This Week on Earth: Jan 23-29

Source: Unsplash

Washington, D.C.

On Friday, January 26, the Biden administration announced that it would temporarily pause the approval process for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects. The rationale behind the decision was to give the Energy Department time to reevaluate its approval process, taking more data on climate change and the environment into account. 

The move was hailed as a victory for environmentalists and widely criticized by the oil and gas industry. Some also fear that it would shift political power to Russia, another dominant LNG producer.

Ohio

On Saturday, January 27, a tanker truck careened off an interstate highway, killing the driver and spilling thousands of liters of flammable fuel. A nearby creek briefly caught fire, but environmental officials have thus far been successful in containing the aftermath of the tragedy.

Denmark

Authorities in Denmark are working overtime to prevent a slowly sliding mass of contaminated landfill soil from reaching waterways. After record precipitation in the preceding week, Nordic Waste gave up any hope of controlling the disaster, thus raising a key debate on who should bear the brunt of cleanup costs.

Worldwide

A new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) has shown that renewable energy generation is expected to increase at record rates over the next several years. 

“Under current policies and market conditions, global renewable capacity is already on course to increase by two-and-a-half times by 2030,” said Fatih Birol, the IEA Executive Director. 

“It’s not enough yet to reach the COP28 goal of tripling renewables, but we’re moving closer – and governments have the tools needed to close the gap.”