Here are the 3 major environmental rollbacks that occurred on President Biden’s First day in office.

Note: There were various other rollbacks like automobile fuel standards, so be sure to check out a full breakdown of the executive orders.

1. Rejoining the Paris Accord

The most well-known and impactful change was the United States asking to rejoin the Paris Accord. This will begin a short process that will allow the nation to rejoin the agreement with nearly 200 other nations.

This will put the United States in a position to help lead other nations to go green as it begins the process itself.

2. Revoke the Keystone XL Pipeline Permit

The Keystone XL pipeline was held up in court for years, but the previous administration granted the permit. The administration was quick to overturn this and construction on the pipeline will halt.

This is a serious blow to the oil industry because transporting the oil around the country is integral to the industry.

3. Temporarily Halting Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

One of the most controversial decisions has been allowing oil companies to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While that has ended in failure because no oil company showed up for the auctions, the possibility remained.

However, a temporary halt is in effect. This will prevent any drilling in the refuge for some time.

Green Energy Is the Future Of America

One thing that these executive orders have made abundantly clear, is that there is no room for oil in America’s future. The new administration is committed to pursuing green energy sources and transitioning our electric grid to zero carbon emissions.

However, that plan will take some time.

The current plan is to prepare the nation for the change and set it up to reach that goal by 2035.

The post Here’s What Major Environmental Rollbacks Happened On Day 1 of the Biden Administration appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.

These rollbacks will come in the form of an executive order that intends to address public health and climate change. The list of rollbacks range from lightbulb efficiency all the way to fuel standards for new cars.

Making these changes will help lower emissions and protect our environment from pollution.

List of Major Environmental Policies Rollbacks

In total, the Trump administration rolled back 104 regulations, with 20 currently still in the process of reform.

Here are just a few of the major ones that are likely to change:

Obama-era Automobile Fuel Standards

For years, automobiles have strived to use less gas. Not only does this provide an environmental benefit, but it also helps the auto owners. The specific rollback allows for cars to emit an extra billion tons by lowering enforceable fuel standards on new cars.

Oil Companies No Longer Need to Report Methane Emissions

One of the more controversial changes was no longer requiring oil companies to report methane emissions. Methane is an extremely powerful greenhouse gas, which is much more potent than CO2.

This disincentivizes companies to repair small leaks and has led to an increase in emissions.

Open Up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge For Oil Drilling

For over six decades, the drilling rights for this wildlife refuge have been in court. However, the legal battle came to an end when it was part of a major tax reform bill in 2017. Recently, the land was auctioned, and in quite an ironic turn of events, no major oil company showed up.

However, the possibility for drilling remains.

Weakened the Endangered Species Act

The act intended to protect wildlife species facing extinction was altered as well. The change made it harder for animals that were going extinct as a result of climate change to be added to the endangered species list.

This made it harder for the species to receive the protections they need to survive.

Revoked A Rule Preventing Coal Companies From Dumping in Local Streams

That’s right, it’s now not against the law for coal companies to dump mining debris into nearby local streams. Overturning this, and many other coal regulations, were in an effort to keep the coal industry alive. However, that ultimately failed.

The rise of natural gas and renewable energy has permanently made coal undesirable as an energy source.

Change is on the Way

Overturning these problematic environmental policies will help the United States improve environmental protection and meet climate goals.

Most importantly, the nation will begin rejoining the Paris Accord on day one. Currently, it is one of the very few nations not currently part of the agreement and the only major economy that is not a member. And, when combined with the environmental rollbacks, a greener future is ahead.

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While the process of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement is long, returning is quite easy. All it requires is for the nation that wishes to join to send a letter to the United Nations and after 30 days, the United States can rejoin.

This action does not require any action from the House or Senate, but this is the easy part.

Making America Green Won’t Be Easy

The United States has a huge emissions problem, and many of the regulations that have been put in place over the last 4 years have made going green much harder.

A starting point will be reversing many of these regulatory changes, which could take quite some time. For example, lightbulb efficiency regulations were cut for no good reason. These regulations ensure lightbulbs use less energy to save money on your power bill.

In the case of businesses, it can save thousands each year.

America has also invested heavily in natural gas. And in hindsight, it was a huge mistake when looking at the current price of oil. This industry has been decimated with most oil companies looking at multi-billion dollar losses.

With many of these facilities being recently built, it will be hard to replace them so quickly with renewable energy sources.

However, for the United States to meet climate goals, something must change.

Covid-19 Recovery Plan Is Key

As the United States plans to rejoin the Paris accord, it must also focus on recovering from Covid-19.

Creating an economic recovery plan will be critical and not just for America. Every country around the world is in a similar situation, and many are integrating going green with recovery plans.

As a result, this can open up a lot of opportunities for the world to be more environmentally friendly.

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There were a total of 22 tracks of land to bid on, and only 11 of them received bids. The kicker was that the majority of the bids were all from the state of Alaska in the form of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA).

These bids were to ensure that the state itself can lease the land for drilling in case any plots were not sold.

Where Were the Oil Companies?

