First commercial-scale nuclear fuel recycling facility being developed & more environmental news.

[View this email in your browser]( Thursday, January 26, 2023 “Surely we have a responsibility to leave for future generations a planet that is healthy and habitable by all species.”– Sir David Attenborough ‘China’s North Pole’ City of Mohe Just Saw Its Lowest Recorded Temperature at 63.4 Degrees Below Zero When the temperature fell to minus 63.4 degrees Fahrenheit in [Mohe]( — [China]( northernmost city — on Sunday, it was the coldest the city had seen in modern times, according to the local weather bureau, reported The Washington Post. Known as “China’s North Pole,” Mohe is located just below Russian Siberia in northeastern Heilongjiang province and is one of the few places in China with a subarctic climate. [Read More]( Related: [Warning of ‘Off the Chart’ Temperatures as El Niño Set to Return in 2023]( 94% of Forest-Based Carbon Offsets Certified By Leading Global Provider Are ‘Phantom Credits,’ Major Investigation Finds Are [carbon offsets]( a useful tool on the road to net zero or simply another form of [greenwashing]( A new investigation from [The Guardian]( [Die Zeit]( and [SourceMaterial]( leads heavily toward the latter conclusion. The report, published Wednesday, found that more than 90 percent of the [rainforest]( offset credits offered by top carbon standard Verra are actually what The Guardian called “phantom credits” that don’t actually remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. [Read More]( Related: [Satellites Detect No Real Climate Benefit From 10 Years of Forest Carbon Offsets in California]( Researchers Find a Way to Destroy PFAS Researchers from Clarkson University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology have improved upon a method designed to break down per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ([PFAS]( a group of synthetic chemicals that have been linked to health issues and environmental pollution. [Read More]( Related: [PFAS 101: Everything You Need to Know About ‘Forever Chemicals’]( First Commercial-Scale Nuclear Fuel Recycling Facility Being Developed Oklo, a California-based energy startup, has submitted its licensing project plan for a commercial-scale nuclear fuel recycling facility to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The fuel recycling facility will be the first of its kind and is meant to make use of nuclear waste, which still has up to 90% of its energy content that could be used to meet energy needs in the U.S. [Read More]( Related: [UK Government Backs First Nuclear Plant in 35 Years]( The EV Revolution Brings Environmental Uncertainty at Every Turn Manufacturers, governments and consumers are lining up behind electric vehicles — with sales rising [60%]( in 2022, and at least 17 states considering a California-style ban on gas cars in the years ahead. Scientists say the trend is a key part of driving down the transportation sector’s carbon emissions, which could fall by as much as 80% by 2050 under aggressive policies. But while EVs are cleaner than gas cars in the long run, they still carry environmental and human-rights baggage, especially associated with mining. [Read More]( Related: [Electric Vehicles 101: Everything You Need to Know]( Do you get this newsletter daily? If not, [sign up here]( or forward to a friend. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Website]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2023 EcoWatch, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for EcoWatch Top News of The Day Our mailing address is: EcoWatch 1122 Oberlin RoadRaleigh, NC 27605 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](