Nuclear energy

WASHINGTON — A Senate hearing on nominees for two top environmental posts on Wednesday quickly turned testy over the Trump administration’s ambivalence on climate change science. Andrew R. Wheeler , a lobbyist for Murray Energy, which is owned by Robert E. Murray, an Appalachian coal mining magnate and prominent backer of President Trump, has been nominated to be the deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Kathleen Hartnett White , a former Texas environmental regulator who has described belief in global warming as “a kind of paganism,” has been tapped to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Democratic members of the Environment and Public Works Committee focused much of their hostility on Mrs. White, a fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the former chairwoman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Democrats assailed her past writings on climate change, including articles in which she called carbon dioxide … [Read more...] about Democrats Assail Environmental Nominees Over Climate Change

A coal power plant that was due to be shut down last year is among those which have been ordered to spin up to cover a potential shortfall of energy generation in the UK this week, as wintry cold weather returns again. National Grid ESO (Electricity System Operator) issued an instruction to two coal-fuelled power stations on Sunday and Monday, instructing them to get warmed ready for connection to the national grid on Tuesday to cover a potential shortage of generation. The instruction does not guarantee the plants will actually be connected to the grid and provide energy, merely that they are stood by ready if needed to do so. The instruction is one of several times this winter the ESO has instructed otherwise mothballed coal-fired plants to warm ready for use, in each case the instructions coinciding with typically cold winter weather. 2022: The Year Food and Energy Security Fears Hit Europe https://t.co/PstUUYYZv0 — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 27, 2022 … [Read more...] about UK Once Again Brings Coal Power Online as, Foreseeably, It Gets Cold

With a big smile on his face and T-shirt of football legend Lionel Messi in his hand, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with Argentina’s Science and Technology Minister Daniel Filmus on Monday. The ministers discussed bilateral cooperation between the two nations in areas of atomic energy, space, digital, defence and biotechnology. There were also talks on expanding trade, investment and the underlying potential in several other fronts. The meeting ended with Jaishankar receiving a jersey of Messi from the minister. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi too received a Messi T-shirt, from YPF President Pablo Gonzalez on the sidelines of India Energy Week held from 6 to 8 February. PM Modi with YPF President Pablo Gonzalez. Taking to Twitter, Jaisharkar wrote, “glad to meet Minister of S&T and Innovation of Argentina Filmus Daniel. Discussed our cooperation in atomic energy, space, digital, defence & biotechnology. Underlined the potential for … [Read more...] about Messi’s Jersey in Hand, Jaishankar Meets Argentina’s Minister

T his is a book about "the most important process on the planet": photosynthesis. Plants grow by "eating the sun", trapping its energy and using hydrogen from water and carbon from air to produce flowers, fruit and seeds. The "scrap of sunlight" converted into organic matter by the world's plants each day is equivalent to the energy in the global arsenal of nuclear weapons. But, by releasing the energy locked away some 300m years ago in fossil fuels, we have upset the delicate balance of the carbon cycle and made "the atmosphere itself as artificial as a Capability Brown landscape". From molecules to the planetary scale, Morton's beautifully written book reveals how life is made from light. The living landscapes we inhabit are shaped by photosynthesis, and Morton's sense of wonder at the pervasive influence of this process is nowhere stronger than while walking across the South Downs near his home: "It's grassland like this, more than any other habitat, that gives us both homes and … [Read more...] about Eating the Sun by Oliver Morton

Latest on quakes that hit beleaguered region A second 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey after the 7.8 temblor earlier Monday. The quakes have claimed more than 3,700 lives in Turkey and northern Syria, and the toll is expected to rise on both sides of the border. The early-morning 7.8-magnitude temblor was centered about 20 miles from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital in Turkey. The first quake was Turkey's largest disaster since 1939, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 25m ago / 10:12 PM UTC Aftershocks as strong as Turkey’s 7.5-magnitude tremor are rare Elizabeth Chuck The 7.5-magnitude tremor that struck Turkey on Monday after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake was an unusually strong aftershock, according to seismologists. Aftershocks are typically about 1.2 magnitude units lower than the original quake, a statistical theory shows. But the jolt that hit Turkey just over nine hours after the initial … [Read more...] about Earthquake in Turkey and Syria live updates: More than 3,700 killed

The Call of Duty: Warzone 2 Season 1 Reloaded is dropping real soon, in what will be the title's first big content update since launch, and the patch notes are here already. The Call of Duty: Warzone 2 mid-season update is bringing some big changes with it, with our personaly highlight being the nerfing of AI in Strongholds and Black Sites. Of course, there's been some weapon rebalancing, which will undoubtedly flip the current Warzone 2.0 loadout meta on its head. And in keeping with the World Cup 2022 theme that saw three limited-time Operator Bundles, a new event-exclusive Mini Royale mode is on the way dubbed Warzone Cup. There are also two new Operators – one of which has a very festive name – and a new weapon. Here's everything you need to know about the Call of Duty : Warzone 2.0 Season 1 Reloaded mid-season update. Warzone 2.0 Season 1 Reloaded release time Activision has confirmed that the Call of Duty Warzone 2 Season 1 Reloaded mid-season update will be … [Read more...] about Warzone 2 Season 1 Reloaded patch notes and all the big gameplay changes