4RG Meets
My Year with a Cold Climate Air Source Heat Pump – Geoff Daw
Heat pumps have been in the news a lot lately since they provide a very efficient means to both heat and cool our homes and reduce our carbon footprint. New advances in technology have increased their efficiency and allowed them to function in lower temperatures, such as the ones we experience in Canada and the Peterborough area. Governments are providing incentives and in some cases legislating their use. Looking to replace their aging natural gas furnace and air conditioner, Geoff Daw and his wife Wendy decided to convert to a cold climate air source heat pump to meet their heating…
Click the 4RG Meets tab to learn about our next presentation. Each meet features a local expert on a topic related to the climate crisis, and is followed by a question and discussion period. Meets run from 7:00 – 8:00 pm EST, usually on the second Monday of each month. REGISTER HERE or email 4RGmeets@gmail.com. View previously recorded 4RG Meets HERE.
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Hopeful Stories
Here are some recent stories in the news that give us hope with the progress that is being made in concrete actions to address the climate crisis.
Solar set to attract more capital than oil production for the first time ever in 2023May 28, 2023 - The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that over $1.7 trillion will be invested in clean-energy technologies, surpassing fossil fuel investments by around $1 trillion. Clean energy spending is set to grow by 24%—faster than fossil fuels at 15%. This surge is driven by solar panels and electric vehicles, leading the charge against climate change.
95% LOWER EMISSIONS: Sweden’s Shift to Heat Pumps Holds Lessons for CanadaMay 10, 2023 - Sweden’s early shift from fossil-fueled heating to electric heat pumps suggests a carrot-and-stick approach of incentives and regulation could help Canadians achieve the lowered costs and 95% drop in building heating emissions that Swedes have enjoyed since the 1990s.
“I don’t think it’s a question of ‘if,’ it’s just a question of when,” Forsén told his audience at the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) heat pump symposium.
The renewables revolution is exponential, not linear.May 8, 2023 - When it comes to the renewables revolution, linear is the default perception, but exponential is the default reality. The growth of the key new energy technologies is exponential. It has been in the past, and it will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Companies and countries need to be quick to act, for it is hard to catch an exponential curve from behind.
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Alarming Stories
Here are some recent stories from the news that alarm us with outrageous decisions by governments and the dreadful results for the climate.
It’s Earth Day—and the News Isn’t GoodApr 22, 2023 - New reports show that ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting faster than anticipated, and other disasters loom. Over the past three decades, the rate of ice loss from Greenland has increased sevenfold. The world is on track for disasters on a scale that humans have never before experienced. Scientists keep warning us to get off this track, and yet we seem unable—or, at least, unwilling—to do so.
Melting Antarctic ice predicted to cause rapid slowdown of deep ocean current by 2050Apr 2, 2023 - New research suggests that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at today’s levels, the current in the deepest parts of the ocean could slow down by 40% in only three decades. This, the scientists said, could generate a cascade of impacts that could push up sea levels, alter weather patterns and starve marine life of a vital source of nutrients.
Enbridge plans multibillion-dollar gas expansion in Ontario — and wants customers to pay for itFeb 21 - 2023 - Energy giant Enbridge is plotting a multibillion-dollar expansion to its gas network in Ontario that would lock the province into a fossil fuel future for decades to come. This includes plans to add a pipeline in Selwyn township along the 8th line from Bridgenorth to Lakefield.
