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Former Advisor to Pentagon and CIA: "Under Biden’s new Executive Order, your God-given freedoms could be at severe risk. Do THIS today..." [OST Main Logo]( Below is an important message from one of our highly valued sponsors. Please read it carefully as they have some special information to share with you.   From New York City to rural Cornwall, communal heat pump networks could be the answer to decarbonising heat in both city high-rises and other hard-to-heat homes. I In a sense, Heat the Streets taps into another major solution for heating homes in a low-carbon world: district heating. In essence, district heat networks are "just whacking empty vessels that connect properties together", says David Barns, a heat decarbonisation expert at the University of Leeds. "How you get heat energy into that heat network is a related but separate question." District heating boomed in Nordic countries during the 1970s' oil crisis, but the systems were mostly powered by burning fossil fuels in large combined heat and energy plants. Still, this design of a single centralised system can make it far easier to switch a significant number of homes to low-carbon heating – without thousands of boilers being "ripped out", says Barns. Carbon Count The emissions from travel it took to report this story were 3kg CO2. The digital emissions from this story are an estimated 1.2g to 3.6g CO2 per page view. Find out more about how we calculated this figure here. For example, Stockholm's district heating network has 3,000km (1,860 miles) of pipes and now supplies electricity to 800,000 homes using industrial-scale heat pumps which capture heat from domestic wastewater, data centres and seawater, alongside incinerated non-recyclable waste and forest biofuels. The Heat the Streets model in Stithians uses "fifth-generation district heating" – a localised network combined with heat pump technology. The advantage of this kind of street-by-street project is being able to focus on whatever energy resources there are nearby to make the best match, says Caroline Haglund Stignor, a researcher in energy technologies at Rise Research Institutes of Sweden. “You start small and then you build on little by little,” she says. This can allow for more innovative methods of sourcing heat, such as a network in Islington harnessing heat from the hot currents from London Underground tunnels, or flood-water in old mines. In the UK, however, there is a lack of awareness and regulation around district heating, which is delaying its expansion, says Barns. The UK government has committed to designating heat network zones no later than 2025 that will situate heat networks in the best places and mandating that people connect to them. This will help to make the business model for building heat networks more financially viable, Barns explains, because private investors will have more certainty that people are going to use them. This type of large-scale work can be coordinated with other groundworks, such as cables for electric vehicle charging points, to reduce disruption, says Rosenow. But these rollouts at the local level requires "radical change" in planning that is not yet reflected in policies or frameworks, he adds. It's far more common to see air-source heat pumps on individual houses than apartment blocks (Credit: Mark Morgan/Alamy) From the Swiss Alps to the Rocky Mountains, ski resorts are grappling with the impacts of climate change. How are they adapting in a warming world? A Anzère is often hailed as Europe's greenest ski resort. But the Swiss village had a difficult start to its 2023 winter season. Like many other Alpine ski resorts, low-lying Anzère was forced to close some of its pistes due to lack of snowfall and rainy conditions in late December and the first few days of January. The Alps experienced record high temperatures over Christmas and New Year, reaching 20.9C (70F) in northwest Switzerland. "It was exceptionally warm over Christmas and New Year," says Stephanie Dijkman, director of Anzère tourism. "Nearly all the snow in the village was gone. I was quite worried." People were unable to ski down to the village, she adds. Fortunately, it started snowing again in early January, just in time for the arrival of the "real skiing fans" who book their trips outside of the holiday season and are hoping for "very good conditions", she says. But the recent warm weather and winter washout throughout the Alps is an omen of what awaits the ski industry. Many resorts are aware that they only have two options: close or adapt their business model to cope with mounting climate threats. From the Swiss Alps to the Rocky Mountains, resorts are grappling with the impacts of climate change by trying to provide sufficient snow cover and rapidly adapt to the changing conditions, while envisaging what their future looks like in a warming world. Besides measures to reduce its own emissions, such as by investing in renewable energy and building Europe's largest wood-fired heating plant, Anzère is