For decades, oil companies and the state of Alaska have been fighting to allow drilling. Thus, it may have come as a shock to Alaskan officials when none were present.

However, it makes perfect sense as this might be the worst possible time for an oil auction.

Oil prices have been down all year as a result of lower demand due to the pandemic. As a result, these companies are down billions of dollars and are even beginning to divest from oil itself in favor of renewable energy.

There is also their reputation on the line. Many of these big oil companies are working on changing their image due to younger investors. Drilling in a wildlife refuge is not going to win them any favors in this department.

And finally, this rushed auction was a result of the administration change in the White House. President-elect Biden has openly said he is opposed to the drilling, which could mean regulatory barriers for drillers.

It’s a big risk and with oil prices so low, the payoff just isn’t there.

Major Banks Are Also Opposed

To date, every major American bank has stated that it will not support drilling. This cut off an important source of money for any companies interested and could ruin relationships between a company and bank.

As you can imagine, that is a very bad thing.

Thus, there was very little incentive for any major oil players to attend the ANWR auction.

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Thus, making it the biggest drop in emissions in the post-World War II era for the country

For reference, the previous largest drop in US history occurred during the recession of 2009. At that time, the nation saw a 6.3% decrease. As a result of this huge decrease in carbon emissions, the United States is currently down 21% below 2005 emission levels.

Oddly enough, this sudden decrease means that the United States will meet its Copenhagen Accord target of a 17% reduction below 2005 emission levels.

The Decrease Isn’t Permanent

One thing the report made very clear, is that this sudden and unexpected decrease will not last. The moment that Covid-19 is behind this, emissions are expected to return close to the 2019 levels.

After all, nothing actually changed on a legislative or technological level.

Most importantly, this sudden decrease is very unlikely to allow the United States to meet its Paris Agreement (before it left) promise of a 26%-28% decrease by 2025.

Again, nothing changed that would allow the country to make such a decrease.

The Transportation Sector

The biggest driver of this decrease was the transportation sector.

As a result of the stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions, the country saw the biggest decrease in history for the sector. It saw a jaw-dropping decrease of 273 million metric tons below 2019 levels.

For reference, the previous record was an 8-million metric ton decrease.

The biggest occurred in April when the country saw a whopping 40% decrease in monthly passenger vehicle travel. This is when a full lock-down was in effect for most areas of the country.

This sudden decrease highlights just how impactful the transportation sector is in America.

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While it is true that large modern nations make up most of the world’s emissions, smaller nations still play an important role. In most cases, changes to smaller nations are often not taken into consideration. Their impact is generally negligible in comparison to China or the United States.

However, what about an entire continent?

No Sudden Jump to Renewables

For some time now, there were optimistic views that African nations would skip fossil fuel energy sources in favor of renewables.  However, that just simply is not the truth. And to make matters worse, those decisions may lock these nations into high carbon energy for decades to come.

After all, it’s expensive to make that initial leap to renewable sources.

Across the 54 nations in Africa, research found that only 9.6% will be coming from renewables that are not hydro-related. Currently, there are 2,500 power plants in planning stages across the continent.

As a result, there will be an impact on global emissions. This can easily throw a wrench into future emissions forecasts.

South Africa is the Exception

South Africa is one nation that will differ from the rest of the continent. In the next 10 years, the nation is looking at a 40% increase in solar energy.

This is largely due to its geographical location.

However, South Africa is also one of the most developed nations on the continent. It has also been successful in bringing investors on board, which can explain why the country is developing differently.

One thing is clear, making sure that Africa uses clean energy is essential to meeting climate goals. And it can help speed up development efforts.

The post Africa Will Double Electricity Generation But Not With Renewables appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.

The last six years are the hottest in recorded history and they all happen in a row. This rules out any possibility that it is a six-year coincidence. The piles of climate change evidence are staggering and need to be taken as fact.

Greenhouse gases in our atmosphere have gotten out of control. There are currently 412.89 parts per million (PPM) of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.  And there is no sign that they are slowing down.

La Niña

What truly makes 2020 terrifying is that it tied for the hottest year in history despite the La Niña cooling effect.

La Niña causes the easterly trade winds to strengthen. As a result, a cold upwelling along the equator intensifies, which in turn causes the sea-surface temperatures to fall considerably. In some cases, the temperature can drop by 7ºF.

Yet, despite this weather phenomenon, 2020 managed to remain hot.

For reference, 2016 saw a very intense El Niño effect, which put the year at the top of the charts. Thus, while 2020 was tied, it very likely would have shattered the 2016 record without the La Niña cooling effect.

2020 Saw the Most Extreme Weather in History

One record that 2020 did break was the number of extreme weather events ranging from hurricanes to forest fires.

The hurricane season saw the most named storms in history with 30 named tropical storms. On top of this, there was an increase in the number of typhoons and cyclones around the world. These events cost the world over 140 billion dollars.

It was also a particularly bad year for forest fires, with California losing 4 million acres to the blazes.

However, as Covid-19 recovery plans come into effect, going green may become a reality.

The post 2020 Ties for the Hottest Year in History appeared first on GreenGeeks Blog.

