Trouble viewing this e-mail? Try our web version.

Audubon Florida Climate and Energy News Roundup Today we share news about wind turbine recycling, stronger paper bags, more risky heat days in 232 U.S. locations, and more.

Wind turbines. Photo: Pixabay

Massive Turbine Blades Make for Massive Waste Streams. Chemists Have Found a Way to Break Them Down for Reuse. From Anthropocene “Modern wind turbines are behemoths, reaching well over twice the height of the Statue of Liberty. Recycling them when they reach the end of their lives is paramount if wind power is to be sustainable. Turbine blades however, are made of materials that cannot currently be recycled. In a new study, chemists from Aarhus University in Denmark describe a way to break apart the strong glue that holds blades together, making their main building blocks available for reuse. This could keep millions of tons of blades out of landfills in the coming decades.” Read the entire article.

Hertz is Adding Up to 6,000 EVs to Its Rental Fleet in Orlando From Electrek.org “Hertz announced today that it plans to add up to 6,000 rental EVs to its existing fleet in Orlando for leisure and business customers, as well as rideshare drivers. The rental car giant will also support the installation of up to 50 public fast chargers across the Greater Orlando area in partnership with bp... Hertz is working with the college to bring EV tools and training to its auto servicing students, and it’s also donating an EV to the college. It’s also making summer jobs available through the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program.” Read the entire article.

Use Nature as Infrastructure From Scientific American “Coastal cities worldwide are squeezed by two opposing forces: urban sprawl and the rising sea. This struggle is intensely visible in the flatlands of South Florida, where burgeoning neighborhoods routinely flood and saltwater inundation damages the estuaries that protect communities from the worst of our climate crisis. Massive resources are being put into environmental restoration projects there, and development is subject to many layers of approvals. Yet in 2022 the Miami-Dade County Commissioners voted to expand a legal boundary that contains sprawl to allow a 400-acre warehouse project.” Read the entire article.

Stronger Paper Bags Could Be the Answer to Throwaway Plastic From Anthropocene  “With a simple, inexpensive treatment, researchers have found a way to make paper bags strong enough to be reused multiple times, even when they get wet. The bags could be a true ecofriendly alternative to single-use plastic bags…Paper bags are not only made from a renewable resource, they also decompose much faster than plastic bags, and present less danger to animals. But that does not necessarily give them an entirely clean environment bill.” Read the entire article.

More Risky Heat Days in 232 U.S. Locations From Climate Central  “As average temperatures warm across the U.S. and the globe, extreme heat occurs more often. More frequent extreme heat is not only an indicator of climate change—it’s also one of the most serious health risks in our warming climate…Climate Central analyzed the annual number of days with average temperatures above the local MMT in 247 U.S. locations, from 1970 to 2022…Increases in risky heat days were widespread, but 22 locations experienced an increase of 40 or more days above their MMT during the study period. Of these 22 locations: over two-thirds were in either Texas (nine locations) or Florida (six locations).” Read the entire publication.

CONNECT WITH US

Audubon Florida 4500 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 350, Miami, FL 33137 (305) 371-6399 | fl.audubon.org © 2024 National Audubon Society, Inc. Unsubscribe