planning ahead for a time where skiing may no longer be viable. "We're aware that we need to adapt the resort for the years to come," says Dijkman. "We're investing more in bike trails, in climbing [routes] and walking paths and highlighting all that we have to offer, whether it's in the summer or winter." Climate change is turning skiing into an endangered pastime. Ski seasons are becoming shorter and slopes are turning green as temperatures rise. Heavy rainfall in Alpine resorts contributed to snow melting and slushy conditions. When temperatures rise, the atmosphere ends up holding more water vapour which leads to more rainfall, says Marie Cavitte, a glaciologist and climate researcher at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. "[When] temperatures increase, [water vapour] falls as rain instead of falling as snow," she adds. "That is what is happening at low altitude ski stations, which are below 1,600m (5,250ft). There we are seeing a lot more rain on snow events which increase the melting of existing snow." At low altitude resorts in Europe, snow depth is shrinking by 3-4cm (1.2-1.6in) every 10 years, says Cavitte. Ski seasons are becoming shorter and slopes are turning green as temperatures rise (Credit: Dietmar Stiplovsek / Getty Images) Ski seasons are becoming shorter and slopes are turning green as temperatures rise (Credit: Dietmar Stiplovsek / Getty Images) Another major concern is the rapid disappearance of glaciers. Alpine resorts such as Tignes in France rely on glaciers for snow cover and water supply. In the European Alps, glaciers are expected to vanish almost completely by 2100, with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warning that they could lose 94% of their 2017 volume by the end of the century. As temperatures rise, glacial ice melts faster and there is less fresh snow. Glaciers melting could lead to severe flooding and erosion in the valley below and increase the risk of avalanches, destroying critical infrastructure as well as significantly reducing water supplies for local mountain communities. According to a 2017 study by the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, the Alps could lose up to 70% of their snow cover by 2100, if global temperatures rise in line with business-as-usual. The world is currently on track for an average of 2.7C (4.9F) of warming by 2100. If global temperature rise is kept below 2C (3.6F), though, the reduction in snow cover will be limited to 30%, according to the study. Rising temperatures and decreased snowfall are shortening the winter ski season, a concerning trend for the mountain communities whose livelihood depends on the winter sports industry. In a swathe of US ski resorts covering a combined area the size of Virginia, the ski season shrank by an average of 34 days between 1982 and 2016, according to a 2018 study. Anzère's winter season has shrunk by just a few days over the past 30 years, says Dijkman. "But in some European resorts, [the season] has shortened by weeks and that is obviously going to have quite a big impact." A lack of snow isn't the only challenge that ski resorts are contending with. "In the United States, wildfires are almost a greater threat," says Auden Schendler, senior vice president of sustainability at Aspen Skiing Company, which operates the Aspen Snowmass resort in Colorado. Over the past five years, wildfires have come dangerously close to towns and shut down major highways in the ski region. "We're already seeing fires at ski resorts. They're as big a threat as loss of snow," says Schendler, adding that in recent years the resort has also experienced mudslides caused by extreme rainfall. Carbon Count The emissions from travel it took to report this story were 0kg CO2. The digital emissions from this story are an estimated 1.2g to 3.6g CO2 per page view. Find out more about how we calculated this figure here. Ski resorts are scrambling to ensure that they can stay open for their entire season and provide tourists with the snow-covered, picturesque settings they expect. To do this, they are harnessing huge snowmaking machines which cover the pistes in fresh white powder. A study by the University of Basel in Switzerland warns that resorts situated below 1,800-2,000m (5,900-6,600ft), will increasingly have to rely on artificial snow to keep just their higher ski slopes open for up to 100 consecutive days, while their lower slopes may not be possible to save. This would raise their water consumption by 79% by 2100. During an average winter towards the end of the century, a resort would consume about 540 million litres (119 million gallons) of water, compared to today's 300 million litres (66 million gallons). In the French Alps, water consumption could increase ninefold by 2100, according to the study. This could lead to conflict between the skiing industry and local communities who may rely on the water for hydropower, the researchers warned. (Read about how small hydropower plants have long sustained remote communities in the Alps). The study also predicts a