The Clean Energy Milestone The World Is Set To Pass In 2023.

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• The Clean Energy Milestone The World Is Set To Pass In 2023.

• Meme Of The Week.

• Sunshine vs. The Grid - Why the Czech Republic Had To Shutdown Their Solar Plants Over Easter.

• Quick & Clean Weekly Bites.

The Clean Energy Milestone The World Is Set To Pass In 2023.

This year, the world is predicted to pass a critical turning point in renewable energy.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector, the largest source of the world's emissions, are expected to fall for the first time, according to London-based think tank Ember. That's despite the fact that the world's demand for electricity is still growing. Emissions are set to fall because expansion in renewable energies such as solar and wind is outstripping that growth in demand.

It's a crucial moment in the effort to tackle climate change, and the report, written by Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, senior electricity analyst at Ember, and colleagues, argues that we are fast approaching a positive "tipping point" in the effort to curb climate change.

"This marks the point where power sector emissions stop rising," Wiatros-Motyka and her colleagues write. "Clean power can actually go to replacing fossil fuels, instead of just meeting rising demand."

Meme Of The Week.

Sunshine vs. The Grid - Why the Czech Republic Had To Shutdown Their Solar Plants Over Easter.

A Czech energy company has been forced to unplug hundreds of solar panels after they generated more power than the grid could handle.

Electricity use was low in the Czech Republic on Monday due to the Easter holidays. But sunny weather meant that the country’s solar plants produced a huge surge of energy.

To protect the grid, state-owned company ČEPS switched them off.

The shutdown is proof of the country’s inadequate power storage system, said Jan Krčmář, executive director of the Czech Solar Association.

“What we have been saying for a long time has been proven. The Czech Republic is not ready for the renewable boom because there is a complete lack of storage capacity,” he told Czech news organisation Seznam Zprávy.

Quick & Clean Weekly Bites.

• Plastic bags are everywhere - littering our streets, clogging up our rivers, and choking wildlife in the ocean. But after years of campaigning from environmental groups, many places have banned them entirely. Over 100 countries now have a full or partial ban on single-use plastic bags. Between 2010 and 2019, the number of public policies intended to phase out plastic carryout bags tripled. The results of such tough rules are starting to show. Link.

• The US Department of Transportation is rolling out funding for wildlife crossings along busy roads. Studies show more than 350 million vertebrate animals are killed by traffic in the US each year. Meanwhile, about 200 people are killed each year in collisions involving wildlife and vehicles in the US, according to federal officials. Now, Indigenous groups as well as state and local governments will have access to $350 million (€320) to combat the issue. Link.

• The UK is looking to ban plastic wet wipes that clog up the country’s sewers. Under a plan to tackle water pollution, the government is launching a public consultation on whether to get rid of plastic wipes. Some retailers like supermarket Tesco and health and beauty company Boots have already stopped selling them in favour of biodegradable alternatives. Although these alternatives are available, most products still contain plastic which doesn’t break down, sticks together, and can create something known as a fatberg. Link.