This issue:
Local news
Events
Plan for street heat
NHPR Climate Coverage
Local news
Portsmouth Capital Improvement Plan Citizen Requests
Each year, residents are invited to submit requests for projects for consideration in the Capital Improvement Program. All project requests are reviewed by the appropriate City Department and shared with the Planning Board CIP Advisory Committee for consideration in the upcoming year’s or future year’s Capital Improvement Program. The deadline to submit projects is September 15, 2023.
We submitted a bunch of climate-related ideas last year - here’s how that panned out.
Portsmouth Community Power updated rates
The price of community power changes every few months. The new rate is a bit cheaper than the previous one.
CPCNH expects that participating customers including Portsmouth will save a combined $5.5 million and generate $1.7 million in community financial reserves for future green energy projects.
Hot Streets, Cool Pavements
Rising heat impacts urban areas more, thanks to the heat island effect. Portsmouth may face extra difficulties - balancing “historic character” against “livable city”.
The problem:
Summer has been getting hotter: the number of days each year with a heat index over 90 degrees has doubled since 1980, from 8 days to 15 days.
And will keep getting hotter: “New Hampshire could see up to 60 days above 90 degrees each year if the world continues to rely on fossil fuels.”
Sidewalks and pavement can get very hot on 90+ days.
Asphalt can get 40 degrees hotter than the ambient temperature when in direct sun. Red brick can get almost as hot. Too dangerous for dogs.
And too dangerous for humans. “On a 98F (37C) day, […] sustained contact with the sidewalk can result in third degree burns – and potentially kill a person.” - The Guardian. CNN coverage.
Hot sidewalks & pavement make the city hotter by radiating infrared heat.
Solutions:
Plan for heat and design your urban environment accordingly.
Increase the amount of shade.
When updating / replacing sidewalks, use lighter, more reflective materials; porous materials and surfacing and whitening treatments. (EPA: Using cool pavements to reduce heat islands) . More strategies from the EPA.
The complication: heritage. Portsmouth City has so far clung on to brick sidewalks in downtown, presumably for the Olde Timey Vibes.
Prediction: eventually the heat from the bricks will be impossible to ignore, and they’ll be taken out. By then the City will have plenty of other climate-related crises to handle.
Suggestion: start planning on sidewalk replacement now, so we can start phasing in cooler alternatives.
Events
SABR: Bike Wash and Gear Swap September 3rd 2:00-4:00 pm White Heron Portsmouth
Ride your dusty, muddy bicycle over and we’ll give you the tools to brush off dried gunk, soap it up and hose it down. SABR provides: bike racks on hand, buckets, soap, rags, some brushes, water, and a hose. Bring your favorite sponge!
Event recording: Offshore wind (June 5th)
Summer sustainability fair August 31st, Emery Farm
From NH Climate Action (LCV).
The Great Regeneration: A Living on Earth Book Club Event September 14th 14
6:00—7:30 PM Dover Public Library and online
In their new book, "The Great Regeneration," Dorn Cox and Courtney White delve into a transformative vision for global agriculture, uniting open-source technology and regenerative farming to combat climate change and food scarcity. This pivotal book urges us to democratize farming systems and embrace our role as ecosystem stewards.
The Living on Earth Book Club, New Hampshire Public Radio, Dover Public Library and UMass Boston School for the Environment proudly present this free, live conversation between author Dorn Cox and Host Steve Curwood, with a special introduction by NHPR CEO Jim Schachter.
Clean energy conference, November 2nd, Manchester
From Clean Energy NH
NHPR By Degrees Climate coverage
As far as I know the best NH climate reporting lives at NHPR: By Degrees.
Happy birthday, Inflation Reduction Act. Here’s where the climate money is starting to go in NH.
NH DoE is rolling out $70m in incentives for heatpumps, insulation, electric stoves. They have till 2025 to put a plan in place.
DoE is also applying for grant money from Solar for All - aimed at getting renewable power to lower income communities.
IRA money will help the State update the NH Climate Action plan - which is 14 years old.
NH's coastal communities are trying to protect drinking water access from climate change
Sea level rise = saltwater intrusion.
In 2019, about 100 homes in a Newmarket neighborhood switched their water supply from private wells to public water, after a modeling study showed that the amount of saltwater in those wells would only increase over time, eventually becoming unsafe to drink.
Climate change is threatening farms across New England. Here’s how farmers are responding.
Across the region, heavy rains have caused massive damage for farmers this summer. Problems from heat, pests, and drought are common. But farmers in the region are getting help from state and federal programs and changing some of their practices to become more resilient.