Trump’s Budget Could Have Chilling Effect on U.S. Clean Energy Leadership

At the Ames Laboratory, a national energy lab in the heart of Iowa, scientists and engineers are developing low-cost substitutes for the rare-earth metals used in electric-vehicle batteries and solar cells to reduce the need for imports from geopolitical rivals like China.

It's the kind of foundational research and development being
 carried out at national labs across the country that has helped
 to dramatically lower energy technology costs and pushedclean energy toward a tipping point.

But that renewable energy work and its local economic impact are at risk in the Trump administration's budget proposal for the coming year.

Read the story from Inside Climate News by David Gearino - “Trump’s Budget Could Have Chilling Effect on U.S. Clean Energy Leadership.”

Recycling crisis is a chance to slash waste

China’s decision to slash imports of recyclable rubbish has roiled the global recycling market – causing short-term shocks including the near-collapse of the Australian industry, but creating a long-term opportunity here and elsewhere to improve environmental outcomes while generating revenue and employment.

Community confidence in the environmental value
of separating rubbish has been crushed.

It is also a chance to reduce the amount of waste by providing financial incentives to households and individuals. At this level, too, China, which is facing dreadful pollution problems, is taking a lead by banning all non-reusable containers. It is not far-fetched to imagine we could slash waste by giving paramount importance to reusing, rather than recycling. Further, innovations around the world include furnaces that generate electricity from waste. Many nations, including Australia, are banning plastic bags.

Read the Editorial in today’s Age - "Recycling crisis is a chance to slash waste.”