Silverline’s in-house climate scientist and Emmy-winning meteorologist takes a look at the impact of extreme weather. From farms to the insurance companies, weather is the topic of the year and the conversation will continue without climate solutions.

From campaign trail promises to final enacted legislation, those of us in the energy community have been thrilled for the boost that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has provided American business. As we look back on and celebrate the one-year anniversary of this landmark legislation, there are many milestones to acknowledge and many opportunities on the horizon. 

Led by our esteemed Silverline Advisory Council member, Peter Kelly-Detwiler, with participation from Silverline’s cleantech innovators network, “Chemistry for Cleantech: Unleashing the Power of the Periodic Table” guided webinar guests through the underlying chemistry and technology innovation driving the fight against climate change.

Through their climate reporting, these 12 journalists have made a profound impact on the Silverline team and on their readers, providing valuable insights, uncovering truths, and driving public discourse. They illuminated the pressing challenges and transformations presented by the global climate crisis.

One increasingly hot topic at the Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference is connecting extreme weather and climate change, which also served as a panel topic. Team Silverline is fortunate to have its own meteorologist, account manager, and climate expert Brad Carl, who shares his expertise on recent extreme weather. This month we witnessed a “1000-year flood” overtake Fort Lauderdale, Florida with 88 billion gallons of water falling in one day. As cited in The Washington Post’s coverage of the event, that rainfall is equivalent to the drinking water consumed by the entire U.S. population in nearly 1.5 years! If that doesn’t put things into perspective, does 13,600 Statues of Liberty filled with water do the trick?

Silverline was in Boise, Idaho this month at the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 2023 Conference, which features an intriguing session on “How To Be an Ally for Environmental Journalists of Color,” moderated by The Uproot Project Director Lucia Priselac. The topic aligns with Silverline’s core values and commitment to diversity and inclusion. In fact, we recently published a comprehensive report on influential Black Leaders in Energy & Cleantech that seeks to elevate the valuable voices and perspectives of key leaders in this space.

Earth Day 2023 finds many of America’s top environmental and energy reporters gathering in Boise, Idaho for the annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ). This yearly event brings together journalists from across the climate landscape to discuss the challenges of serving as the proverbial canary in the coal mine about our changing climate. One topic of growing interest is covering climate issues through a cultural lens, whether through music, television or art – all this as our ever-changing environment and emerging technologies generate new interest in this important topic.

As we start 2023, we expect the clean energy revolution to continue and we’re carefully watching these top three climate trends… First, an increase in ESG funding is on the horizon as well as new regulations governing these ESG funds. Second, the drive for electric vehicles cranks into high gear in 2023. Beyond skyrocketing EV sales, we’ll see a substantial increase in battery-powered school buses, fleets and commercial trucks. And third, we predict the challenge to reduce Scope 3 emissions will take center stage in 2023.

Unprecedented climate legislation is opening a vast array of opportunities for those in the cleantech space. The $369 billion dollars in federal funding is proving to be a gamechanger by delivering critical investments to climate tech developers and manufacturers. Companies are taking advantage of tax incentives and grants for solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects. Developments are moving even faster in e-mobility, where Americans now can now tap into a $7,500 credit to buy EVs. The law also requires that some manufacturing and assembly of EVs happens right here at home in the U.S. And as an important first, this law will dedicate between around $60 billion to environmental and climate justice efforts.