huge rise in operational costs for ski resorts if they are forced to use artificial snowmaking to maintain their slopes. This is because the cannons that distribute the snow and the ploughs that groom the pistes are incredibly energy-intensive and run on polluting fossil fuels. There are currently no snow-making machines that run on renewables and plans to reduce overall emissions are focused around improving efficiency. It's far more common to see air-source heat pumps on individual houses than apartment blocks (Credit: Mark Morgan/Alamy) Still, district heating is not necessarily the right answer everywhere. It is most suitable for densely populated areas due to the significant heat loss that comes from transporting water at high temperatures over long distances. District heating already exists in some US cities, such as Milwaukee and Baltimore, but the country doesn't have the same density of population as the UK and most of Western Europe, bar a few exceptions, says Lott. "For most of the US, we're talking about heating individual buildings and so district heat networks don't make sense. [Individual] heat pumps, both air or ground source, are a much better option for us." The road to decarbonised heating is not simple but heat pumps are one technology more or less ready and waiting, so long as the cost hurdles can be breached. But even as question marks hang over energy security, fuel prices and climate-related weather extremes, the yoga studio in the Simmons' family home feels like an inviting place to weather the uncertainty. This article was updated on 2/2/23 to clarify a quote about long term storage solutions from Jan Rosenow. It's another cold snap and the fields of Cornwall, in south-west England, are blanketed in snow. But down a windy lane, Ceri Simmons' home is toasty warm. Her living room is a jungle of hanging plants and, through the kitchen, glimpses of a wood-lined studio reveal Simmons' job as an aerial-yoga teacher. "It's not just lovely for me to have a warm house, it's also important for my clients," she says. The remote village of Stithians, close to the most south-westerly tip of the UK mainland, where the Simmons family live has become an unlikely frontier in the race to decarbonise heating. It is piloting a new approach to low-carbon heating which could be key to the rapid scale-up needed worldwide. The project zooms out from the obstacles facing individual homeowners and designs a heat pump system that can be delivered at scale across streets, towns and cities. In doing so, it could provide a model for urban spaces across the world pondering how to decarbonise their heat systems quickly and effectively. You might also like: Energy crisis: How living in a cold home affects your health How flooded coal mines could heat homes How a sand battery could transform clean energy In the UK today, 74% of people heat their homes using gas boilers, with mostly electric heaters and oil comprising the rest. This leads the heating sector to account for a third of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions – comparable to the emissions of all its petrol and diesel cars. Similar values are seen in the US, where around half of heating comes from gas. To limit global warming, this needs to change drastically, and in many places, that means installing many more heat pumps. By 2030, around a quarter of UK buildings should be heated using them, according to the UK government's climate advisory body, rising to 52% by 2050. Electrifying heating will also be key to decarbonising buildings in the US, says Melissa Lott, director of research at the Centre on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. One study in San Francisco referred to heat pumps as the "single most impactful lever" to reducing emissions. If the source of electricity is renewable, heat pumps themselves emit no carbon Rather than burning a fuel, heat pumps concentrate heat energy already present in air, ground or water and pump it through a building's pipes and radiators. They do this with incredible efficiency, converting 1 kilowatt (kW) of electricity into 3-5kW of heat, as opposed to 1kW for a direct electrical heater and 0.9kW for a gas boiler. This means they provide practically "free heat", says Lott. However, as with all heating systems, efficiency depends on how well the building is insulated to minimise heat loss, she notes. If the source of electricity is renewable, heat pumps themselves emit no carbon. In the UK, almost half of the electricity provided to the national grid comes from renewable sources, compared to 20% in the US. Both countries aim for sharp increases in these percentages. Ceri Simmons' heat pump, seen here outside her house, now supplies all her heat and hot water from a network of pipes under the street (Credit: Evie Townend) Ceri Simmons' heat pump, seen here outside her house, now supplies all her heat and hot water from a network of pipes under the street (Credit: Evie Townend) The Heat the Streets project in Stithians provides a whole new template for how ground