Black Rail Bird Threatened (last week) – Offsetting Good News
Last week’s post ended:
“As sea level rise has been noted more recently, you might ask yourself if something else contributed to the Eastern Black Rail’s near-extinction over the 25-year period? How ’bout substantial coastal urbanization that’s included paving over wetlands? ‘Dozer blades versus biodiversity.
“Yes, several islands have already disappeared in the Chesapeake Bay, but inhabitants had somewhere else to move to.”
Today’s post –
Good news last year for jobs chipping away at climate change
“The U.S. solar industry added 51,000 jobs last year, report says.” (The Washington Post, 2.8.17)
In the year ended 2016, the solar industry has shown 4 consecutive years of job growth with a 24.5% gain from 2015 to 2016.
The Solar Foundation recently reported that more than half of the 51k jobs were in solar panel installations. Also noted as contributing to the rise in jobs was the expiry of the Federal solar tax credit in 2016–causing a spike, if you will. But, that tax credit has been extended through a phase-down period from 2019 and 2022.
That’s unless the climate-change skeptics now in charge decide to roll it back.
Meanwhile, the Foundation estimated that about 14 billion watts of electric power from solar was added to U.S. grids in 2016.
Wind energy installed ranks largest in Texas with 20,321 MW capacity as reported by the American Wind Energy Association. Gov. Rick Perry’s successful nomination as U.S. Energy Secretary brought this to bear when the president told him, to the effect, “keep doing what you’re doing,” a reference to energy production–fossil fuels, and (I hope he realizes?) renewable.
Texas is one of the biggest manufactures of wind turbines and component parts. Other related stats from the AWEA’s website:
Wind Generation
Percentage of In-State Energy Production: 10.8%
Equivalent U.S. Homes Powered: 327,000
Economic Benefits
Wind Industry Employment: 24,001 to 25,000
Wind Manufacturing Facilities: 40
Total Project Investment: $32.7 billion
Annual Land Lease Payments: >$50 million
Environmental Benefits
Annual Water Savings (gallons): 14.7 billion
Equivalent Bottles of Water Saved: 111 billion
CO2 Emissions Avoided (metric tons): 28.3 million
Equivalent Cars Worth of Emissions Avoided: 6.0 million
Today is U. N. World Water Day
From EarthEcho International’s website: “[Today] individuals, schools and community groups around the world will take a stand for clean water and healthy waterways by participating in the EarthEcho Water Challenge (formerly the World Water Monitoring Challenge). Through the simple actions of testing and sharing data about a community’s water, EarthEcho Water Challenge participants become part of a growing movement of 1.4 million citizens in 143 countries who are working to conserve and protect water resources around the globe. Click here if desiring actual engagement with your kids/grandkids one day soon. (It’s easy.)
Reminder: Earth Day’s coming in just 30 days. It’s yours and mine to restore so how ’bout we get busier about it?