Edition 08: March 17, 2025
A just transition away from fossil fuels will look different for each community that relies on them, but we're making progress on that front in multiple different countries.
Glasgow Set to Trial Free Public Transit
Experts agree that we can’t just swap all gasoline and diesel vehicles for electric ones if we want to reduce transportation emissions — we’ve also got to reduce our overall dependency on personal vehicles. That’s why Glasgow will soon become the first city in Scotland to offer free public transit in an effort to reach their goal of reducing car travel 30% by 2030. Unlimited access to the city’s buses, trains, and subway system will be offered to 1,000 residents as part of a 9-week trial, but city officials aren’t sure yet who will be included in the pilot. If other free public transit trials are any indication, Glasgow will most likely see an increase in ridership and then look to expand the program. The car-loving country of Luxembourg, for example, has been offering free public transit for everyone since early 2020, and they have absolutely no plans to stop.
Source: Isobel Whitcomb writes for Canary Media
19 GW of New Offshore Wind Capacity Expected This Year
According to recent research, the world is expected to build 19 gigawatts of new offshore wind capacity by the end of this year. A few years ago it was projected that the world would hit this milestone in 2024, but unfortunately there was a slight wind farm construction slump last year — with only 7.7 gigawatts getting added to the grid. If you’ve been reading Good Climate News since the beginning, it should come as no surprise to learn that China will be primarily responsible for this growth; they are currently on track to build 12 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity this year. The world will still need to significantly scale up offshore wind by 2030 in order to align with their climate goals, and now the rest of the world will need to step up because of the Trump administration ending new leasing for the budding American offshore wind industry. Despite that, it is still possible to meet our offshore wind goals with the right incentives and regulation.
Source: Michelle Lewis writes for Electrek
Colorado Launches New Methane Monitoring Program
Landfills are the third largest source of methane emissions in the United States, and this is predominately caused by decaying food waste. Current methane monitoring methods for landfills are ineffective because it is very easy for operators to obtain in-compliance readings even when there are active gas leaks. I would know — I used to do them for a living! That is why Colorado is about to launch a new monitoring program for their 80 landfills using $129 million in EPA funds that are *currently untouched by the Trump administration. This program will use high tech equipment and more routine frequent monitoring to collect robust data on real-world methane emissions. Regulators aren’t sure what types of equipment will be used for this program yet, but so far they are considering drones, satellites, and stationary air monitors. The data will be used to inform new landfill regulations in the state, and other states are already looking into implementing similar programs to inform their own regulations — because experts agree that they need to be updated as soon as possible to effectively address the climate crisis.
*As of March 16, 2025
Source: Isobel Whitcomb writes for Canary Media
Clean Energy Projects to Be Built on Former Coal Mines
For centuries, the Appalachian economy revolved around coal mining, and both the local people and environment are still suffering because of it. As coal mines shut down, they left a wake of environmental degradation and the communities that relied on them behind. That’s why nearly twenty clean energy projects will be built on former coal mines in Southern Appalachia as part of a partnership between The Nature Conservancy and the Cumberland Forest Limited Partnership. Fourteen solar farms and three battery storage systems will be built in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia over the next few years. These projects will bring in construction jobs, tax revenue, and a community fund that will support local initiatives, and they are a perfect example of what environmental justice — and a just transition away from fossil fuels — should look like.
Fun Fact: One of these projects will be located in the coal mining area my grandparents grew up in!
Source: Michelle Lewis writes for Electrek
Major Urban Solar Farm to Be Built in Canada
Medicine Hat, Alberta, is known as “Gas City” because of its vast natural gas reserves, but it is about to become home to the largest urban solar farms in North America. An Irish energy developer has purchased a 1,600 acre site industrial site with contaminated soil, and they plan to build a 352 megawatt solar farm on it after capping the soil with clay to prevent further contamination. It will take several years for the project to reach its full capacity, but the first phase will include 75 megawatts. This solar farm will eventually be able to power the homes for all 65,000 of Medicine Hat’s residents as well as most of the city’s industrial and commercial facilities. Projects like this one are truly sustainable because they remediate legacy pollution, reduce the need to use undeveloped land for clean energy projects, and help a fossil fuel economy transition to a clean energy one — all while reducing energy costs.
Source: Darius Snieckus writes for the National Observer and Mother Jones
Women-Led Initiative in Uganda Restoring Land
Climate change has made flooding and erosion worse in Western Uganda over the past 20 years. This has harmed local communities by causing expensive damage and making it more difficult to grow crops. In response, the government has started encouraging people to plant native trees. Nurseries across the region have been distributing seedlings for some time, but many of these seedlings have died due to improper care. That’s why one woman — Janet Nyakairu Abwoli — began teaching other women how to plant and care for the native ficus tree, because ficus trees are culturally and ecologically important to many communities in Uganda. Her workshops combine traditional knowledge and modern science to build climate resilience, empower women, and support the local economy. Like most other grassroots efforts, funding is Janet’s main obstacle, but that isn’t stopping her from continuing her work. “We don’t just plant trees,” she said to Mongabay, “We plant hope.”
Source: Innocent Kiiza writes for Mongabay
Tribe in Louisiana Fighting Sea Level Rise with Oyster Reefs
An Indigenous community in coastal Louisiana is racing against the clock to protect themselves from climate change. The Grand Bayou Indian Village is located around 40 miles southeast of New Orleans, and it is home to the Atakapa-Ishak and Chawasha tribes. Nearly a thousand people used to live there, but now under a hundred do due to sea level rise, coastal erosion, and natural disasters. In an effort to protect the remaining residents and their sacred sites, residents are building oyster reefs surrounding the community. These oyster reefs will help restore biodiversity, protect coastlines from storms, and filter pollutants out of the water. The residents are aware these reefs won’t be able to protect them forever, but they are still doing it because it will help restore their waters and give them more time to build floating structures to replace the ones at risk of going underwater permanently. The Grand Bayou Indian Village serves as a reminder that climate action is worth doing even if it won’t be perfect.
Source: Eva Tesfaye writes for WWNO and Science Friday
Old Wells in The United Kingdom to Be Used for Geothermal
Around a decade ago, a dozen old gas wells in North England were slated to be used for fracking, but after local opposition and the United Kingdom eventually outright banning fracking, the project fell through. Now, a clean energy company will be using these wells for closed-loop geothermal systems. This type of geothermal system continuously circulates water through the wells in sealed pipes. The deeper the well goes, the hotter the water gets, and in the case of this project in England, the hot water will be used to heat nearly 100 homes using the readily available district heating systems in the area. Early tests indicate that the wells maintain an aboveground temperature of around 108°F and a temperature of around 240°F at the bottom of the wells. Although this project is small, it is helping show that we have many sustainable options for utilizing old fossil fuel wells.
Source: Chris Baraniuk writes for BBC