MORE ON ENERGY TODAY

 The World Health Organization reported today that the COVID pandemic end is in sight, with deaths at the lowest level since March of 2020, when it began.  

• WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said the world has never been in better position to stop COVID-19.
• However, while the end is in sight, we are not there yet.
• World deaths the past week fell 22% to 11,000.
• New cases the past week dropped 28% to 3.1 million.
• Notice that the mortality rate is thus now 0.35%.  That is three times lower than the overall death rate for COVID, which is 1%.  Vaccinations have helped lower the rate.
• The Omicron subvariant BA.5 continues to dominate with 90% of all cases.
• China is here and there having problems.   I am still predicting that China will again someday lead in new deaths/day and new cases/day.  Omicron BA.5 is too, too contagious for a populace that hasn't been adequately vaccinated.  The Chinese vaccines are marginal.

I regularly summarize the weekly mailing of the American Energy Society.  For this week:

• 
  There is a ploy going on:  China is buying Russian LNG at a discount, and reselling it as Chinese LNG to Europe at marked-up prices.
• Emissions from China have fallen for four consecutive quarters.
• OPEC countries cut production.  Petroleum prices should now rise.
• 
  The largest open pit copper mine in the world is Chuquicamata, located 9,350 feet high in northern Chile.
• Most don't realize that the metal for electrification is copper, as important, if not more so, than lithium and cobalt.
• Copper is the oldest metal, used from 8000 BC.
• 
  The deepest copper mine is Bingham Canyon Mine located near Salt Lake City.  
• 2.75 miles across and 0.75 miles deep.
• Began operations in 1906.
• As a stadium could seat the equivalent of 9 million people.
• Kennecott also supplies gold, silver, molybdenum, platinum and palladium from this pit.
• Known as the richest hole on Earth, annually generating $1.8 billion.

• Copper sold for $2/pound in 2016, rising to $5/pound in April of this year.  Lithium price has jumped from 2019 to 2021.  Was as low as $2.21/pound in 2020 and rose to $41/pound at the end of 2021.  Is today near $32/pound.

• U.S. shipments of solar PV modules rose to 29 million peak kW last year.

• Solar PV capacity in megawatts:  #1 China 306,973, #2 European Union 178,700, #3 USA 95,209.
• Electric cars made up nearly 10% of car sales globally last year.  The top 20 in percentage.

• 
  California will restrict and eventually ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035.  More so, 17 other states will follow California.
• Japan's GX green transformation plan is based on more nuclear plants.

• 
  Ravil Maganov, chairman of the Russian oil giant Lukoil, employing 100,000 people, fell out of a sixth-floor window and died. He made headlines in March, calling for the soonest termination of the Ukraine War.  Here he is with Putin.  HE IS THE 8TH RUSSIAN ENERGY EXECUTIVE TO SUDDENLY DIE THIS YEAR!!!  Think there is some resistance to the war in the country?  Read that article.

• 11 sensitive climate tipping points to watch:

1. Melt of the Greenland ice shelf
2. Boreal (Canada and Russia) forest dieback
3. Dieback (and clearcutting) of the Amazon rainforest
4. Increasing El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSP) rainfall variability
5. Instability of West Antarctic ice shelf
6. Arctic sea-ice loss
7. Permafrost and tundra loss (Russia)
8. Increasing Indian monsoon multi-stability
9. Sahara desert greening
10. West African monsoon shift
11. Changes in Antarctic bottom water formations

• Greenhouse gas concentrations, global sea levels, and ocean heat all set record highs in 2021. 

I can continue, for this goes on and on.  But I'll return to this source on a future Wednesday.  So I'll close with a couple red rainbows.

From EarthSky:

Bottom line: If you’re watching a sunset, and there’s rain in the air, turn in the direction opposite the sun and watch for the elusive red rainbow. Red rainbows happen when the sun is on the horizon. They’re created for much the same reason that a sunset or sunrise looks red. When the sun is low, its blue and green light is weakened by scattering during the long journey to your eyes through Earth’s atmosphere. The red light travels through more directly. Voila … a red rainbow.

And yes, there are circular rainbows.  I've take a bunch of them.  From my apartment and airplanes.

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