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Weekly Newsflash: Record Heat, Energy Policy and Electric Vehicles  

It’s been a super hot week here in Boston! Let us help you beat the heat with these cool current events. (See what we did there?) Please share other interesting articles with us at @GreentownLabs!

Associated Press: 6 Things to Know about Massachusetts’ New Energy Law

A future in which Massachusetts homes and businesses are powered by energy from ocean- and land-based wind farms, solar rays, and hydroelectricity flowing from Quebec is envisioned under a state law overwhelmingly approved by the Democrat-controlled Legislature and signed this past week by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker.

Boston Globe: July Was Hottest Month on Record

Even after the fading of a strong El Nino, which spikes global temperatures on top of man-made climate change, July burst global temperature records. July was the hottest month ever recorded in history, according to NASA.

Boston Globe: SJC Rejects Baker’s Plan to Impose Fee for Gas Pipelines

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Wednesday rejected Governor Charlie Baker’s bid to require ratepayers to help finance new natural gas pipelines in the state.

MIT News: Can Today’s EVs Make a Dent in Climate Change?

Electric vehicles really can significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing global climate change, according to a new Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study.

Nature World News: MIT’s Self-Shading Smart Windows Could Cut Energy Costs

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed self-shading windows, able to instantly switch from clear to dark with little to no electricity.

New York Times: Giant Coral Reef in Protected Area Shows New Signs of Life

Though global climate change has been destroying coral life worldwide, a recent exploration by a Massachusetts-based research team has found promising signs of life on the reefs of the Phoenix Islands.

Vox: Is it Useful to Think of Climate Change as a “World War”?

A reflection on Bill McKibben’s new piece in the New Republic called “A World at War.” His thesis is simple: Climate change is tantamount to a global war, being waged on us by physics.

Washington Post: White House Sets New Fuel-Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Trucks, Vans and Buses

In an ongoing effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Obama administration has finalized fuel-economy standards for buses, trucks, and other heavy-duty vehicles.

Worcester Patch: Worcester School’s Getting Retrofit Lighting, Thanks to $248,849 Grant

The City of Worcester has been awarded $248,849 through the Green Communities grant program to replace interior lighting fixtures at Burncoat High School with with high-efficiency LED lights.