Electric vehicles could prevent 100,000 early deaths
6-minute read
This Week
Electric vehicles could prevent 100,000 early deaths
Decades of bad train planning
Big discounts and rebates for electric cars and pickups
Local fish carry poison linked to climate change
More efficient, all-electric mobile homes
Community centers get big batteries and solar panels
Brief climate news
Climate jargon explained
Contacts for Santa Cruz County
About me
Unrelated advice
Click on the underlined links to learn more.
Electric vehicles could prevent 100,000 early deaths
Cloud of black smoke from a big diesel truck, from the article
Analysis: A recent report found that replacing all U.S. cars and trucks with electric vehicles could prevent more than 100,000 early deaths from air pollution. We’ve long known that people die sooner if they live close to a busy highway. Heavy duty diesel trucks release the most air pollution. But all gasoline and diesel vehicles cause early deaths that way.
Electric vehicles don’t release air pollution or climate pollution. And as we add more solar power, wind power, and big utility batteries, the electricity they run on gets cleaner.
Quotes: “With smart policies that drive down the cost and drive up the sales of electric freight vehicles,” said Ray Minjares at the International Council on Clean Transportation, “states will deliver economic growth, energy savings and a pollution-free future.”
Limitations: The report doesn’t include deaths from climate pollution that causes global overheating.
Actions: If you can afford it, switch to an electric car or truck. They’re much cheaper to run, need far less maintenance, and they’re fun to drive.
Vote for climate friendly politicians at every level of government, from school boards to President. And ask everyone you know to do the same.
Source: Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 4-minute read
Decades of bad train planning
Railroad tracks near the Santa Cruz Wharf, from the article
Analysis: A new report criticizes our Regional Transportation Commission for bad train planning. For decades, the RTC ignored serious physical, engineering, legal, and money issues.
For example, one RTC analysis estimated $480 million to start running passenger trains. Four years later, a better analysis said $4.3 billion. Yet the RTC still plans to run these trains. With no idea of where all that money will come from.
The report makes several recommendations. Like better strategic planning, using lessons from similar projects, and better public communication.
The report also recommends changes to Commission membership. The current setup leads to frequent changes, struggles over priorities, and delayed decisions. Long-term planning is almost impossible.
Quotes: “Decision-making has suffered from a fundamental flaw: key policy choices were not adequately grounded in realistic assessments. As a result, the RTC and the public have spent years debating options that were not [practical].”
Limitations: Changing Commission membership means changing state laws, which would be very hard. And the RTC is not required to make any of the other changes.
Actions: We’re likely to argue about trains for another 40 years. While spending lots of taxpayer money on bad studies. And passenger trains won’t take much traffic off of Highway 1. Or help our climate very much. Tell your local politicians to give up on passenger trains. Check Santa Cruz County Contacts below.
Source: Hillary Ojeda, Santa Cruz Local, 4-minute read
Big discounts and rebates for electric cars and pickups
Charger plugged into an electric car, from MBARD
California now offers first-time electric vehicle buyers $3,500 off the price of a new one that costs less than $50,000. And $1,750 off used electric cars costing less than $25,000. The discount happens right away when you buy from a dealer.
For used EVs, “this incentive helps what’s already a good deal become an even better deal,” said auto analyst Brian Moody.
And our local air pollution district offers rebates from $500 to $2,000 for new and used electric cars, pickups, and motorcycles. Plus another $500 for people with low income.
You can add rebates from 3CE, PG&E, and the Driving Clean Assistance Program. Some low-income households could get more than $21,000 in discounts and rebates for a new electric car. A new electric Chevrolet Bolt EUV can cost $27,000 after dealer discounts. Plus taxes and other fees.
Caroline Petrow-Cohen, L.A. Times, 3-minute read
Monterey Bay Air Resources District, 3-minute read
Local fish carry poison linked to climate change
Sardines swimming in the ocean, from the article
The ocean stores most of the sun’s heat trapped by climate pollution. Warmer seawater causes more and longer harmful algal blooms, also called red tides. Then the tiny algae release a nerve poison.
The poison can build up in shellfish, sardines, and anchovies without hurting them. When sea otters, sea lions, whales, and people eat those fish, they get sick and could die. Last month, the poison probably killed two whales that washed up on the shores of Monterey Bay.
Now a state agency has stopped sardine and anchovy fishing in the bay. And we must not eat these fish until the red tide ends.
But our bay is already much warmer than normal. And the strong El Niño that’s just starting will make it even warmer. This red tide could last a long time.
Don’t eat sardines or anchovies from Monterey Bay until the Department of Fish and Wildlife says it’s safe.
Chris Habel, KSBW, 1-minute read
More efficient, all-electric mobile homes
Checking the efficiency of a new mobile home, from the article
To reach housing and climate goals, Vermont created high standards for mobile home energy efficiency. And the state pays builders $3,000 per unit if they meet those standards.
