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Audubon Florida
Truck on the road
Audubon Florida Climate and Energy News Roundup
This week we share news about how electric trucks could save lives, a federal grant for air force base resiliency, a wrap-up of the third costliest year for weather disasters, and more! 
A diesel truck. Photo: Pixabay
Electric Trucks Could Save Lives
From Yale Climate Connections

“Every day, diesel trucks chug along highways between ports, warehouses, factories, and retailers — spewing tailpipe exhaust as they go. Breathing these fumes is dangerous. Truck exhaust contains pollutants that have been associated with asthma, lung disease, heart problems, and cancer. Regan Patterson is a transportation equity research fellow at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. She says minority communities often bear the worst of the pollution from diesel trucks… Transitioning to electric trucks could help, because electric trucks do not emit harmful tailpipe pollution.”
Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council Awarded Federal Grant
From Patch.com

“The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council has been awarded a Community Economic Adjustment Assistance for Responding to Threats to the Resilience of a Military Installation grant from the Department of Defense. The 18-month, $570,000 grant is designed to examine the long-term resilience and sustainability of MacDill Air Force Base and its surrounding community.”
Critics Fear Proposal to Change Net Metering Will Hamper Rooftop Solar Growth Statewide
From Bay News 9 Tampa

“A new bill could impact rooftop solar energy users in Florida. Senate Bill 1024 is currently making its way through the legislature, with its backers saying it would bring with it necessary change to keep up with the growing industry… However, critics of the bill argue it would take away a huge incentive to invest in rooftop solar and could also affect those still paying their systems off.”
Study: Gas Stoves Worse for Climate Than Previously Thought
From the Miami Herald

“Gas stoves are contributing more to global warming than previously thought because of constant tiny methane leaks while they’re off, a new study found... Even when they are not running, U.S. gas stoves are putting 2.6 million tons (2.4 million metric tons) of methane — in carbon dioxide equivalent units — into the air each year, a team of California researchers found in a study published in Thursday’s journal Environmental Science & Technology. That’s equivalent to the annual amount of greenhouse gases from 500,000 cars or what the United States puts into the air every three-and-a-half hours.” 
Louisiana’s $2-Billion Gamble: Flood the Land to Save the Coast
From Scientific American

“After Hurricane Ida slammed into the Louisiana coast in August 2021, it took more than 100 lives and cost billions of dollars in damage. To some here, the storm was just one more justification for a desperate measure to preserve the coast by intentionally flooding parts of the state… On average, between 1985 and 2010, Louisiana lost about a football field of coastline per hour, and the rate has not slowed… Hurricane Ida forced most of the remaining members the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe to abandon their homes on Isle de Jean Charles.”
Third-costliest Year on Record for Weather Disasters in 2021: $343 Billion in Damages
From Yale Climate Connections

“Earth was besieged by a remarkable 47 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2021, and the total damage wrought by weather disasters was $329 billion, making 2021 the third-costliest year on record (adjusted for inflation) for weather-related disasters, said insurance broker Aon in its annual report issued January 25. The only costlier years for weather-related disasters were 2017 ($519 billion) and 2005 ($351 billion), according to Aon. Munich RE has 2021 tied with 2005 and 2011 as the second-costliest year on record for insured losses from natural disasters, with only 2017 being more expensive.”
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