are changing really fast.
18:35So mapping and getting more knowledge about those ecosystems, about the species there now, before it's too late, is very important.
18:43Shrimps covered in hairy bacteria, stalked jellyfish that look like flowers, crustaceans, and fish with antifreeze proteins.
18:51The discoveries were made at depths ranging from 2,000 to 3,700 metres across some of the Arctic's most extreme habitats.
19:01When you see something that's never been seen before, it's very exciting.
19:05With Norway becoming the first country to approve commercial deep-sea mining within their territorial waters back in January 2024, it is vital to study and understand these ecosystems now.
19:18We urgently need to build up a baseline that will give us the possibility to understand what will be the changes in the future.
19:26Further imaging, sequencing, and taxonomy will be completed in October at the Ocean Census Species Discovery.
19:34For EarthX, I'm Sarah Williamson.
19:37Sarah Williamson, thank you.
19:39Researchers make a remarkable find in the waters off the coast of southern Chile.
19:44Scientists with a conservation group called Rewilding Chile say they have recently discovered colonies of red hydrocorals within a national marine reserve in the Strait of Magellan.
19:55Organization officials say finding the hydrocorals at this location was surprising because it's not where they're normally found.
20:03It is an indicator species of healthy environments and they haven't been described in very shallow waters and not so much in the southern zone.
20:12Therefore, this finding becomes super relevant because we found red hydrocorals from 1.2 meters depth in the sea up to, described up to 25 to 30 meters deep.
20:23Researchers with the group say the organism, which is normally found at deeper depths and not so far south, is particularly valuable because they create habitats for other species.
20:33Divers with the organization say they've documented the hydrocorals harboring a variety of sea life, including sea urchins, hermit crabs and sea snails.
20:42And before we leave you back on land, we head down under where the hearts of animal lovers are melting.
20:48Australia's Perth Zoo recently posted an adorable video showing one of its red pandas named Sombar munching on bamboo stems and leaves, earning some big brownie points for an irresistibly cute demeanor.
21:03Accompanying the delightful video, wildlife officials at the zoo shared a couple of tidbits about the animal, including a couple of fun facts about their paws that are completely covered in fur, which adds extra grip for climbing branches and helps keep them warm.
21:18Plus, they have a hidden pseudothumb to help them grasp those bamboo branches, which they do love to eat.
21:24Currently, the Nepalese red pandas are listed as endangered due to its declining population, but thanks to regionally coordinated programs like the Perth Zoo, they're working to help save the species.
21:35That's it for this edition of EarthX News. Please join us again next week. I'm Christina Thompson.
21:48I'm Christina Thompson. I'll see you next week.
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