Older manufactured homes are very inefficient. And it’s hard to improve any mobile home after it leaves the factory.
The new homes must be all-electric. With energy efficiency features like:
Tighter air seals
Lots more insulation
Heat pump that heats and cools indoor air
Heat pump water heater
These manufactured homes can save owners thousands of dollars a year on utility bills. And that’s important because the average family living in a mobile home makes less than half as much money as those in traditional houses.
“These families are facing decisions about whether to pay their energy bill or their home loan or put food on the table or buy medicine,” said Mark Kresowik, at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. “Their energy bills shouldn’t put them back in the streets or back into a rental.”
Santa Cruz County has more than 6,000 mobile homes. Many of them are decades old and should be replaced. Tell your state representatives we need higher mobile home standards like Vermont’s. Check Santa Cruz County Contacts below.
Alison F. Takemura, Canary Media, 6-minute read
Community centers get big batteries and solar panels
Claire Burns, executive director of a community center, next to a new big battery, from the article
Two community centers in Marin County, just north of San Francisco, recently installed big batteries that will lower their electric bills. And provide power, heat, and air conditioning for people that need help during long blackouts.
The Dance Palace in rural Point Reyes Station combined batteries with solar panels to run for much longer. The Marin Community Foundation and MCE, like 3CE in our county, paid for the systems.
Community centers in our county could use solar panels and big batteries to help people during blackouts. Especially in lower-income areas like Watsonville, Beach Flats, and much of the San Lorenzo Valley. Contact Community Foundation Santa Cruz County and 3CE, and ask them to look into this.
Billy Ludt, Solar Power World, 2-minute read
Brief climate news
County supervisors drop a long-delayed law on big utility batteries after the Watsonville project switched to the state approval process. Now if it gets built, the state takes the blame. Lookout Santa Cruz, 4-minute read
Most fire-damaged batteries have been safely removed from the Moss Landing power plant. Planning has just started for removing batteries in dangerous parts of the building. KSBW, 2-minute read
Santa Cruz offers battery-powered electric bicycle rebates again. Up to $500 for downtown workers, up to $1,000 for low-income people. Lookout Santa Cruz, 2-minute read
Wine vineyards can adapt to global overheating by using shade cloth, and heat-resistant vines, or by moving. And people will pay more for climate friendly wine. Grist, 5-minute read
Climate jargon explained
Big utility battery: Utility-sized rechargeable battery in a shipping container that stores clean electricity for later use, also called a battery energy storage system or BESS
Climate: Long-term weather pattern somewhere
Climate change: Long-term changes to Earth’s weather caused by climate pollution, including global overheating and too much ocean acid
Climate friendly: Better for our climate than other choices
Climate pollution: Gases in the air that trap the Sun’s heat and cause climate change, mainly carbon dioxide and methane, also called greenhouse gases or carbon pollution
Domoic acid: Nerve poison released by algae during a harmful algal bloom
El Niño: One phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation weather changes, the opposite phase is La Niña
El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO): Global weather changes in cycles that last several years, caused by changing winds and sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean
Electric bicycle: Bicycle that runs on an electric motor and a rechargeable battery, also called e-bike
Electric car: Car that runs on electric motors and a large rechargeable battery
Electric motorcycle: Motorcycle that runs on an electric motor and a large rechargeable battery
Electric truck: Truck that runs on electric motors and a large rechargeable battery
Electric vehicle (EV): Any kind of vehicle that runs on electric motors and a large rechargeable battery, including cars, trucks, trains, and boats
Emission: Gases or particles released into the air, like carbon dioxide, or soot from burning coal
Global overheating: Rapid increase in worldwide temperatures starting around 1970, also called global warming
Harmful algal bloom: When too much of certain kinds of algae grow in seawater or lakes, and release a nerve poison called domoic acid
Heat pump: Two-way air conditioner that can cool or heat a building, heat a hot water tank, or boil water for factories
Red tide: See harmful algal bloom
Solar panel: Panel covered in solar cells that turns sunlight into electricity
Solar power: Clean electricity made from sunlight, mostly using solar panels
Wind power: Clean electricity made from wind blowing through wind turbines
More at climatejargon.com
Contacts for Santa Cruz County
City council: Watsonville, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, or Capitola, depending on where you live
County supervisors
County Resource Conservation District
Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC)
Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) and PG&E
State Assembly: Gail Pellerin, Dawn Addis, or Robert Rivas, depending on where you live
State Senate: John Laird
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Air Resources Board (CARB), and Energy Commission (CEC)
Governor Gavin Newsom
U.S. Congress: Jimmy Panetta or Zoe Lofgren, depending on where you live
U.S. Senate: Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff
About me
I’m Rex Sanders, a science writer who’s lived in Santa Cruz County more than 20 years. Each week I check dozens of reliable sources for climate news that affects our county. Focused on how we can create a better, safer future together.
Unrelated advice
There is nothing which deceives us as much as our own judgement.
Leonardo da Vinci