Happy Saturday, folks! Here’s a recap of the top energy and sustainability-focused articles we read last week. What did we miss? Please share other interesting articles with us at @GreentownLabs!
Enjoy the weekend! 🙂
Bloomberg: A Billionaire Investor Joins Republican Clean-Energy Push
Julian Robertson, a top Republican donor and legendary hedge-fund manager, is backing a campaign to push the party’s candidates to support clean-energy policies.
The Boston Globe: US Backs MIT-led Research into Wearable Devices
A consortium of colleges and businesses led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has won a national competition to host a novel federally funded research program to turn clothing fibers and fabrics into wearable electronic devices, officials are expected to announce Friday.
Fast Company: Rooftop Solar Panels Could Supply a Really Huge Portion of Our Electricity Needs
If we covered every suitable rooftop in the U.S. with solar panels, how much energy could we generate? The answer is pretty astounding: Enough to meet 39% of total demand, says a U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory report.
The Guardian: US and China to Sign Paris Climate Deal in April
China and the United States, the world’s two leading carbon polluters, said on Thursday they planned to formally join the Paris climate agreement in 2016.
The Huffington Post: Clean Energy is Growing Faster Than Ever Before
Add this to the list of reasons 2015 was a turning point in the fight against climate change: renewable energy capacity grew faster than ever before, with a worldwide increase of 152 gigawatts, or about 8.3 percent, according to a report released Thursday by the International Renewable Energy Agency, an Abu Dhabi-based nonprofit.
The Huffington Post: Moving the Global Economy Toward Sustainability
The global economy and the sustainable economy could be mutually reinforcing. The drive toward efficiency and network management made possible by globalization could be enhanced by the closed system or circular production and consumption methods required by a sustainable, renewable economy.
The New York Times: A Renewable Energy Boom
Last year, for the first time, renewables accounted for a majority of new electricity-generating capacity added around the world, according to a recent United Nations report. More than half the $286 billion invested in wind, solar and other renewables occurred in emerging markets like China, India and Brazil — also for the first time.
Slate: A Fitbit-Like Wearable That Tracks Your Carbon Footprint
Hoping to tap into the same obsessive impulse that drives the quantified-self movement, London-based designer Benjamin Hubert’s Layer design agency is working with U.K.-based Carbon Trust, which helps organizations and governments around the world reduce carbon emissions, to develop Worldbeing, a Fitbit-like wearable and app that would help individuals monitor their carbon footprints.
The Washington Post: America’s Next President Must Continue Obama’s Progress on Clean Energy
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, arguably President Obama’s best Cabinet appointment, has been leading a quiet revolution in clean-energy technology. Innovation is transforming this industry, costs are plummeting and entrepreneurs are devising radical new systems that create American jobs — in addition to protecting the planet.
The Wall Street Journal: Sustainability’s new frontier: Asia
Sustainable investing once seemed like a laughing matter to some executives in Asia. Literally, says Billy Hwan, a portfolio manager for Parnassus Asia Fund (PAFSX), which has $10 million in assets. He says many Asian company managers used to laugh in his face when he would ask about sustainable business practices.