Top news and views about Environment and Cleantech for 16 Mar 2017

Beijing is converting its fleet of 70,000 taxis to electric power

The future of taxis

Electric vehicles have been growing in popularity among fleet operators, and soon, Beijing may find itself earning a reputation as the hub of the electric taxi. The Chinese city is home to one of the most important taxi fleets in the world, numbering around 70,000, and under a new program for air pollution control that will begin implementation this year, those taxis will be going electric.

According to a report by National Business Daily, the transition to electric cars will cover all new taxis registered in the region. “All newly added or replaced taxis in the city of Beijing will be converted from gasoline to electricity, according to a draft work program on air pollution control for Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and surrounding areas in 2017,” the report reads.

The city isn’t the first to push for electric taxis. Previously, Shenzhen and Taiyuan both announced similar policies for their taxis, but the move is significant for a municipality of over 20 million people.

Full story at http://bit.ly/2nHyHux

Philippines senate unanimously votes to ratify Paris climate deal

The senate of the Philippines – one of the world’s most vulnerable nations to extreme weather – has voted unanimously to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change.

On Tuesday, the 22 upper house members unanimously passed a resolution agreeing to enter into the accord.

The Philippines’ populist president Rodrigo Duterte has vacillated on the agreement, last year saying his government would not honour it and describing curbs on the country’s greenhouse gas emissions as “nonsense”.

His cabinet – and former US secretary of state John Kerry – reportedly convinced him to back the pact, which calls on countries to make voluntary commitments to limit their emissions.

Full story at http://bit.ly/2nHhe5C

These Are 2 Crazily Innovative Cleantech Solutions Helping Farmers In The Philippines

To the unknowing eye, water hyacinth plants are beautiful. The lovely lavender-colored flowers contrast with the bright green leaves, creating what one might assume is a pleasing sight. But in the Philippines, water hyacinths are a nuisance, to put it mildly.

The invasive plant grows extremely quickly -- so quickly that it clogs drainage systems and creates substantial floods in poor communities that are ill-equipped to cope with the fallout. They can’t pull the plant fast enough to prevent its spread, leaving farmers and local citizens in a vicious cycle. Eniday described the water hyacinth as “the schoolyard bully of the horticultural world.”

That’s where entrepreneur Jackie Yap saw an opportunity. He first learned about the water hyacinth crisis when he was a renewable engineering Ph.D. student in his native Malaysia. He planned to work in a power plant after finishing his studies, but he felt compelled to do more hands-on work.

"It's cleaner, it’s cheaper and it burns longer"

Full story at http://bit.ly/2nHvJq1

WWF goes solar

WWF offices around the world are switching to solar power and becoming more energy efficient.

Solar electricity and energy efficiency are crucial components of our planet's sustainable energy future. In The Energy Report (2011) we estimated that, by 2050, solar PV could supply 30% of world's electricity and efficiency could reduce our energy needs by half. But we might even have underestimated the potential for solar PV in this scenario!

Full story at http://bit.ly/2nHe8hR

Prepared by @SydesJokes

Original post from: http://CrowdifyClub.com/SydesJokes