source heat pumps can work. Ground source heat pumps are more efficient than their air source counterparts. This is due to the ground having a consistent temperature. Most ground source heat pumps have a vertical piping which requires drilling of a deep, costly borehole 60-200m (200-650ft) into the ground. Alternatively, they can use a horizontal loop that is far shallower in the ground but requires a large surface area that most people don't have, especially in cities. What's more, installing heat pumps tends to be the responsibility of individual homeowners. Despite incentives such as the UK's Boiler Upgrade Scheme and US federal tax credits under Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, there remain significant barriers to widespread rollout. There is often a lack of understanding and awareness of the technology, which, combined with large upfront costs and few trained installers, can prevent homeowners from making the change. Architecture can also be a barrier: houses also simply need enough outdoor space to install the heat pumps, something obviously lacking in flats and dense urban settings. When a [gas] boiler breaks, there'll now be an alternative to simply replacing it – Max Bridger Rather than each home drilling a single borehole for a single heat pump, however, Heat the Streets uses over 200 boreholes drilled 100m (330ft) beneath the street linked to a huge communal network of horizontal, underground pipes just below street level, known as a heatmain. Glycerol – an odourless, non-toxic, viscous liquid – is passed vertically through the boreholes to absorb heat and then circulate it in these horizontal pipes, which in turn supply heat pumps in individual properties along the whole street and, eventually, the whole neighbourhood. The heat pumps – no larger than a typical gas boiler – are fitted either inside or outside individual homes, depending on the property's size, suitability and owner preference. Just a few metres below the surface of Cornwall, the ground has a constant temperature of around 11C (52F) from absorbing sunlight for millennia, says Max Bridger, project operations manager of Heat the Streets, and it's this heat that is harvested by the heatmain. Heat pumps run more efficiently when buildings are insulated to minimise heat loss (Credit: sturti/Getty Images) Heat pumps run more efficiently when buildings are insulated to minimise heat loss (Credit: sturti/Getty Images) The heat pumps then perform another series of exchange, compression and evaporation that brings the temperature to around 50C (122F). Finally, this heat is transferred to water, which is pumped through a house's specially upgraded pipes and radiators. Kensa Utilities, the company in charge of installing the network in Stithians, will remain the owner of the infrastructure. For residents, connecting to the heatmain works like it does with other utilities, such as broadband or water. Residents own their individual heat pumps and pay a connection fee to join whenever they're ready. "When a [gas] boiler breaks, there'll now be an alternative to simply replacing it. But this system also means people don't have to finance the large upfront infrastructure costs or connect all at once," says Bridger. The ground source heat pumps provide all the heating and hot water needed by the house, and cut the greenhouse gas emissions released by them by 70%. Residents keep full control of their heating and can switch energy suppliers whenever they want. Simmons ultimately plans to use her solar panels, currently set up to sell the electricity to the National Grid, to directly power the heat pump Simmons' home was fitted with a heat pump that shares a heatmain with several neighbours. It took around a week to do the interior and exterior work and "really wasn't too disruptive or noisy", she says. The water cylinder, tucked away inside an old linen cupboard, is almost exactly the same size as an average boiler. She ultimately plans to use her solar panels, currently set up to sell the electricity to the National Grid, to directly power the heat pump – which she says would make her home almost entirely self-sufficient. Workers operate a drill rig for a borehole in Enfield, London, where they are installing ground source heat pumps in high-rise flats (Credit: Kensa Utilities) Workers operate a drill rig for a borehole in Enfield, London, where they are installing ground source heat pumps in high-rise flats (Credit: Kensa Utilities) This concept of a heatmain buried beneath a communal street is by no means restricted to single-storey properties like Simmons'. Another Kensa project in Enfield, London, is installing ground source heat pumps in high-rise flats. Heatmains have been developed beneath each of eight tower blocks, totalling 400 flats, using their car parks to drill the required boreholes. A vertical shaft that is used to transport other utilities throughout the building, known as a service riser, allows the technology used in Stithians to work for multi-storey buildings, says Bridger. With smaller