The rights to drilling in this land have been held up in court for decades. However, when the tax reform bill was passed in 2017, it included a provision that allowed for drilling. The administration now seeks to ensure it begins before they leave office.

These leases last for 10 years, so it will be challenging to remove oil companies once they begin.

Wildlife Concerns

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to a variety of native wildlife in Alaska. Without the protection granted by the refuge, some of these species may disappear forever.

Polar Bears have faced unfavorable conditions as the planet continues to heat up. Sea ice continues to melt, which is where polar bears go hunting for food.

In fact, the Southern Beaufort Sea population of polar bears has been decreasing in population. It has gone from 1500 to 900 in the last few years.

And this is exactly where the drilling will occur.

It will also affect a plethora of wildlife including the threatened Porcupine Caribou, Snowy Owls, Snow Geese, and more.

There Are Still Legal Challenges

While the land will be auctioned off, it is still being challenged in court. And when you take into consideration that both President-elect Joe Biden and his Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland are strongly opposed to drilling within the refuge, much can be done.

Even if the contracts last for 10 years, the Biden administration can slow down drilling by introducing new regulations, which could lower interest in the project. On top of this, banks have already pledged to not invest in drilling projects in that region, and energy investments, in general, have fallen.

Thus, oil companies may not find the funds to do so, anyway.

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And you’ve probably heard of a few of them.

5 Ways to Go Green in 2021

1. Recycle

Ah yes, recycling. That task you have heard about hundreds of times, yet, only 32% of Americans do it. It only takes a few seconds to decide if something is garbage or if it can be recycled. And even just focusing on specific items can make a huge difference.

For instance, there has been a huge focus on recycling plastic, and for good reason. However, that doesn’t mean it’s the only thing you can separate.

Consider aluminum cans that commonly contain beverages like soda or beer. These should always be recycled. In fact, in some states, you are already paying a deposit that can be returned to you by bringing the can to a recycling center.

At the very least, toss them into your recycling bin.

2. Turn off Devices and Lights

Electricity generation accounts for 27% of the United States greenhouse gas emissions, and we can easily reduce it by cutting back on wasted energy.  Did you know that residential energy, the energy you use at home, is only 65% efficient?

That means that 35% of the energy you are using is being wasted!

In our modern age, one of the biggest wastes of energy is when devices are not shut off or left in rest mode for extended periods of time. A great example of this is your electronic devices like computers, televisions, video game consoles, etc.

If you are not going to use it, turn it off.

3. Avoid Single-use Plastics

Single-use plastics have taken over our world. And soon enough, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. Single-use plastic is anything made out of plastic that is used exactly 1 time before being thrown away.

Luckily, there are a variety of reusable alternatives that you should consider.

For example, plastic bags have been getting banned in various places around the world, with New York the most recent area to do so. Instead, you can use reusable bags or freezer-friendly bags. Not only are these better than plastic bags, but you can also use them for a very long time.

Just make sure to remember to bring them when you shop.

4. Build a Garden

While many have spent the last year inside, others have found things to do outside of their house. One of the most popular activities is building a garden. Not only can this be a fun activity, but it’s also a great source of delicious and free vegetables.

After all, store-bought vegetables might have to travel quite a distance.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be a vegetable garden. You can plant a variety of plants. This could significantly help struggling local insects like bumblebees that pollinate flowers. It can also help smaller animals by planting trees that they can live in.

There’s no better way to go green than adding some more green to your property.

5. Go Paperless

At this point, almost every single major business and utility in existence offers a paperless option. This can significantly cut the amount of paper sent your way. In fact, the US post office delivers over 143 billion pieces of mail each year.

And a lot of it could disappear if you selected to go paperless.

On top of saving trees, it also helps keep payments on time. Most customers who choose to go paperless set up automatic payments, which can save you a lot of headaches. It’s also far easier to view your statements online from a computer.

And of course, you can also use your smartphone to view them.

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While you might envision that new discoveries happen in the wild, this one wasn’t. In fact, most are not.  Instead, it was discovered within a laboratory setting by analyzing the remains of older specimens within the museum.

Unfortunately, the new species was quickly classified as critically endangered. The population estimates range from 200 to 250. However, naming this new species of monkey will help it get the conservation protection it needs.

503 New Species

While the Natural History Museum has been closed this year, scientists have still been working hard on discovering new life on Earth. And it really showed with the discovery of 503 new species.

For reference, in 2019, there were only 71 new species. Thus, 2020 saw over five times that number.

The majority of the discoveries came from beetles, which accounted for 170 of the new species. There were also a whopping 70 new species discovered in the wasp family. And there were even 10 new minerals.

For reference, there are only 6,000 species of minerals, so that was quite a significant finding.

There’s Plenty of More Species to Discover

There are plenty of samples within the museum to fully analyze. And of course, there are still new discoveries to make in the wild.

For instance, the remains used to identify the new species of monkey was received by the museum 100 years ago. Talk about a big backlog.

It’s extremely important to document these new species because climate change is threatening biodiversity. As it stands, it’s a race against time to discover species before they are taken by climate change.

Which new species interest you the most? Do you think 2021 will have more new species than 2020?

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