spaces, retrofitting each flat with a "shoebox" heat pump can supply enough heat while minimising the space taken up inside, he adds. The future of heat pumps in high-rise buildings is receiving growing attention across the world. In New York City, it is air-source heat pumps that have become the focus of efforts to decarbonise the city's 6,000 high-rise buildings. The beauty of heat pumps is that they can both heat and cool spaces, using the same process in reverse – Melissa Lott Currently, most of these have a single, large gas boiler that controls the whole building's heating. Each individual flat also uses an air conditioning unit attached to an outdoor window that works separately from the heating system. Dear Reader, I did not consent. You did not consent. But on March 9th, 2022, Joe Biden did something that will solidify his legacy as the greatest ‘Peeping Tom’ in history. A despicable act that could give him direct access to you... Your neighbors... And your children. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican — if you aren’t sick after seeing the details of [this disturbing order](... Then you might as well never stand for the national anthem again. Solutions to adapt to the changing climate in the mountains therefore "ironically add more CO2 to the atmosphere and are making the climate problem worse", says Cavitte. Even today, snow ploughs on average account for roughly 60% of a resort's carbon emissions, while snow cannons contribute about 25%, says Cavitte. Ski lifts aren't as polluting, she says, since many resorts are trying to use renewable electricity. Besides the climate impact of snow machines, there is also an operational challenge as artificial snow can only be produced when temperatures stay below 1C (34F). The air has to be cold enough that the water droplets which the machines expel freeze and turn into snow particles. Over Christmas and New Year, many Alpine resorts were forced to close their slopes as the temperatures were too high to generate artificial snow. Ski resorts are investing in mountain bike trails, walking paths and climbing routes to encourage tourists to visit in the summer (Credit: Alamy) Ski resorts are investing in mountain bike trails, walking paths and climbing routes to encourage tourists to visit in the summer (Credit: Alamy) Meanwhile, some have resorted to covering glaciers in protective blankets to stop them from melting in the summer. Made out of white UV-resistant synthetic material, the blankets shield the thick winter snow from the Sun's rays during the warmer summer months. According to a 2021 study, the technique can reduce the melting of snow and ice by 50-70%, compared to unprotected surfaces. But it is a costly process, the study's authors warn. Covering all of Switzerland's 1,000 largest glaciers would cost about 1.4bn Swiss Francs ($1.5bn; £1.2bn) annually, they estimate. There are also negative environmental consequences associated with this adaptation measure, warns Cavitte. Polluting machines are used to put the blankets down and remove them. "And when they take them off, there's always pieces of plastic that are left behind which contaminate the glacier and surrounding land," she says. There are also concerns about how this measure will impact local biodiversity and wildlife, she adds. These short-term measures will not shield the industry from the looming climate threat. "The ski industry is not going to be able to save itself," acknowledges Schendler. Despite this bleak outlook, many resorts have adopted ambitious, long-term sustainability goals in a bid to reduce their emissions and protect their natural resources. Big Sky resort, which sits at an elevation of 2,200m (7,200ft) in the Rocky Mountains in southern Montana, is aiming for net zero emissions by 2030, under its Forever Project, which was launched in 2021. The resort has introduced a wide range of sustainability measures, including a newly installed 32 kilowatt (kW) solar array, improving the efficiency of buildings, reducing its water usage and protecting its forests, says Amy Fonte, sustainability specialist and head of the Forever Project. The resort also purchases renewable energy credits for the remaining electricity it uses, including for its 38 chairlifts and its housing, says Fonte. Aspen Skiing Company, meanwhile, is aiming to source 100% renewable electricity to power all its operations by 2030. "Ski resorts use fossil fuels and a lot of energy. It would be completely hypocritical if those resorts were not working to fix the system," says Schendler. Meanwhile, a wood pellet plant heats 600 apartments, two hotels and a public swimming pool in Anzère, saving the village 1.5 million litres (330,000 gallons) of oil a year. Most of the resort already runs on hydroelectricity, which is generated at the nearby Tseuzier dam. Anzère is also car-free and offers free public transport to all visitors, in a bid to encourage people to travel more sustainably. Tourists also have a role to play in helping reduce emissions and preserving the mountains, says Dijkman. "It's a mindset that needs to not only be present among local businesses but also among the people that come here on holiday." This starts with choosing how they travel to the ski resort. According to a recent survey by the Ski Club of Great Britain, just 2% of British travellers take the train to go skiing, compared to 72% who fly. (Read more about the climate impact of flying). For people in Europe looking to travel in a more sustainable way to the Alps, there are plenty of options ranging from the Alpen Express, an overnight train travelling from the Netherlands via Cologne to Austrian resorts, or the TravelSki Express which runs between London and the French Alps, via a Eurostar to Paris. Even if they are unable to change their own fate, resorts can still play an important role in the fight against climate change, says Schendler. "The role of the industry is to help the public understand what they stand to lose from climate change and to advocate for solutions." Ski resorts are the "perfect messenger" for highlighting the reality of the climate crisis, says Schendler. "People love what skiing offers them today. The threat of that disappearing is the kind of visceral hit that people need to catapult themselves into action." The ski industry is not going to be able to save itself – Auden Schendler Fonte agrees that the ski industry "can make significant behaviour changes…We can really help mitigate the impacts of climate change," she says. "I'd like to think that we're going to live in a world where skiing will still be around." But this looks like an unlikely reality for many resorts, especially lower-lying ones in Europe. Many are seeking to pivot their business model and ensure that they have a future if there is no more snow. Some ski resorts are covering glaciers in protective blankets to stop them from melting in the summer (Credit: Miguel Medina / Getty Images) Some ski resorts are covering glaciers in protective blankets to stop them from melting in the summer (Credit: Miguel Medina / Getty Images) "We're now investing more in summer [activities] than we're investing in winter [ones]," says Dijkman. The plan is to highlight "all the activities that the mountains have to offer", without turning the resort "into a Disney [theme] park", she says. Schendler says a future without skiing will be very difficult for resorts. Even with increased investment, they will struggle to generate a similar stream of revenue during the summer, he argues. "Skiing is a huge business," he says. "The [economic] throughput in the summer is going to be much lower. You can't really build a business around hiking." But according to Rachael Carver, who surveyed ski tourists at the Austrian resort Stubai Glacier for her dissertation at the University of Staffordshire in the UK, people see the value of visiting the mountains even if there is no snow. Some 70% of those surveyed said they would return to the resort if the glaciers vanished, citing the beautiful mountain scenery and hiking opportunities as the main reasons. Carver also observed an increase in "last-chance tourism" at Stubai Glacier, with people visiting the resort before the glacier vanishes completely. "Many people are aware that glaciers are melting and that ski resorts are disappearing. They want to see these sites before they [vanish] completely," she says. This increased interest in visiting glaciers provides resorts with an opportunity to educate people about climate change, she notes. But this surge in "last-chance tourism" is also unsustainable and placing even more pressure on an already fragile ecosystem, says Carver. Adapting the business model and pivoting to new mountain activities is the only choice, says Dijkman. "We have to become greener if we want to keep living here," she says. She is hopeful that tourists will continue visiting the mountains even if there is no snow. "Our mountains are naturally stunning and we already have absolutely everything to make holidays perfect, whether it's in the winter or summer." That’s why I am urging you to get the details of this order and take action before it’s too late. [Click here for the shocking details.]( Regards, Jim Rickards, Editor, Paradigm Press [divider] From time to time, we send special emails or offers to readers who chose to opt-in. We hope you find them useful. Email sent by Finance and Investing Traffic, LLC, owner, and operator of Open Source Trades To ensure you keep receiving our emails, be sure to [whitelist us.]( This ad is sent on behalf of Paradigm Press, LLC, at 808 St. Paul Street, Baltimore MD 21202. If you're not interested in this opportunity from Paradigm Press, LLC, please [click here]( to remove your email from these offers. This offer is brought to you by Open Source Trades. 221 W 9th St # Wilmington, DE 19801. If you would like to unsubscribe from receiving offers brought to you by Open Source Trades [click here](. © 2023 Open Source Trades. All Rights Reserved[.]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms & Conditions]( | [Unsubscribe](